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–+ servings

sugarsalted.com

Apple cider cake with maple mascarpone frosting

A wonderful spicy cake packed with apple flavor and wrapped in creamy mascarpone frosting.
Prep 1 hour
Cook 30 minutes
Chilling time 4 hours
Total Time 5 hours 30 minutes
Servings 10 servings

Ingredients 
US | M

Cake
  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour + extra for dusting the pans
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon allspice
  • 1 1/2 stick unsalted butter + extra for greasing the pans
  • 1 cup white granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 4 large eggs at room temperature
  • 1 cup apple cider
  • 1/4 cup apple sauce
Frosting
  • 16 oz mascarpone cheese cold (straight from the refrigerator)
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream cold (straight from the refrigerator)
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

Make the cakes
  • Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and butter three 7-inch (18-cm) cake pans. Dust all three with flour, shake out excess and set aside.
  • Sift flour, baking powder and spices in a medium bowl and set aside. Cream butter in another bowl, add the sugars and beat until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla and salt, then eggs one at a time until incorporated.
  • Whisk 1/2 of the flour mixture into the wet batter just until incorporated. Next, whisk in apple cider and sauce. Once incorporated add the rest of the flour and whisk until no dry patches are left.
  • Divide batter evenly between the pans and bake for 20-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean. Cool cakes in the pans for about 10 minutes, then flip them upside down on a clean kitchen towel and let cool completely before assembly. (At this point you can wrap each cake and store all three in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight, as that makes the cake easier to assemble.)
Make the frosting
  • Combine mascarpone and whipping cream in a large bowl (or bowl of your stand mixer). Beat on low speed until soft peaks form. Add maple syrup and sugar and beat for a few more minutes, just until the frosting is smooth and you see firm peaks. (Do not over-beat! The frosting has to be smooth and it should hold its form when you grab some with a spoon, but know that it’ll harden even more as the cake chills).
Assemble the cake and decorate
  • Place one cake layer (bottom-side down) on a cake plate. Using an offset spatula, top the cake with about 1/3 of the frosting. Top with a second cake layer and another third of the frosting.
  • Top with the last cake layer (bottom-side up) and the remaining frosting. Spread it over the top and around the sides of the cake, making it as smooth as possible. Transfer the cake to the refrigerator and chill for a few hours or overnight.
  • Decorate the cake before serving (or a few hours ahead). I used a mix of white sprinkles, greenery and homemade red marzipan apples.
  • Allow the cake to rest at room temperature for about 15 minutes before serving, as this makes it taste even better. Store leftover cake in the refrigerator and eat within 2-3 days.

Notes

  • Heavy whipping cream has a fat content of at least 36%. Not every country differentiates between regular and heavy whipping cream, my advice is too look for cream that has at least 35% fat content.
  • Keep all frosting ingredients cold! Cream whips best when it’s cold and mascarpone won’t curdle when it’s mixed with ingredients of the same temperature (sugar being the exception here). Which is why you need to make sure all of these ingredients are chilled before you start baking.
  • You can use 8-inch (20-cm) pans if you don’t have 7-inch ones. Alternately, you can use two 9-inch (23-cm) pans instead, for a more classic cake.
  • If you want a stronger mascarpone flavor, you can use less whipping cream in the frosting. A favorite combination of mine is using 16oz (450g) mascarpone and 1 cup (240ml) whipping cream. This 2:1 ratio produces a frosting that is still fluffy and smooth but even richer in flavor. Do keep in mind that you need less sugar for this and that you’ll end up with a smaller amount of frosting.