• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Mail

My Kitchen Love

making everyday family meals extraordinary

  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • Recipes by Course
    • Appetizer
    • Breakfast
    • Cocktails
    • Dessert
    • Dinner
    • Lunch
    • Side Dish
    • Snacks
  • eBooks
  • About Me
    • About Me
    • Start Here
    • Contact
    • Privacy & Disclosure

Home » Dessert » Cakes » Spiced Apple Cider Cake with Frosted Cranberries

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my full Disclosure Policy for details.

Spiced Apple Cider Cake with Frosted Cranberries

December 1, 2015 by Samantha

Share This!

Pin
Share
Tweet
Share
Share
Share
Email
268Shares
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
Spiced Apple Cider Cake with Frosted Cranberries is perfect as a stunning centre pieces for any holiday event or a delicious Fall cake. via @mykitchenloveSpiced Apple Cider Cake with Frosted Cranberries is perfect as a stunning centre pieces for any holiday event or a delicious Fall cake. via @mykitchenlove

This Spiced Apple Cider Cake with Frosted Cranberries is a dreamy Fall cake with four layers of spiced apple cider cake and layers of light frosting with sweet and tart sugared cranberries.

Spiced Apple Cider Cake with Frosted Cranberries | My Kitchen Love

This Fall Cake though …. I love it. I hardly repeat a recipe and yet, I’ve made this cake twice within two weeks for separate events. It’s been well received for the groups I made it for, including people asking for the recipe (here you are for those of you that asked). 🙂

Seasonally fitting with warm festive spices to brighten apple cider and topped with pretty frosted cranberries. The recipe is stone cold easy as well. Which is great as I sometimes I deter from making cake as it seems like way too many steps and I generally don’t have the time.

The cranberries are a bit of process with regards to time. They need time to dry out at two different points. This works for me currently as I only have short pockets of time between nursing baby 3 and chasing twin toddlers.

The icing is pretty quick, again you some time to let the base cool, but it’s not a ton. And, I really liked the process for this icing where you create a base then beat it with butter, no whipping cream, no eggs, just butter and a sugar base.

Spiced Apple Cider Cake with Frosted Cranberries | My Kitchen Love

You’ll want to keep an eye on the cake while it’s cooking. The directions state that “bake cake layers until they begin to pull away from sides of pan” – the cake and the pan will have a space between them.

I also was alarmed originally by how slim the cake layers were, this isn’t a batter that rises. Be sure to knock the pan with batter in them a few time on the counter before baking to avoid any large air pockets.

Spiced Apple Cider Cake with Frosted Cranberries | My Kitchen Love

Other cakes perfect for Fall and Winter:

  • Champagne and Vanilla Bean Cake
  • Instant Pot Chocolate Cake
  • Dark Chocolate Mint Cake
Print
Spiced Apple Cider Cake with Frosted Cranberries
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
45 mins
Total Time
1 hr 5 mins
 
Spiced Apple Cider Cake with Frosted Cranberries for the win every Fall and Winter.
Course: Baking
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 -10
Author: Samantha
Ingredients
Cake:
  • 1 stick 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened in microwave, plus additional for greasing pans
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting cake pans
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg I used ground, but you can also use fresh, grated
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/4 tsp allspice
  • 2/3 cup apple cider juice, not filtered
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs at room temperature
Buttercream:
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1/8 tsp tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup apple cider juice, not filtered
  • 2 1/2 sticks 1.5 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
Cranberries:
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1 package approx. 200 grams fresh cranberries (frozen won't work)
  • 3/4 cup berry fine or regular sugar
Instructions
Cake:
  1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter 2 (8"x2") round cake pans. Dust with flour, knocking out excess.
  2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice in a medium bowl.
  3. Combine apple cider and lemon juice in a small measuring cup.
  4. Beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, then add brown sugar and beat until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well between additions.
  5. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture and cider mixture alternating in 3 batches, beginning with flour mixture. Mix until just combined.
  6. Divide batter between cake pans and tap on work surface to release air bubbles.
  7. Bake layers until they begin to pull away from the sides of pans and a cake tester comes out clean, 25-30 minutes.
  8. Cool in pans for 5 minutes, then invert on to cooling racks until cooled completely, at least 1 hour. (I let mine cool and then placed (with parchment paper between layers) in fridge over night before icing.)
  9. !Buttercream:
  10. Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a sauce pan. Whisk in cider. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly for about 1 minute. Mixture will become quite thick. Transfer to a metal bowl that is set in a larger bowl of ice water. Stir occasionally until cool.
  11. Beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add 1/3 of cooled cider mixture and beat until incorporated. Add remaining cider mixture and beat until well blended and smooth.
  12. When cakes are cool, arrange 1 layer flat side up and spread with 3/4 cup buttercream. Top with second layer and frost top and sides with remaining buttercream. Chill 2 hours before serving to allow buttercream to set.
  13. * cake will keep chilled nicely for 1-2 days.
  14. !Cranberries:
  15. Place sugar and water in pot and heat until simmering (not boiling) and stir until sugar is dissolved. Place cranberries in pan and submerge. Make sure cranberries are well coated.
  16. Using a slotted spoon transfer coated to cranberries to a wire rack to dry for an hour, but not longer than a couple of hours (they'll become too dry to be coated in the sugar) OR roll in a piece of paper towel.
  17. Place cranberries in small batches into the granulated sugar in a shallow pan or bowl and roll cranberries through sugar to coat.

Enjoy!

Cake recipe from Gourmet and Sugared Cranberries from Baker’s Royal 

Spiced Apple Cider Cake with Frosted Cranberries | My Kitchen Love

 

Share This!

Pin
Share
Tweet
Share
Share
Share
Email
268Shares

You May Also Like

  • Easter Bunny Cake
    Easter Bunny Cake
  • Lemon-Raspberry Ricotta Cake
    Lemon-Raspberry Ricotta Cake
  • S'mores Icebox Cake Recipe
    S'mores Icebox Cake Recipe
  • Strawberry Angel Food Cake
    Strawberry Angel Food Cake
Category: Cakes, Dessert, Events, Holidays, Party, Vegetarian

About Samantha

Mom of twins, a singleton, and wife to a hungry husband. The food demands that surround me, have pushed me to lead our food life more simply, nutritiously, and deliciously. It’s a good day when family, friends, and food intersect.

Previous Post:Green Smoothie
Next Post:Herby Mini Hasselback PotatoesMini means crispier and more flavour in every slice of these Herbed Hasselback Potatoes! #potatoes

Sidebar

Hi, I’m Samantha!

Thanks for coming by! I'm a mom with 3 young daughters, a wife, and a foodie trying to keep my head above water with simple, delicious, and nutritious food. Let me know if you have any questions or comments. I'd love to hear from you! Read More…

Follow My Kitchen Love

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Top Posts

  • How-to-bake-Lamb-Chops-Ready-to-Serve How to Bake Lamb Chops
  • White wine spritzer in a tall wine glass with lemon rind in it. Easy White Wine Spritzer
  • Thick deep orange roasted carrot soup in a white bowl with a big dollop of greek yogurt and an angled sprinkle of za'taar Roasted Carrot Soup Recipe

Subscribe to Newsletters


* indicates required

Copyright © 2023 · All Rights Reserved · My Kitchen Love