celebrating fall
I can’t remember when or where it was (and please don’t ask me to), but when I was in middle school, my life was changed at a coffee shop one day when I tried their seasonal drink special: an apple chaider.
I loved it, and I decided then and there that it would be my new drink of choice (this was well before I started drinking coffee, obviously).
To my disappointment and embarrassment, the barista at the next coffee shop looked at me with confusion when I asked for an apple chaider. Little middle school me was poised run away with no drink, but the barista kindly asked me how they could make the drink. I shyly suggested maybe this and that or “I don’t know.” Spoiler alert: It was just an apple cider with chai. Despite my inability to communicate what the drink consisted of, the barista figured something out, and I left with my second and final apple chaider. I simply could NOT face the embarrassment of ordering a drink off menu EVER again.
Fast forward to the present. I’ve discovered my love for coffee (and thus my drink of choice for all coffee shops), grown out of my middle school shyness, and recently remembered that delicious fall beverage I was twice fortunate enough to have.
To take a walk down memory lane, I’ve recreated the beverage and fallen in love all over again (at home of course: you still won’t catch me trying to order one – too much trauma).
Like all good trauma though, we can turn it into dessert. And that’s exactly what I’ve done.
Chai and apple cider are co-stars in this apple chaider cake with the supporting role going to the brown butter Swiss meringue buttercream (although I might argue it’s the real star of the show).
If you have something to celebrate this fall, (and even if you don’t), I hope you’ll try my apple chaider cake.
Apple Chaider Cake
8-12
servings1
hour60
minutes60
minutesApple cider and chai are co-stars in this apple chaider cake paired with brown butter buttercream. It’s this perfect cake for any fall celebration
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups sugar (300g)
1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, room temperature (282g)
Zest of 1 lemon
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla (6g)
3 large eggs, (about 150g)
3/4 cup applesauce (180g)
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (225g)
3/4 cup cake flour (95g)
1/2 Tablespoon baking powder (7g)
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
6 teaspoons black tea leaves (15g)
3 teaspoons ground ginger (4g)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground clove (3g)
3 teaspoons ground cardamom (7g)
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon (6g)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground pepper (2g)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg (4g)
1 teaspoon ground star anise (2g) (two star anise, crushed)
- Apple Cider Jam
3 cups apple cider
2 apples, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon lemon juice
pinch of salt
- Chaider Syrup
1/2 cup apple cider
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup chai concentrate
Directions
- Apple Cider Jam
- Start by making the apple cider jam so that it can cool. Place the chopped apples in a pot with the apple cider and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the apples have softened slightly – about 15 minutes.
- Pulse the mixture in a blender to break the apples down further, but do not puree – leave them slightly chunky.
- Return the mixture to the pan and reduce over medium-low heat until the apples reach 220°F or a thick, jammy texture. This will take about an hour.
- To finish, stir in lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Cool before using
- Brown Butter Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- Prepare the brown butter Swiss meringue buttercream. My recipe for this can be found here.
- Chai Cake
- Heat oven to 325°F
- To a blender, add a portion of the AP flour (about ½ cup) and the black tea leaves. Pulse these together until the tea leaves are broken down into a powder. Set aside.
- In a mixer, cream the butter and sugar together.
- Beat in eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Then slowly add the applesauce.
- Mix in the the spices and dry ingredients.
- Grease and flour 3 6-inch or 2 8-inch round cake pans.
- Distribute batter evenly among the cake pans. (For 6-inch pans, each pan will have approximately 430 grams of batter. For 8-inch pans, each pan will have approximately 650 grams of batter)
- Bake the cakes for approximately 50 minutes for 6-inch cakes or 1 hour 15 minutes for 8-inch cakes. To test to see if cakes are done, gently press a finger on to the top of the center of the cake. If the cake springs back, it is ready. If your finger leaves an indentation in the cake, it needs more time. Alternatively, insert a knife or toothpick into the center of the cake. When it comes out clean, the cakes are ready.
- Chaider Syrup
- Combine all ingredients in a pot over medium heat and bring to a boil. Cool completely.
- Assembling the Cake
- Trim the layers of cake so that they are all level.
- Drizzle the chaider syrup on each layer of cake (drizzle it over the cut side).
- Place a layer of cake on a desired platter. Add a layer of buttercream. Use buttercream to create a dam around the edge of the cake.
- Add the jam to the center of the layer (be careful that it doesn’t overflow over the buttercream dam). Repeat this for a second layer if using 6-inch cakes.
- Cover the cake with buttercream. This will be easiest to do if you put the cake into the fridge for 15-20 minutes before frosting. Top with dried apple slices and edible flowers if desired.
Notes
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