Apple cider donut cake made it into the weekend rotation!
I love this time of year — especially the first weekend of October. It finally feels like fall, and that means it’s donut and cake season. Whether you call it a donut cake or a doughnut cake, this apple cider version is exactly what autumn mornings were made for.
I’m wrapping up an accidental comfort-food week on the blog with this apple cider doughnut cake — tender, fluffy, and rolled in cinnamon sugar. Since it’s a “doughnut” cake, breakfast is a perfectly acceptable time to dig in.
Right?
This might be my last apple dessert of the season — I’ve already shared salted apple fritters, an apple cheddar galette, and now this cake — so you should be set for all the fall gatherings and even Thanksgiving.
My kids love cider and anything made with it, so a bundt-style donut cake is ideal — everyone gets a slice without frying individual donuts, and there’s usually some leftover for snacking later.
This cake has one extra step that adds big flavor: simmering chopped apple in apple cider until the apple is soft and the cider reduces. The original recipe I adapted purees the mixture, but I found that mashing the apple with a fork works just fine — no blender required. If you’re in a hurry, one cup of store-bought applesauce can stand in a pinch, though cooking the apple in cider delivers the most intense flavor.
But!
Making the apple-cider applesauce is worth the effort. If you prefer, do that step the night before and refrigerate the mixture — then finish the batter and bake the next day. The resulting cake smells like fall, tastes like fall, and looks like a cozy autumn morning on a plate.
The crumb is light and airy — soft and fluffy, but satisfying — and the outside gets a pleasant crunch from the cinnamon sugar coating. There’s also a final finishing touch: the entire cake is brushed with brown butter before you press the cinnamon sugar onto it. The nutty brown butter takes it over the top.
It’s irresistible — a perfect Friday treat or a cozy weekend breakfast. Go ahead and make it today.
Apple Cider Donut Cake
Apple Cider Donut Cake
Yield:
8
people
45 mins
45 mins
1 hr
2 hrs 30 mins
Ingredients
- 1 large honeycrisp apple, peeled and chopped
- 1 1/2 cups apple cider
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup loosely packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 3 large eggs
Brown Butter
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
Cinnamon Sugar
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 10-cup bundt pan with nonstick baking spray.
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Place the chopped apple and apple cider in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until the apple is very soft and the cider is mostly absorbed. Mash with a fork until fine. Measure 1 cup of this apple mixture and stir in the oil, milk, and vanilla.
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In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.
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In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the softened butter until creamy. Add the brown sugar and white sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time until fully combined.
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Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the apple-cider mixture to the butter-sugar mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix in three or four increments, stirring until just combined each time.
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Spread the batter evenly into the prepared bundt pan and smooth the top. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.
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To brown the butter, place 6 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and whisk constantly. After 2 to 3 minutes you’ll see brown bits form on the bottom and a nutty aroma — remove from heat and whisk for 30 seconds more.
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In a small bowl, combine 1/3 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, and a pinch of salt.
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Brush the cooled cake all over with the brown butter. Immediately sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the cake, pressing gently so it adheres to the buttered surface. Rub sugar onto the sides and the center if desired. Serve and enjoy.
Notes
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Yep — totally breakfast-worthy.