Sparkling Apple Cider Pound Cake
Sparkling Apple Cider Pound Cake is a moist homemade pound cake that has a light apple taste with a delicious apple cider glaze!
A FALL-INSPIRED POUND CAKE RECIPE
Just in time for fall! I find that during the fall season, we get kind of inundated with pumpkin recipes and we skip right over apple season and apple recipes. This Sparkling Apple Cider Pound Cake has a light apple flavor and the glaze really takes it over the top!

CAN I USE APPLE JUICE OR OTHER SPARKLING CIDER FLAVORS?
Yep! You can use any flavors you enjoy! Keep in mind, the apple flavor is light. The bubbles in the sparkling apple cider gives this pound cake a slightly lighter density. So if you switch it out with apple juice, it will make it a bit more dense
COULD I ADD FRESH APPLES TO THIS POUND CAKE?
I haven’t tested it out with fresh apples yet but I don’t see why you couldn’t. I would peel the apples and chop them up pretty small to make sure they soften while baking.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- unsalted butter, softened
- sugar
- eggs
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- salt
- sparkling apple cider
- powdered sugar
- sparkling apple cider

HOW TO MAKE SPARKLING APPLE CIDER POUND CAKE:
Preheat oven to 350° F. Line bottom of a greased 9×5-in. loaf pan with parchment paper; spray paper with non-stick spray. This will help to remove the pound cake easier after it is finished. You can skip the parchment paper if you don’t have it and just spray with a floured nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until combined and fluffy.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt.

Add flour mixture to creamed mixture alternately with cider, beating well after each addition.

Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool in pan 10 minutes, then remove and transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely. For the glaze: In a small bowl, mix together powdered sugar and apple cider. Mix until smooth.

Spoon over top of cake, allowing it to flow over sides. Slice and serve.

CRAVING MORE DELICIOUS RECIPES

Sparkling Apple Cider Pound Cake (+Video)
Ingredients
For the cake:
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup sparkling apple cider
For the glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 Tablespoons sparkling apple cider
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line bottom of a greased 9"x 5" loaf pan with parchment paper; spray paper with non-stick spray.
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until combined and fluffy.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with cider, beating well after each addition.
- Transfer to prepared pan. Spread it out and adjust paper so the batter lays in there evenly.
- Bake 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Cool in pan 10 minutes, then remove and transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely.
- For Glaze: In a small bowl, mix together powdered sugar and apple cider. Mix until smooth.
- Spoon over top of cake, allowing it to flow over sides.
Video
Notes
- Note: The parchment paper isn’t absolutely necessary. I just think it makes it easier to pull it out of the pan when it is done and protects the edges from getting too brown if you are baking in a metal pan.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Originally published: October 2014
Updated & republished: September 2019
Absolutely delicious … so moist and the taste is yummy
Silly question, but where would I find the sparkling apple cider? I’ve never had it! Thank you.
Sparkling cider can often be found at grocery stores with non alcoholic cooking wines (sometimes on sparkling waters aisle).or on amazon. One brand name is Martinelli’s, it looks like a champagne bottle. I use it in several recipes.
Could this be made into mini loaves? If so, how long should they be baked?
Can you use self-rising flour in this recipe?
Hi Joy! I am sure you could – I just haven’t recipe tested it with self-rising. Let me know if you try it!
I made this cake tonight and I have to say Bravo. This cake is everything I love, moist, light and absolutely delicious. The glaze was yummy as well. I tweaked it a bit, melted 2Tbl unsalted butter added the powdered sugar and sparkling cider. My husband raved about this cake. 5 stars.
Hi Ann Marie! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave feedback. Love hearing that you made it your own!
THIS WAS WONDERFUL – THANK YOU! I MADE IT EXACTLY TO THE DIRECTIONS.
Brandie,
I was thinking about making between a lemon pound cake or a Kentucky butter cake, but I like the spongy texture of your cake. Pointers on how much to add in place of the cider? I also had to bake my cake longer than 50 min because the center wasn’t done, but I thought it might be because I used the 1.5 qt Pyrex glass pan.
I just made one & popped it into the oven! I used regular Apple cider, not sparkling so I hope it's just as delicious. I love the simplicity of the recipe! I'm sure it will be a huge hit! Thank you always!
I loooooove the textures – looks GREAT.
Definitely making this cake (my family can't never get enough of apple cakes)
I made this tonight. It's very good, the apple flavor isn't very strong. I might try it with sparkling grape juice :).
Thank you Brandie, I am definitely going to make this!
Does it have to be sparkling apple cider?
Wow! That looks awesome! I HAVE to make this!
I'm a pound cake fanatic and can't wait to make this!
My husband loves pound cake and I'm sure this recipe won't be an exception! It sounds so delicious:)
This is amazing, and just in time for the holidays! Thank you for the share!