This apple cider snacking cake is the first thing that makes the whole kitchen smell like fall — one bowl, one pan, no mixer. It’s spiced with our Autumn Harvest blend (cinnamon, clove, maple, allspice), and the secret is reducing apple cider down to a syrup so every bite tastes like the season itself. A cinnamon-sugar top bakes into a delicate crackle.

A snacking cake is exactly what it sounds like: a humble, everyday cake you leave on the counter and cut a corner off all week — no frosting, no fuss. It’s an easy fall dessert or a coffee cake for a slow morning, ready in about 50 minutes. Cut a square, add a flake of salt if you’re feeling it, and put the kettle on.

Apple Cider Snacking Cake

Calicutts
Servings

9

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

35 minutes

Ingredients

    For the Cake

    • 1 C Apple cider, to reduce to ⅓ cup
    • 1½ C All-purpose flour
    • 1 Tbsp Calicutts Autumn Harvest blend
    • 1 tsp Baking powder
    • ½ tsp Baking soda
    • ½ tsp Salt
    • ½ C Butter, melted
    • ¾ C Brown sugar
    • 2 Large eggs
    • ½ C Sour cream or plain yogurt
    • 1 Apple, grated (about ¾ cup)

    For the Top

    • 2 Tbsp Calicutts Cinnamon Sugar
    • 1 Tbsp Butter, melted (brushed on after baking)

    Directions

    1. Reduce the cider: simmer the cup of cider in a small pot until it’s about ⅓ cup and syrupy, about 8 minutes, then cool slightly.
    2. Heat the oven to 350°F; grease and line an 8×8-inch pan.
    3. Whisk the flour, Autumn Harvest blend, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
    4. In another bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, sour cream, grated apple, and reduced cider until smooth.
    5. Fold the wet into the dry until just combined (don’t overmix). Spread into the pan and sprinkle the top evenly with the cinnamon sugar.
    6. Bake 33–38 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
    7. Brush the warm top with the tablespoon of melted butter and an extra dusting of cinnamon sugar — that last crackle is what makes it a snacking cake. Cool slightly before slicing.