Apple Cider Donut Cake #Christmas @onceuponachef @LucyBurdette

LUCY BURDETTE: I have a weakness for sugary, puckery apple cider donuts. So when I spotted this recipe for apple cider donut cake on one of my favorite recipe sites, Once Upon a Chef, I thought it might be perfect for a non-cookie Christmas recipe. Yes, of course there will be cookies! But maybe one night you will have company craving a sugary but light cake? This would be a perfect addition to your holiday table. It’s not hard to make, but it takes some planning. Do read through everything ahead of time so you have the ingredients in place and are ready to go!

Ingredients for the cake

One and a half cups apple cider, reduced

2/3 cup sugar

Two large eggs

2/3 cup sour cream

1/2 cup unsalted butter 

one and 1/4 teaspoons ground nutmeg.

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda.

Ingredients for the cider glaze

Reduced cider, saved from making the cake

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons sugar

Pinch of salt

For the topping

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoon sugar

Preheat the oven to 350.

Place the apple cider vinegar in a small pan and simmer until it’s reduced to half a cup. This could take 10 to 15 minutes. Set the cider aside to cool. You will use 1/3 cup of the reduced liquid for the cake, and save the rest for the glaze.

Melt the stick of butter and set this aside to cool as well.

Whisk together the sugar and eggs, then whisk in the sour cream, and finally whisk in the melted butter along with the nutmeg, vanilla, salt, and the 1/3 cup reduced cider.

In another small bowl, combine the dry ingredients, the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir this into the egg mixture.

Prepare an 8 x 8 pan by buttering it well, and then placing a large piece of parchment paper into the pan so the edges overhang. Butter this for good measure.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for approximately 30 minutes. Check with a skewer to be sure it’s cooked and set this aside to cool. Using the overlapping parchment paper, lift the cake from the pan and move it to the plate on which you plan to serve. Slide out the parchment and discard.

Into the pan containing the reduced cider, add the 2 tablespoons of butter, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and a bit of salt and bring this to a boil to allow it to thicken. Drizzle this glaze all over the cake and let it set.

Mix the cinnamon and sugar and spread this topping over the cake. To serve, cut into squares and serve with ice cream or whipped cream. Our guests particularly enjoyed coconut ice cream with this cake!

Lucy Burdette writes the Key West food critic mystery series including USA Today bestselling A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS. You can order that wherever books are sold. If you’re all caught up, try Lucy’s first women’s fiction title, THE INGREDIENTS OF HAPPINESS.

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