New England Apple Cider Cake -- A Cobbler Spirit for Calvin's Good News

The end of September. The trees in Forestdale are beginning to turn—the maples going first, as they always do, the gold and orange at the edges of the leaves before the rest follows—and I have put the summer things away and gotten out the autumn things, which in the kitchen means the heavy pots are at the front of the cabinet and the cast iron is seeing more use and the spices that belong to fall—the cinnamon, the nutmeg, the cloves, the allspice—are at the front of the rack instead of the back. This is how I know a season has turned: by the organization of the spice rack. By which pot is at the front.

Bernice's Table had forty-three people Tuesday. New record again. We are three people from forty-five, which is a number I can feel the pull of—the way a good target calls you forward, makes the work feel like it is building toward something. I want fifty before the end of the year. Sister Agnes says I set impossible goals. I say all important goals are impossible until they are done. She says "Mother Simms" in the tone that means she's going to help me anyway. Good. I need the help. Fifty people require a lot of chicken.

Calvin had his annual physical this week—he goes in September every year, because a man his age with his family history should be monitored, and Calvin accepts medical care the way he accepts anything that requires him to admit limitation: with some resistance and eventual compliance. He came home with good news: blood pressure controlled, cholesterol better than last year, the doctor said his heart sounds strong. I made him a celebratory apple cobbler. He said cobbler wasn't traditionally a health food. I said it was today. He ate three servings. The heart that the doctor says sounds strong got another coating of butter and brown sugar and it seemed satisfied. Everything in moderation. Cobbler in moderation. Three servings is moderation for Calvin.

The cobbler I made Calvin that evening had the same spirit as this cake — autumn apples, warm spices, the kind of sweetness that feels earned rather than indulgent. When I want to carry that same celebratory feeling into a recipe I can share, this New England Apple Cider Cake is where I land: it has the cinnamon and the deep apple flavor, the sort of thing you bake when someone you love gets good news and the maples are turning outside and everything feels, for a moment, exactly right. Three servings, as Calvin would say, is perfectly reasonable.

New England Apple Cider Cake

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes | Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup fresh apple cider
• 1 1/2 cups peeled, finely chopped tart apples (such as Granny Smith or Cortland)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Powdered sugar or a light cider glaze, for finishing (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat the oven. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9x13-inch baking pan or a 10-inch Bundt pan.
2. Whisk the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and salt. Set aside.
3. Cream butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and brown sugar together with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
4. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.
5. Alternate dry and wet. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the apple cider in two additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix just until combined — do not overmix.
6. Fold in the apples. Using a spatula, gently fold in the chopped apples until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
7. Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 40–45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top is deep golden brown.
8. Cool and finish. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar or drizzle with a simple cider glaze (1/2 cup powdered sugar whisked with 2 tablespoons apple cider) once cooled.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 265 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 43g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 210mg