High Altitude Cinnamon Apple Cider Sheet Cake
Moist apple cider sheet cake, frosted with fluffy cinnamon buttercream, decorated with dried apple slices and cinnamon sugar.
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment
- 9x13 Baking Dish
Ingredients
Apple Cider Cake
- 3 cups apple cider, reduced to 3/4 cup
- 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- 1 ½ cups light or dark brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ⅔ cup whole milk
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Cinnamon Buttercream
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tsp meringue powder (optional)
- ⅛ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1-2 tbsp milk or cream, only if needed for desired consistency
- 1 tbsp cinnamon-sugar, for sprinkling on top
Dried Apple Slices
- 1 cup water
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 large apples
Instructions
Cake
- Pour the 3 cups of apple cider into a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then continue to boil until it's reduced down to 3/4 cup. Let cool to room temperature. You can make the reduced cider several days in advance, keeping it refrigerated until needed.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with parchment paper, or spray with non-stick baking spray.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and spices.
- Add the reduced apple cider, brown sugar, applesauce, oil, milk, eggs and vanilla, and whisk until combined, about 10-15 seconds.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake on the center oven rack for about 25-30 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.
- Set the pan on a cooling rack, cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel, and cool completely before frosting.
Buttercream
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute.
- Gradually add the powdered sugar, meringue powder, salt and cinnamon, mixing on low to combine. Add the vanilla.
- Increase speed to medium and whip for 4-5 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally, until very light and fluffy. Add the milk as needed for desired consistency.
- Turn the cooled cake out onto a serving board, and frost the top and sides with the buttercream. Decorate with the dried apple slices, and sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar.
Dried Apples
- Combine the water and lemon juice in a bowl.
- Thinly slice the apples (unpeeled), about 1/8 inch thick. Leave the core intact, but remove the seeds. Soak the apple slices in the water and lemon juice for 10 minutes, then drain and pat dry.
- Lay the apple slices in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. Dry the apples in a 150-degree Fahrenheit oven (or 175, if that's as low as your oven goes), for about 1 1/2 - 2 hours, turning every 30 minutes. The apples will have the dry and chewy texture of dried fruit, and as they dry, they will shrink in size, with the edges curling into ruffles.
- You can make the dried apple slices one day in advance, storing them loosely covered at room temperature until ready to decorate your cake.
Notes
Leftover cake should be stored in an airtight container or cake carrier, at room temperature, for up to 3 days.
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