After a day of apple picking, come home and enjoy the fruits of your labor. These mini apple treats—reminiscent of cake doughnuts and perfect for snacking– are flecked with bits of apple and blanketed with perfectly crisp streusel. Cider brings more apple flavor to both the cake and the frosting, which we serve on the side to keep the topping crunchy. Just spread it on slices of cake as you would butter on toast.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 2 hr |
| Active: | 30 min |
| Yield: | 8 mini loaves |
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces, at room temperature
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (see Cook’s Note)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup apple cider
- 1 medium apple, shredded and squeezed dry (about 1 cup)
- 1 cup apple cider
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon maple extract
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- For the streusel: Combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Add the butter and use a fork or clean hands to incorporate until combined with pea-size pieces. Set aside.
- For the cake: Whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, ginger and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
- Add the granulated sugar, butter and brown sugar to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the vanilla and egg and beat until smooth. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Whisk together the sour cream and apple cider in a small bowl until smooth, then add to the mixer and beat until just combined. Fold in the apple.
- Add 1/4 cup of the batter to each cavity of an 8-cavity nonstick mini loaf pan. Firmly tap the pan on the countertop a few times to even out the batter. Cover the batter in each cavity with the streusel topping.
- Bake until the streusel is crispy and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan, about 1 hour.
- For the frosting. Add the apple cider to a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Continue to boil until the cider is reduced to about 1/4 cup, about 10 minutes. Let cool slightly, about 10 minutes.
- Add the butter, vanilla, salt and maple extract to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until completely smooth and no pieces of butter can be seen, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low, add the confectioners’ sugar and beat until combined and the frosting is smooth. Transfer to a small serving bowl until ready to serve.
- Remove the cakes from the pan and serve with the frosting on the side for spreading.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 692 |
| Total Fat | 27 g |
| Saturated Fat | 16 g |
| Carbohydrates | 111 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 86 g |
| Protein | 4 g |
| Cholesterol | 94 mg |
| Sodium | 435 mg |
Reviews
When do you add the “slightly cooled” to frosting steps? Seems to me that “slightly cooled”, a/k/a very, very warm, will melt the butter thereby ruining the frosting consistency??? Please clarify steps 7 & 8.
Only 1/4 cup of batter for 30 minutes? This must be a mistake! It sounds like a nice sweet treat or gift, but the measurements and time has to be off.