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Mini Apple Cider Cakes

Mini apple cider cakes with a tender crumb and a silky vanilla glaze that drips down the golden sides. You’ll simmer apple cider to concentrate the flavor, bake fluffy mini cakes, then glaze after cooling for clean, spoonable coverage.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 215
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dry ingredients
  • 1.75 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1.5 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Wet cake ingredients
  • 0.33 cup apple cider reduced
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs large
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
Glaze
  • 1.5 cup powdered sugar
  • 3 tbsp apple cider
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 mini cake or muffin pan

Method
 

Reduce the cider
  1. Simmer the apple cider until reduced to ⅓ cup, then cool.
  2. Let the reduced cider cool completely so it doesn’t scramble the eggs in the batter.
Bake the mini cakes
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 12-cup mini cake or muffin pan.
  2. Beat the unsalted butter and granulated sugar until fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes, then add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat until smooth.
  3. Stir in the dry ingredients and the reduced apple cider just until combined, then fill each cup about two-thirds full.
  4. Bake at 350°F for 18 to 20 minutes, until the tops spring back when lightly pressed and a toothpick comes out mostly clean.
Glaze and serve
  1. Cool the cakes completely.
  2. Whisk the glaze ingredients—powdered sugar, apple cider, and vanilla extract—until smooth, then spoon it over each cake so it drips down the sides.

Notes

Pro tip: reduce the cider first and cool it fully before mixing, so the batter stays thick and bakes evenly. Store glazed cakes covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; keep unglazed cakes frozen up to 2 months, then thaw and glaze after thawing. For a dietary swap, use a gluten-free 1:1 all-purpose flour blend in place of regular flour (check baking powder labeling to ensure it’s gluten-free).