Apple Week, Day 3! This is one of my favorite sponge recipes because the sweetness from the apple cider instant drink mix and the sour note from the reduced apple cider provide a nice balanced flavor. This recipe is great, especially when combined with apple compote and apple cider buttercream!

Update: Here is a video of how I make my Apple Cider Cake:

Disclosure: There are Amazon affiliate links provided in the post below. If you click on any of the Amazon links and make a purchase, I do get a small percentage of the sale which helps me pay for my ingredients and my website. I genuinely use anything that I link, and I want to make it easy for you to find these ingredients and kitchen tools, too, if you want to utilize them!

Notes:

• Reduce the Apple Cider: Reducing the apple cider removes water and concentrates the apple flavor, which produces a better flavor in the sponge. I have detailed how to reduce apple cider in my Apple Cider Buttercream recipe, which you can find here.
• Do not Forget the Apple Cider Drink Mix: I have tested this cake both with and without the instant drink mix. The crumb that includes the apple cider drink mix is better because it enhances the flavor of the apple cider. The recipe without the drink mix will still work; however, the apple cider flavor is not as pronounced.*
• Yield: This recipe will yield approximately 26-28 regular-size cupcakes. When making a cake, this will produce a very tall 6 layer 6″ cake, or a 3 layer 9″ cake.

Here is the apple cider drink mix I use:

My favorite hand mixer:

Apple Cider Cake

Recipe by Carly PrestonCourse: DessertDifficulty: Easy

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 tablespoon apple cider drink mix

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 1/3 cup (267 grams) granulated sugar

• 3 large eggs, room temperature

• 1 cup (208 grams) mayonnaise

• 1 cup (273 milliliters) reduced apple cider

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
• Sift the flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a mixing bowl. Add the apple cider instant drink mix and whisk the mixture to make sure the dry ingredients are well combined.
• Add room temperature eggs and granulated sugar into a separate bowl and mix using either a stand mixer or a hand mixer. Mix on a medium-high speed until the ingredients lighten in color, which will take approximately 3-4 minutes.
• Add the mayonnaise and mix on medium speed until well combined, approximately 1-2 minutes.
• Add one-third of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined (do NOT overmix!). While mixing, pour one-third of the reduced apple cider into the bowl. Repeat until all dry ingredients, wet ingredients, and apple cider are just combined. Add the cake batter to your desired cake or cupcake pans.
• Bake 6” round cakes for approximately 25-30 minutes, regular cupcakes for approximately 15-18 minutes, or mini cupcakes for approximately 10-12 minutes. Baking times will vary depending on what you are making, but you will know when your sponge is done when a cake tester (such as a toothpick) inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
• Remove pans from the oven and let the sponge or cupcakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Next, remove the sponge or cupcakes from the pans and let them completely cool on a wire rack or baking sheet.
• Fill, decorate, and enjoy!

Thank you so much for checking out this recipe! I have more delicious apple-themed posts coming this week, so make sure that you come back tomorrow for my Caramel Apple Cupcakes!