Apple Cider Quatre Quarts Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I'm told this cake comes from the orchard regions of Quebec. Those who speak French call cakes of this type quatre quart, which literally means 4 fourths. The rest of us call them pound cake because they were originally made with a pound each of flour, butter, eggs, and sugar. This is a seasonal version of the cake and it may not be to everyone's liking. It is lightly spiced and flavored with an apple cider reduction. Those who enjoy cider donuts will love this cake, others probably not so much. I must admit the cake grew on me and I liked it better on day three than I did on one. It was moist and fragrant , but it certainly was not as light or tender as I had been told it would be. For what it's worth, were I to make this again, and I probably won't, I'd used a mulled cider reduction for stronger flavor. The cake, with current spicing, offers the promise of cider season but really does not deliver. It was a disappointment. Here's the recipe.

Apple Cider Quatre Quarts Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of about.com

Ingredients:
3 cups apple cider
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 cups sugar
1-1/2 cups butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 eggs, room temperature
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1) Bring apple cider to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Boil cider for 25 to 35 minutes, or until it has reduced to slightly less than 1 cup. Remove cider from heat and add maple syrup. Set aside.; set the mixture aside.
2) Preheat and oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease a 10-inch bundt cake pan and set it aside.
3) Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla until mixture is light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, to mixture, beating for a few seconds after each addition. Stir together remaining dry ingredients (flour, spices, baking powder, and salt) and then add half to creamed butter-egg mixture and beat until most of flour is incorporated.
4) Add cooled apple cider-maple syrup reduction to batter, beat it for 30 seconds, and then beat in remainder of dry ingredients. Spread batter into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
5) Cool cake in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Shake it from side to side to loosen cake from pan (you should hear and feel a light thumping), and use a small rubber spatula to loosen any stubborn sides. Place a serving platter over top of cake and invert it, removing pan to allow cake to cool completely. Yield: 12 to 14 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Chocolate Buttermilk Pound Cake - Passionate About Baking
Blueberry Pound Cake - Keep Learning, Keep Smiling
Russian Pound Cake - Brown Eyed Baker
Best Sour Cream Pound Cake - Sweet Kat's Kitchen
Lime Buttermilk Pound Cake - Passionate About Baking
Citrus Almond Pound Cake - Cookie Madness

Hot Mulled Cranberry and Apple Cider - Pink Saturday

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...It's been a very good week and, if you'll forgive the pun, "everything's coming up roses" for One Perfect Bite. Saveur has given us another nod and our recipe for Pumpkin Butter is featured on their site. I also have to thank the folks at FriendsEAT.com for listing One Perfect Bite as one of their choices for the top 25 foodie blogs. I'm thrilled to be included in the company of such fabulous food bloggers. Click here to view the 25 blogs they've featured on their site. You and I know I don't belong there, but let's keep that our little secret and hope they don't catch on. Now it's back to work. I wanted to make some special, yet simple, today and this recipe came to mind. It's a slightly different take on the mulled cider that's served so often at this time of year. As you can see, it's a thing of beauty and I'm happy to report it's also delicious. Cider is a relative of wine and it was common in England well before the birth of Christ. As a matter of fact, there was a time when English peasants, pagans of course, considered apple trees to be sacred and worshipped them. That might be explained by the fact that the cider they drank was allowed to ferment and had alcohol in it. Fast forward with me to America and the founding of the New England colonies. Apple cider was enormously popular here as well. It was a favorite drink of the pilgrims who would denounce hard spirits while they sipped their cider, which was allowed to ferment and, of course, had alcohol in it. Who knew? Today's recipe combines a sparkling apple cider, cranberry juice and a few mulling spices. It gets an assist from a small amount of brandy which takes it up a notch or two. There are no tricks or special tips to making a good mulled cider. The only caution is to never let it boil and to be sure to strain the finished cider through cheese cloth or a coffee filter. The cider can be kept in the refrigerator for up to a week. I always warm it before serving.Here's the recipe for an almost effortless holiday treat.

Hot Mulled Cranberry and Apple Cider...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1 bottle (25.4-oz.) sparkling apple cider
1-1/2 cups cranberry juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons brandy
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
Grated zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange
Garnish: Apple slices and fresh cranberries

Directions:
1) Combine cider, cranberry juice, sugar, brandy, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon stick, lemon zest and orange zest in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat, just to combine flavors; do not boil.
2) Strain and serve warm. Garnish with apple slices and cranberries if desired.
Yield: 6 servings.

You might also like these cider recipes:
Savory Sweet Life - Spiced Hot Apple Cider
Delish - Fireside Mulled Cider
The Way the Cookie Crumbles - Mulled Cider

This post is being linked to:
Pink Saturday, sponsored by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound