Apple Cider Donut Cake

Top view of apple cider bundt cake with cinnamon-sugar sprinkled on the outside.

Fluffy and moist apple cider cake with a spiced sugar coating.

Author Amber Brady

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1 15

Yields servings

Ingredients

1 large Honeycrisp apple, peeled, cored and diced (may substitute Pink Lady or Ambrosia)
1 ½ cups (355 ml) apple cider, (not just apple juice)
½ cup (118 ml) milk
¼ cup (59 ml) oil, (canola/vegetable)
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 ½ cups (300 g) all-purpose flour, (stir, spoon & level)
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp apple pie spice*
½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, (1 stick) room temperature
¾ cup (150 g) light brown sugar, gently packed
½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature

Coating:

4 Tbsp (57 g) unsalted butter, melted
⅓ cup (68 g) granulated sugar
1 tsp apple pie spice or ground cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Combine the diced apple and apple cider in a saucepan. Simmer and cook over medium-high heat until the apple is soft and the cider reduces, about 15 minutes. Mash the apple with a fork or potato masher until fine pieces. (Make sure you have 1 cup of the mixture. If you boil away too much of the liquid, go ahead and add more apple cider to the mashed apple to equal 1 cup. If you have more than 1 cup, keep boiling to reduce it down.)
Add the milk, oil, and vanilla to 1 cup of the mashed apple cider mixture. Stir together and set aside.
In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and apple pie spice. Set aside.
Cream the butter and both sugars together with an electric mixer.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until incorporated after each addition. Scrape bowl.
Alternate adding the dry ingredients with the liquids, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Start by adding 1/3 of the flour mixture. Mix until just incorporated.
Add 1/2 of the apple cider mixture. Mix until just incorporated. Repeat alternating the dry and wet ingredients, mixing on low until just incorporated after each addition, ending with the dry ingredients. Do not over-mix.
Spray a 10-cup bundt pan with nonstick baking spray. (I like to use Baker’s Joy.) Pour the apple cider donut cake batter into the pan and spread evenly with a spatula.
Bake at 350˚F for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs when inserted into the center of the cake. Allow the cake to cool and loosen from the edges of the pan for 5-10 minutes before inverting the cake onto a wire cooling rack.
Mix the sugar and apple pie spice (or cinnamon) for the coating together in a bowl. While the cake is still warm, brush the melted butter onto the cake and sprinkle/rub the spiced sugar onto the buttered cake. Work in sections immediately adding the spiced sugar to the wet butter before it absorbs into the cake too much. TIP: You may want to sprinkle/press the cinnamon-sugar onto the cake over a rimmed baking sheet to catch any excess.
Slice and serve as desired.

Video

Notes

APPLE PIE SPICE: For 1 teaspoon use 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, and 1/4 tsp ground allspice.
Apple Cider: If you want a lot of flavor, use a spiced apple cider (I used Great Value brand found in the juice aisle) or you can simply use the fresh apple cider in the refrigerated section, while in season.
Apple + Apple Cider Alternative: Instead of making your own apple puree, use 1 cup of apple butter, not just plain applesauce. You can find this in the section by the spreads/jelly/jam.
1 large apple = about 1 1/4 cups diced or 1 heaping cup.
Store any leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3-5 days.

Nutrition