Orange Apple Cider Bundt Cake

 An apple cider bundt cake with an orange twist! This one is made with olive oil and has fresh orange zest, fresh orange juice, spices and reduced cider that make it ultra moist and flavorful.  Often when warm cider is made for mug drinking it’s heated it with some mulling spices; cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, etc. Most often there’s orange peel in the spice mix as well, which is a really lovely way to bring out the tart of the apple and balance the sweet. For this cake, we’re leaning hard into that cider/orange combination and the results are splendid.  For bundt cakes or loaves, using an oil rather than butter is preferable because these cakes are designed to last more than an afternoon or evening, so you’ll want to keep them moist as long as possible. You’ll find any cake made with butter will be drier the next day and quickly deteriorate in moisture and quality. Oils, especially when combined with fruit, do the opposite.

Recipe Ingredients

Apple Cider: fresh apple cider (NOT vinegar, not alcoholic). This is simply unfiltered apple juice with nothing added to it. We’re going to boil this down to flavor the cake and the glaze (more on this below). Oranges: we’ll use the zest for the cake and the topping, and the juice goes into the cake batter too. Sugar: I started making this recently with a mix of brown and fine granulated sugar and I find it more moist. Cinnamon or pumpkin spice: whichever you prefer. Salt & vanilla: fine sea salt (if using table salt, halve the amount) and pure vanilla extract or paste. Eggs: whole large eggs. Olive oil: use something you like the flavor of, a good quality olive oil. Flour: all purpose flour. Buttermilk or kefir: full fat.

How to make Orange & Apple Cider Bundt Cake

Boil down the fresh cider at least a day before, or a few weeks (it’ll keep in a sealed jar). Prep the bundt pan: I use a baking spray which has oil and flour in it. Alternatively you can butter the pan then flour it. Zest the oranges over the sugar then rub between your fingers: this releases the oils and flavor from the zest Add the eggs then immediately start beating (if you wait, the sugar can ‘cook’ the eggs) When you have a light, airy mixture, start pouring in the olive oil with the mixer on Beat well to combine, then add the flour, leavening and spices While that’s beating, pour in the cooled, reduced cider, the orange juice and the buttermilk Beat to combine then pour it into the prepared bundt pan Bake until it springs back or a cake tester comes out clean

Making Apple Cider Glaze

*** Always wait until the cake is completely cool before making the glaze. Whisk all the ingredients together, adding more powdered sugar if it’s too thin and more milk if it’s too thick. Pour over the cake (if you do this on a sheet pan the pan will catch the excess glaze)

What is Apple Cider Reduction or Boiled Cider? 

In the fall, fresh apple cider is sold everywhere in the US; a sweet raw, unfiltered apple juice made from literally pressing the apples. It’s very different than the clear apple juice you find year round and cannot be replaced by it. (Also, just because I’ve been asked this a few times before, it cannot be substituted with apple cider vinegar).  What we’ll do to make this is boil fresh cider on high (use a deep pot) for at least an hour until most of the water has evaporated and it becomes a thick, concentrated syrup. 

FAQ

What is apple cider? 

• • A fresh, unfiltered, unsweetened, non-alcoholic juice available in the US in the Fall. 

How do you make reduced cider/apple cider syrup?

• • Simply by boiling fresh cider to evaporate the water and concentrate the taste & sugars. 

How do I get my bundt cake to come out clean and in one piece? 

• • If you are a butter & flour kind of baker, butter it well in every crevice with softened butter, set it in the fridge, then dust flour over it. Personally, I use a baking spray and it has never failed me. 

How do I know when the cake is done? 

• • When no crumbs come out of the cake tester. Another way I check for doneness is by pressing my finger gently on the center of the cake (where it bakes last) and seeing what kind of indentation my finger leaves. If it springs back, it’s done. 

How big does my bundt pan need to be?

• • A large standard bundt pan is usually 9.5-10 inches and holds 10-12 cups of batter. 

Why use organic powdered sugar? 

• • Simply because it tastes better; organic is usually made with tapioca starch which melts on the tongue as opposed to cornstarch which melts only at high heat and leaves you with a chalky, saccharine taste. 

How do I get the glaze to perfect consistency? 

• • Look for the consistency of Elmer’s glue; it should be thick but still pourable. Start with the sugar, add 2 tablespoons each juice and if it’s far too thick to stir, add more orange juice. If it gets too thin, add more powdered sugar. 

 

As a Layer Cake with Cranberry Meringue

I also made this as a two layer cake with some chopped cranberries and a cranberry meringue – and it was divine! Here’s how: Make the cake batter as instructed, and add 1/2 cup chopped cranberries to the batter at the end. Then, divide the batter between two 8″ cake pans and baked them for 35-40 minutes. To make the cranberry meringue you’ll need: 3 large egg whites, 3/4 cup granulated sugar and 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of cranberry juice. In a small pot, boil the sugar and juice until it hits 250 F. When it is close, begin whipping the egg whites (stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment works best, but you can use a hand mixer) until they are foamy. When the juice is done, with the mixer on medium, slowly pour the juice into the mixer bowl. Turn the mixer to medium high and whip until you have stiff peaks. Spread over the cooled cake and use a kitchen torch to toast the edges.

Recipe for Orange & Apple Cider Bundt Cake

 

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