Spiced Cider Cake w/ Brown Sugar Buttercream
Spiced Cider Cake w/ Brown Sugar Buttercream
Yield: 8-inch, 3 layer cake
Total cook time: 1.5 hours
Ingredients
Spiced Cider Cake
All Purpose Flour: 3-3/4 cups (490g)
Granulated Sugar: 2-1/2 cups (500g)
Baking Powder: 2-1/4 teaspoons
Baking Soda: 2-1/4 teaspoons
Kosher Salt: 2-1/4 teaspoons
Cinnamon: 2 teaspoons
Ginger (Ground): 3/4 teaspoon
Allspice: 1/2 teaspoon
Nutmeg: 1/4 teaspoon
Cardamom: 1/4 teaspoon
Cloves: 1/8 teaspoon
Eggs (Large): 3
Buttermilk: 3/4 cup
Reduced Apple Cider: 3/4 cup*
Neutral Oil (I use Canola): 3/4 cup
Vanilla Extract: 2 tablespoons
Boiling Water: 1 cup + 2 tablespoons (yes, really)
* start with 1 1/2 cups of cider to reduce down!
Brown Sugar Buttercream
Egg Whites (Large): 5
Light Brown Sugar: 1-2/3 cups (330g)
Unsalted Butter (Room Temperature): 2 cups (4 sticks)
Vanilla Extract: 1/2 teaspoon
Cinnamon: 1/4 teaspoon
Fine Sea Salt: A pinch
A Few Notes:
Don’t have three 8-inch pans? Me neither. Hold back 1/3rd of the batter (this should be approximately 620g), and bake it after the other two are finished.
*Special equipment: 8-inch cake pans, stand mixer, offset spatula
The How To (Cake Layers):
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line three round 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper. Grease the pans with softened butter, then sprinkle with flour. Tap the excess flour out.
In a small pot, heat 1-1/2 cups of apple cider over medium low heat until reduced to 3/4 cup (10-15 minutes). Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the wet ingredients (except for the boiling water!).
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until thoroughly combined. Stir in the boiling water. Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 28-30 minutes, until golden. Cool for 10 minutes in the pans, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
The How To (Buttercream):
Heat a large pot of water until simmering. Place a metal bowl over the simmering water (making sure the water doesn't actually touch the bowl). Whisk together the egg whites and brown sugar in the metal bowl over the water. Keep whisking until you can't feel the sugar if you rub it between your finger tips (3-4 minutes).
Transfer the egg white mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, beat on medium high speed until mixture doubles in size, turns glossy, and soft peaks form (about 5 minutes)
Add butter, two tablespoons at a time. Continue whipping on medium speed until very fluffy (about 5 minutes). Add vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt and whip until combined.
The How To (Assembly):
Level the cakes, fill, frost, & decorate! Sing happy birthday, or just eat it because it’s Tuesday.
* Keeps for three days (good luck with that)
