Recipes for easy fall desserts are a must and today's post is filled with many delicious options. This Apple Cider Pound Cake combines all the flavors of the season and can even be frozen to enjoy later on.
COOK + BAKE | Published August 28, 2018
Can you believe that the summer season is just about over? It seems like just a short time ago we were all making plans for vacations, cookouts, and hot evenings spent on the porch . And now here we are with kids returning to school along with our desire for the coziness of fall. There are even leaves changing colors and falling from the trees in my town already. A little too early in my opinion.
The change from summer to fall also brings about talk of apples and pumpkins in just about everything we cook and bake. Today I have the pleasure of joining in the first of this year's Tastes of the Season Holiday Recipes Series that was started last year by Kristen of Ella Claire. Each month from now until December, a group of us will share a tasty recipe around a seasonal theme. Today is all about apples and I have no doubt there is at least one recipe to tempt everyone's taste buds from this group.
One thing I look forward to each fall is sitting down with a mug of hot mulled cider. Cooking the cider on the stovetop with a mixture of different spices infuses the beverage with so much flavor and the warmth of the drink is really nice on a cooler autumn evening.
The recipe I'm sharing today for Apple Cider Pound Cake really takes all the fall flavor of this favorite drink and combines it with a traditional cake. And the glaze on the top further enhances the mix of apples and spices...and it looks pretty, too. I love anything that makes a nice presentation when you serve it. The candied pecans decorating the top are an optional touch, but it is usually those last details that make your dessert seem a bit more special.
If the amount of cake is too much for you using a bundt pan (or you don't have the right pan), the recipe can also be made in two 9x5 loaf pans or be cut in half and made in one loaf pan. The cooking temperature and baking time adjustments are noted in the printable recipe.
The pound cake also freezes well for up to a month (ideally without the glaze), so you can make one in a loaf pan and save the other for later in the season!
APPLE CIDER POUND CAKE
INGREDIENTS
For the cake- 3 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 14 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 Tablespoons sour cream
- 6 eggs
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla
- 1 cup apple cider
For the glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- Candied pecans
HOW TO MAKE APPLE CIDER POUND CAKE
To make the cake:- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a bundt pan thoroughly with nonstick cooking spray.
- Using a whisk, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a medium bowl. Set it aside.
- In a large bowl, stir the melted butter, sugar, and sour cream until combined. Add in the eggs, one at a time. Then stir in the vanilla and apple cider. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan.
- Bake for 55 to 65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. After the pound cake is baked, cool it for 20 minutes in the pan resting on a cooling rack. The cake should pull slightly away from the pan while it cools, but you may need to use a knife to gently loosen the edges to allow the cake to slide out of the pan.
To make the glaze: Combine the ingredients except for the pecans in a small bowl and whisk it until smooth. Drizzle it over the cooled cake and press the candied pecans into the glaze.
To make the candied pecans: Combine 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and 2 Tablespoons water in a skillet. Cook the ingredients over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes until sugar is dissolved and the mixture is bubbling. Add 1 cup pecan halves and cook for 3 more minutes stirring to coat the pecans in the glaze. Remove the pecans from the heat and spread them out on parchment paper to allow them to cool completely.
The cake can be stored covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or frozen (without the glaze) for up to a month.
SOME MORE RECIPES YOU MIGHT ENJOY
17 DELICIOUS APPLE INSPIRED RECIPES TO TRY
I hope that this recipe got your mouth watering and that apple cider is going on your grocery list. Be sure to check out the rest of the apple recipes featured in our Tastes of the Season group and get stocked up on all the ingredients you need to do some fall baking.
Slab Apple Pie + Caramel Sauce by Ella Claire | Applesauce Sheet Cake + Cream Cheese Frosting by Love Grows Wild | Apple Spice Streusel Cake by Inspired by Charm | Baked Apple Slices by Julie Blanner | Cinnamon Maple Sourdough Apple Pie by Farmhouse on Boone
Brioche Apple Bread Pudding by Boxwood Avenue | Apple Cider Pound Cake by Anderson + Grant | Apple Crumble Muffins by A Burst of Beautiful | Banana Apple Cake Bread by Sweet C's | Rustic Apple Strudel by So Much Better with Age
New England Apple Crisp by Nina Hendrick | Maple Apple Oatmeal by Finding Home Farms | Chocolate Apple Mini Cakes by Zevy Joy | Artisan Apple Bread by Nesting with Grace | Low Carb Apple Sandwich Snacks by My Sweet Savannah
Apple Peach Crisp by Summer Adams | Roasted Apple and Butternut Squash Soup by Town & Country Living
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