This post may contain affiliate links.
Apple Cider Cake is a moist, warmly spiced sheet cake made with real apple cider and apple butter, topped with a fluffy whipped brown sugar frosting that tastes like caramel clouds, and when I baked one on a *crisp fall evening* the pan was half gone before it finished cooling. If you love our caramel apple cake, this easy cider version belongs on your fall baking list.
It starts with a boxed spice cake mix, but the cider and apple butter make it taste completely homemade.
Apple Cider Cake Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 26 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 36 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 12 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 308kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Warm apple spice with caramel notes from whipped brown sugar frosting
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, a doctored cake mix bake like our caramel apple dump cake
Quick Answer
Mix a box of spice cake mix with eggs, apple cider, and apple butter, then bake in a 13×9 pan at 350 degrees for about 26 minutes. While the Apple Cider Cake cools, cook flour and milk into a thick paste, whip it with butter, brown sugar, and vanilla until fluffy, and frost the cooled cake.
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Cider instead of water. Swapping the liquid in the cake mix for real apple cider packs the crumb with apple flavor.
- Apple butter for moisture. A third of a cup of apple butter adds concentrated spiced apple flavor and keeps the cake moist for days.
- A spice cake head start. The mix already carries cinnamon and nutmeg, so you get deep fall flavor with 10 minutes of work.
- An ermine style frosting. Cooking flour and milk into a paste, then whipping it with butter and brown sugar, makes a frosting as light as whipped cream but sturdy enough to spread.
- Brown sugar, not powdered. Brown sugar gives the frosting a caramel depth that powdered sugar frostings cannot match.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It tastes like fall in cake form, real cider and apple butter in every bite.
- The whipped brown sugar frosting is light, silky, and not too sweet, a total showstopper like the topping on our apple pie cupcakes.
- It is a one bowl, cake mix easy bake that feeds the whole crew.
- It has earned a permanent spot in our rotation, right up there with our 7up cake.
- It earns a spot in the rotation right next to our funnel cake apple fries.
- It has earned a permanent spot in our rotation, right up there with our caramel pumpkin sheet cake.
Key Ingredients
Here is a quick look at the shortcut ingredients that make this Apple Cider Cake taste completely from scratch.
- Spice Cake Mix: The shortcut base, already loaded with warm cinnamon and nutmeg so every bite tastes like fall.
- Apple Cider: A full cup replaces the water in the mix, doubling down on real apple flavor.
- Apple Butter: Concentrated, spiced apple goodness that makes the crumb extra moist, the same trick behind our caramel apple dump cake.
- Brown Sugar and Butter: Whipped into an old fashioned cooked frosting that tastes like caramel whipped cream.
- Flour and Milk: Cooked into the paste that makes the ermine style frosting silky, light, and not too sweet.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
This Apple Cider Cake is easy to make your own. Here are a few delicious twists.
- Add apples: Fold a cup of finely diced apples into the batter for little pockets of fruit.
- Caramel drizzle: Drizzle the frosted cake with caramel sauce and a pinch of flaky salt.
- Extra spice: Stir a teaspoon of apple pie spice into the batter to amp up the warmth.
- Cream cheese frosting: Swap the brown sugar frosting for tangy cream cheese frosting if you prefer.
- More apple treats: If you love this one, our apple pie cinnamon twists are next level.
- Craving a different flavor next time? Our apple cider chicken recipe delivers the same easy comfort with its own twist.
- In the mood for something different? Our apple cider vinegar dressing scratches a similar itch.
- Craving a different flavor next time? Our apple cider mimosas delivers the same easy comfort with its own twist.
How to Make Apple Cider Cake
- Add the spice cake mix, eggs, apple cider, and apple butter to a large bowl. Mix on low for 1 minute, scrape the sides, then mix on medium for 2 minutes.
- Pour the batter into a greased 13×9 inch pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 26 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool completely.
- Whisk the flour into the milk in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until thick, then cool. Cream the butter and brown sugar until fluffy, add the cooled milk mixture and vanilla, and beat on high until it reaches a whipped cream consistency. Frost the cooled cake and serve.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Cool the milk paste fully. Adding warm paste to the butter melts the frosting, let it come completely to room temperature.
- Whip longer than you think. The frosting can take several minutes to turn light and fluffy, do not give up, it is worth it.
- Beat out the graininess. Cream the butter and brown sugar until you cannot feel sugar granules when you rub a bit between your fingers.
- Cool the cake completely. Even slightly warm cake will melt this delicate whipped frosting.
- Use fresh cider. Cloudy, fresh pressed apple cider has way more flavor than clear apple juice.
- Grease the pan well. A good coat of baking spray means clean squares every time.
- Make it a spread. When you are feeding a crowd, round out the table with our honey citrus spiced bundt cake.
- Make it a full spread. Our pumpkin cake rounds out the table.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
This Apple Cider Cake is the dessert I bring to every fall potluck, tailgate, and school bake sale. It travels right in the pan and slices into neat squares that disappear fast.
Store the frosted cake covered in the refrigerator for up to four days and let slices sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.
Apple Cider Cake FAQs
Apple Cider Cake tastes like a cross between spice cake and a caramel apple. Real cider and apple butter give the crumb deep apple flavor, and the whipped brown sugar frosting adds a light caramel finish.
Fresh apple cider is best for Apple Cider Cake because it is unfiltered and more concentrated. Apple juice works in a pinch, but the apple flavor will be milder.
It is an old fashioned ermine style frosting. Flour and milk are cooked into a paste, cooled, then whipped with butter and brown sugar until it is as light as whipped cream with a caramel flavor.
Yes. Bake the Apple Cider Cake a day ahead and keep it covered at room temperature, then frost it the day you serve. The frosted cake keeps in the refrigerator for up to four days.
Freeze the unfrosted Apple Cider Cake tightly wrapped for up to two months. Thaw it at room temperature and whip up the frosting fresh, the ermine frosting is best made the day you frost.
Grainy frosting means the butter and brown sugar were not creamed long enough, and soupy frosting means the milk paste was still warm. Cream thoroughly, cool the paste completely, and keep whipping until the Apple Cider Cake frosting is light and fluffy.
Still filling out the menu? Readers love pairing this one with our apple cider float, caramel apple pudding cups, apple cider rum punch, and Cream Cheese Banana Bread.
Apple Cider Cake
Ingredients
- Spice Cake Mix
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup apple cider
- 1/3 cup apple butter
Brown Sugar Frosting
- 2½ Tablespoon all purpose flour
- ½ cup milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temp
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add cake mix, eggs, apple cider and apple butter to a large bowl. Mix on low 1 minute, scrap the sides. Mix on medium for 2 minutes. Pour batter into a greased13x9 inch pan. Bake 26 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool completely.
Brown Sugar Frosting
- In a small saucepan, whisk the flour into the milk and cook over medium heat, whisking continuously until thick. Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla and let cool to room temp.
- With a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy and there is no graininess left. Add in the cooled milk mixture and beat it on high speed until a whipped cream consistency. This can take a while, do not give up! Well worth the effort.
- Frost cake, serve and enjoy
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
Follow @ThisSillyGirlsKitchen on Instagram and @danadevolk on Pinterest for more!
Confused about why it says it’s a sheet cake when you bake it in a 9×13?
OOOOH, I love that idea! I’m going to try maple next, thanks so much!
Made the cake this morning. Love recipes that start with a boxed mix and go from there. Wondered about the frosting but went ahead anyway. A bit complex but well worth the time and effort. Was out of vanilla extract (horrors!) used maple instead. I think even better.
This sounds so yummy! I love a good apple sauce cake, so I bet I’d really like this one!