Munchie Monday: Cider Cake

Acres and acres of apples grew on the Macculloch property for most of the 1800s. It is not surprising that Louisa Macculloch ((1785-1863) has an early recipe for cider cake among the 160 recipes in her cookbook. Considered to be a classic American dessert, cider cake called for hard apple cider, grown and made in America, which provided an inexpensive substitute to imported brandy. The collection at Macculloch Hall Historical Museum has one remaining piece of china, a tea cup and bowl, that was used by the Macculloch family in the 1800s. Perhaps it is the tea cup that was used to measure ingredients for the cider cake recipe shared here.

Cider Cake

3 tea cups of flour

2 tea cups of sugar

1 ditto of butter

1 ditto of cider

2 eggs to be mixed as pound cakes and when all prepared for the oven, add a teaspoonful of pearlash to the cider and stir it in.

Adapted Recipe for Cider Cake

3 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened

1 cup of apple cider (hard or fresh)

2 eggs

1 teaspoon of baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter, adding sugar a little at a time. Add eggs one at a time and let mixer run between each egg to combine. Sift flour. Add baking soda to cider and stir, which will fizz. Add flour alternately with cider. Mix well. Pour batter into a well-greased bundt pan. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 20 minutes on a baking rack then remove from pan. Optional—sprinkle with powdered sugar or serve with ice cream.

---

Resources

• Other early cider cake recipes include raisins and a variety of spices. Read a short history of cider cakes and recipe that includes raisins and spices.
• Explore a interesting, but longer, history of hard cider in America, with a recipe for cider cake with a caramel frosting.
• This recipe was featured in the Fall 2022 Issue of The Black River Journal