Apple Cider Cake with Apple Cider Buttercream

Instructions

Make the Apple Cake or Cupcakes:

1. Grease three 8-inch round cake pans with vegetable shortening or butter. Line the bottoms with a round of parchment paper and coat the paper in a bit of vegetable shortening or butter. Coat the inside of the pans with flour. (Here's how to prevent cakes from sticking.) If making cupcakes, line a couple of muffin pans with paper liners. *This recipe will make a total of 36 cupcakes.
2. If making cake layers: preheat the oven to 325° F ( 162° C) If making cupcakes: preheat the oven to 350° F (176° C).
3. Pour the apple cider into a 12-inch skillet (or larger) and set it over medium-high heat. Let the cider boil until it’s reduced to 1 cup (8 ounces). Towards the end, the cider will begin to reduce very quickly, so keep a close eye on it, pouring it into a measuring cup from time to time to measure.
4. Pour ½ cup (4 ounces) of the cider reduction into a medium size bowl. Add the brown sugar and butter, and stir to combine. Let sit until cooled to room temperature. Reserve the remaining ½ cup (4 ounces) of cider reduction for the Apple Cider Buttercream.
5. Once cool, add the eggs, orange zest, vanilla, and almond extract to the cider and brown sugar mixture. Stir vigorously with a wire whisk to combine, whisking until smooth.
6. In a separate bowl, add the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg. Stir to combine.
7. Add the lemon juice to a separate bowl and stir in the shredded apples, tossing them around in the lemon juice to coat.
8. Add the cider and sugar mixture and the shredded apples to the flour mixture and stir to combine – stirring just long enough so that all the dry ingredients are moistened and the mixture is homogenous.
9. Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans or cupcake pans.
   If baking cake layers: bake for 35-40 minutes, until the cakes are pulling away from the sides of the pans, and a toothpick stuck in the center of one of the layers comes out without any evidence of raw batter. If baking cupcakes: bake for 23-25 minutes, until a toothpick stuck in the center of one of the layers comes out without any evidence of raw batter.

Make the Apple Cider Buttercream:

1. Add all the buttercream ingredients to the bowl of a Stand Mixer, starting with just 3 cups of powdered sugar. (You can also use a hand mixer.) Beat on medium-high speed until completely blended and smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl from time to time.
2. Continue to beat in as much more powdered sugar as you need to create a thick frosting that’s stiff enough to hold its shape. If using it to fill layers of cake, it should be fairly stiff so that the cake layers don’t slip around when stacked.
3. Ice the cake or cupcakes with the buttercream, spreading it in between each layer of cake, and covering the top and sides of the cake. Place the iced cake or cupcakes in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before topping with Chocolate Ganache.

For the Chocolate Ganache:

1. Chop the chocolate into very small pieces and put in a bowl.
   Heat the cream just until bubbles begin to appear around the sides of the pan – you want to heat it right up to the boiling point, but do not let it come to a full boil.
2. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let stand for 2 minutes to melt the chocolate. Stir until all the chocolate is melted and the ganache is smooth. Stir in the salt. (*If the chocolate isn’t completely melted after stirring for a few minutes, set the bowl over a small saucepan of boiling water and stir just until all the chocolate is melted – be careful to not overheat or the chocolate will burn.)
3. Let the ganache cool to room temperature, stirring it from time to time. This will take about 20 minutes. Do not try and cool it faster by placing it in the refrigerator. Doing so will result in a ganache that is goopy and does not pour smoothly.
4. Remove the cake from the refrigerator and pour the chocolate ganache over the top of the cake, letting some of it drip over the sides. If making cupcakes, spoon about a tablespoon of ganache over the top of each buttercream frosted cupcake.

Make the Apple Roses:

1. Have the blanched apple slices ready before pouring the chocolate ganache over the top of the cake. You want the chocolate to be soft when placing the chocolate roses into the ganache. *See the video and step-by-step instructions with photos above this recipe.
2. Slice 3 red-skinned apples in half, cutting around the core. Using a sharp knife or mandolin, cut each half into ¼ inch slices.
3. Add the sugar and three cups of water to a large saucepan. Set it over high heat and bring to a boil. Add the apple slices to the boiling sugar water all at once and stir gently. When the water comes back up to a rolling boil, remove the pan from the heat and drain the apple slices in a colander set in the sink.
4. Let cool slightly then lay the apple slices out on a paper towel, blotting them with another paper towel to remove any excess moisture.
5. Lay 2 or 3 slices of apple on a work surface in a horizontal line so that their edges overlap. Roll the apple slices up into a rosebud and place them into the freshly poured chocolate ganache. Repeat to create as many apple roses as you like.
6. If using, press mint leaves into the ganache next to the rosebuds.

The cake can be kept at room temperature for a few hours until ready to serve. *See notes below on storage and make-ahead instructions.