By Perre Coleman Magness, The Runaway Spoon
Spiced cider pound cake
Serves 10
2 cups fresh apple cider
1-1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, room temperature
2 cups white sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
6 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1. Boil the apple cider in a medium pot until it is reduced by half, yielding one cup. Watch it carefully so it doesn’t boil over. Leave the cider to cool completely.
2. Thoroughly grease and flour a 12-cup bundt pan, or use a baking spray like Bakers’ Joy. (The decorative pan I used for the picture is a 10–cup pan, so I filled it almost to the top, then had a little bonus mini-cake).
3. Cream the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer until smooth. Add the sugars and beat on medium speed for 5 minutes, until light and fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl frequently. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition. Add the vanilla and beat until combined.
4. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl, then add the spices and blend with a fork until everything is combined. Lower the mixer speed and add the flour and reduced cider alternately in three additions, ending with the cider. Beat well after each addition, scraping the sides of the bowl a few times.
5. Scrape the batter into the well-greased pan and tap it on the counter a few times to even it out a remove any air bubbles. Put the cake into a cold oven and cook it at 325 degrees F. for 50 – 65 minutes, until it is puffed and golden and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then carefully turn it out onto a wire rack to cool.
The cake will keep for two days wrapped in plastic wrap.
See the full post on Stir It Up!
