Super moist and loaded with apples and the best McCormick Ground Cinnamon, Cinnamon Apple Moonshine Cake is topped with a moonshine caramel glaze that takes the cake to the next level! If you love a moist cake, try my Pumpkin Pound Cake with a Cream Cheese Glaze!

Cinnamon Apple Moonshine Cake

Moonshine Cake

When I made my homemade Cinnamon Apple Moonshine, I knew I needed to use it for more than just drinking😉. With its sweet flavor, I thought about using it in a dessert. Then, to make it even more useful, I not only put the moonshine in the cake, but I also used it in the glaze to top the cake! Cheers to that! I will give you variations of the recipe if you do not want to use the alcohol.

Even though the moonshine is a FABULOUS addition to this cake, it simply can’t outshine the cinnamon. McCormick Ground Cinnamon is my go-to in all my baking because of the quality of the product and pure flavor. I usually buy 2 bottles during the holidays because cinnamon is the perfect complement to almost all my baking!

 

Pouring Homemade Moonshine Caramel over Cinnamon Apple Moonshine Cake

Cinnamon Apple Moonshine Cake Ingredients

Moonshine: My homemade Cinnamon Apple Moonshine is one of the stars of this cake and glaze. However, I will also give you non-alcoholic options below.

Apples: I prefer Granny Smith apples; the tartness of the apples complements the sweetness in the cake. They also keep their shape when baked.

Overhead of Cinnamon Apple Moonshine Cake with McCormick Cinnamon

Can I Make this Cake Without Moonshine?

Yes! It is easy to substitute moonshine for other ingredients if you do not want to use alcohol in the recipe.

  • For the glaze: simply substitute the moonshine for 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. The caramel will be thicker and still taste amazing.
  • For the cake: replace the moonshine with 1/2 cup vegetable oil. (That means 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil total in the recipe.)

I put the substitutions on the recipe card as well. Cinnamon Apple Cake will be delicious with or without the Cinnamon Apple Moonshine!

Piece of Cinnamon Apple Moonshine Cake with Bite Taken Out
5 from 2 votes

Cinnamon Apple Moonshine Cake

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Cooling Time 3 hours
Total Time 4 hours 25 minutes
Moist and full of apples and cinnamon, Cinnamon Apple Moonshine Cake is topped with a moonshine glaze.

Ingredients

Moonshine Caramel Glaze

  • ½ cup (1 stick / 113 g) unsalted butter
  • ½ cup (100 g) packed brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons heavy cream
  • ½ cup *cinnamon apple moonshine, see blog for the recipe and non-alcoholic substitutions
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cake

  • 2 cups (450 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 cup (218 g) vegetable oil
  • ½ cup **cinnamon apple moonshine, see blog for the recipe and non-alcoholic substitutions
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 3 cups (384 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Apples

  • 3 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 325°F. Spray a 9-inch bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

Moonshine Caramel Glaze

  • Heat the butter, brown sugar, and heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium heat.
  • Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar, then remove from the heat.
  • Stir in cinnamon apple moonshine and vanilla to combine.
  • Let cool completely (minimum of 3 hours, best overnight).

Cake

  • In a large bowl using a hand mixer on medium speed, beat the sugar, oil, moonshine, vanilla, and eggs until light and fluffy.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients and stir to combine.

Apples

  • In a medium bowl, combine apples and cinnamon, tossing to coat.
  • Gently fold the apples into the cake batter. Pour into the prepared bundt pan.
  • Bake for 50-60 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out mostly clean, a few crumbs are good! (Wet batter means it is not done.) The crust on top should be very light, the sides should be dark golden brown.
  • Allow the cake to cool for about 5 minutes in the pan and then drizzle with ¾ of the caramel moonshine glaze.
  • Allow the cake to sit for about 30 minutes (or up to overnight) so that the caramel can soak into the cake. After the 30 minutes, invert the cake onto a large plate or serving platter.
  • When ready to serve, drizzle each piece with the remaining caramel glaze.

Video

Notes

*To make the Caramel Moonshine Glaze alcohol free, simply omit the cinnamon apple moonshine and add 1 teaspoon McCormick Cinnamon.                              
**To make the cake alcohol free, replace the cinnamon apple moonshine with 1/2 cup of vegetable oil.

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Meet Amanda Rettke

Amanda Rettke is the creator of I Am Baker, and the bestselling author of Surprise Inside Cakes: Amazing Cakes for Every Occasion – With a Little Something Extra Inside.Over the course of her 15+ year blogging adventure, she has been featured in and collaborated with the Food Network, New York Times, LA Times, Country Living Magazine, People Magazine, Epicurious, Brides, Romantic Homes, life:beautiful, Publishers Weekly, The Daily Mail, Star Tribune, The Globe and Mail, DailyCandy, YumSugar, The Knot, The Kitchn, and Parade, to name a few.

Reader Comments

  1. Trying this recipe today. Wondering… in the event there are leftovers, do you recommend storing at room temperature or in the fridge?
    Thx! S.

      1. Thank you Amanda! Cake is in the oven and just checked on the glaze… its cooled now and the butter has separated from the liquid (doesn’t look like your pic at all). Any thoughts on what I did wrong and… can I fix it?!

  2. Thank you Amanda! Cake is in the oven and just checked on the glaze… its cooled now and the butter has separated from the liquid (doesn’t look like your pic at all). Any thoughts on what I did wrong and… can I fix it?!

  3. I made this cake for the VFW in My home town of Prairie du Sac, WI, which I am a veteran member. So far the only woman, the others may be just busy raising a family, jobs that take priority.

    Anyway, the guys raved about it. One even asked for the recipe, I am sending it his way.

    Thanks for your talents
    SSG Barb Lemm

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