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Brown Butter Apple Cider Cake

Brown butter apple cider cake with nutty caramel notes and a crisp-edged, soft spiced crumb. Reduced apple cider and toasted browned butter bring deep flavor while staying easy—mixed by hand in one bowl.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
cooling 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 290
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

apple cider
  • 1 cup apple cider Use unsweetened cider for best flavor balance.
unsalted butter
  • 0.75 cup unsalted butter Brown until golden and nutty; cool briefly before mixing.
brown sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar
eggs
  • 2 eggs Use large eggs.
vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
all-purpose flour
  • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
baking powder
  • 1.5 tsp baking powder
salt
  • 0.5 tsp salt
ground cinnamon
  • 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
ground nutmeg
  • 0.25 tsp ground nutmeg
milk
  • 0.25 cup milk
turbinado sugar
  • 2 tbsp turbinado sugar Sprinkle on top for a crisp, sparkling finish.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Reduce cider and brown the butter
  1. Simmer apple cider in a pan until reduced to 1/2 cup, watching for a thicker syrupy consistency.
  2. Melt the unsalted butter in a pan over medium heat until golden and nutty, then cool for 10 minutes.
Bake the cake
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9-inch round pan.
  2. Whisk the brown butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth.
  3. Stir in the all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg until the batter looks evenly mixed.
  4. Add the milk and reduced apple cider and stir until just combined.
  5. Pour the batter into the pan and sprinkle turbinado sugar evenly over the top.
  6. Bake at 350°F for 35 minutes until the edges are crisp and the center looks set.

Notes

Scrape up every browned bit from the butter pan and add it to the batter for maximum nutty depth. Store covered at room temperature up to 2 days or refrigerate up to 5 days; warm slices briefly before serving. Freeze up to 2 months (wrap tightly); thaw overnight in the fridge. For a lighter option, use 1% milk and reduce butter to 2/3 cup for a subtly less rich crumb.