Y’all this Apple Cider Donut Cake recipe is giving all the apple cider donut vibes from fall. I stay skipping the donut shop when I can whip this baby up. I double the apple intensity by adding apple cider and applesauce. It also helps make the crumb moist and soft. That, along with cinnamon sugar on the buttered crust is just unreal boos.
My girl Cake by Courtney put her foot in it. Thanks for sharing it with me.
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Apple Cider Donut Cake Ingredient Notes
- Cinnamon and Nutmeg: You can also swap in apple pie spice.
- Sugar: We use a combo of brown sugar and white sugar here. Make brown sugar from scratch with granulated and molasses.
- Vegetable Oil: Or another neutral oil like canola. No olive oil.
- Apple Cider and Apple Sauce: No swaps for that cider boos! It creates more intense flavor instead of apple juice.
- Unsalted Butter: Salted also works.
How to Make Apple Cider Donut Cake
Step 1: In a mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients then in another bowl, combine both sugars and oil and mix. Add in eggs, then applesauce and vanilla and finally add flour and apple cider and mix until smooth.
Step 2: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F then grease your bundt pan. Pour the batter into the bundt pan.
Step 3: Bake for about 55 minutes. Once the cake has cooled, use a pastry brush then add the butter to the cake and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar.
Apple Cider Donut Cake
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Ingredients
For the Cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 1/2 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs room temp
- 1 cup applesauce room temp
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup apple cider room temp
For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted
- 1/4 cup coarse sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a bundt pan with non-stick spray and then dust with flour. Set aside.
- In a medium size mixing bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and baking powder. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the sugar, brown sugar and oil. Mix on medium speed to combine.
- Add the eggs to the sugar mixture and mix on medium speed for about two minutes.
- Add the applesauce and vanilla. Mix to combine.
- With the mixer on low speed, add ⅓ of the flour mixture, followed by half of the apple cider. Continue alternating the flour mixture and the apple cider, finishing with the flour mixture. Mix until no streaks of flour remain. The batter will be slightly thin, not thick.
- Pour the batter into the bundt pan and bake for 55-60 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.
- Let the cake cool for an hour in the bundt pan before turning it over onto a cake plate or cooling rack.
- Using a pastry brush, coat the cake in butter.
- Combine the ¼ cup sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon and then sprinkle onto the top and sides of the cake. To coat the sides, it's best to fill your hand with the mixture and pat it on the cake.
Notes
How to Store Apple Cider Donut Cake
If you keep your cake in an airtight container like under a cake dome or tightly wrapped, this cake can be kept for up to 3 days at room temp.How Long Will Apple Cider Doughnut Cake Last in the Fridge?
It will typically last for about 5 days. Just remember to bring back to room temp before you serve it up.Can I Freeze Apple Cider Donut Bundt Cake?
Wrap the cake in plastic wrap then put it in a heavy-duty freezer bag. Make sure you add the date to the package. It should last for up to 3 months. When ready to dig in again, thaw overnight in the fridge or at room temp for a couple hours.Nutrition
Recipe Tips
- Intensify: To get a stronger apple flavor, reduce the apple cider by simmering it on the stove to concentrate the flavor before adding it to the batter boos.
- Room Temp Matters: Allowing all your ingredients to come to the same temperature allows all your ingredients to heat at the same rate for even baking.
- Don’t overmix!: It will overdevelop the gluten and create a tough, dry cake y’all. Mix the cake batter until it’s just combined!
- Grease it Up!: Grease every nook and cranny of the pan with cake release so it comes out easily.
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Recipe Help
The texture of this “cake” is more like a donut than a typical bundt cake boos. That’s part of its magic. It is super moist but it will be a bit more tender and dense than your typical fluffy light cake. Also remember that you must bake it all the way or it could give a soggy mouth texture.
The toothpick trick works every single time y’all. Make sure you remove from the oven once that toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out nice and clean boos.
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I loved this recipe. I made plain cupcakes. The crumb is tender with a subtle sweetness and spice. So easy to make. My grandson loved it. I will definitely make again and again.
So glad you liked it!
Flavor was good, cake was gummy. I’m not sure what I did wrong. I’ve been baking for years and haven’t had this issue.
I’m so sorry you had a problem with that. This cake is a bit more donut in texture and not as much cake like.
Turned out great! My very picky son loved it. I read some of the comments and ended up going with the longer bake time. It didn’t need it. The apple flavor is a bit subtle but maybe it’s because I used unsweetened apple sauce? Will definitely make again!
Couldn’t wait until fall to try this delicious Apple Cider Donut Bundt cake. Glad I didn’t wait. A delicious cake. Moist, light and very tasty. Need a cake that’s good with your coffee? This is the cake. Full of flavor❤️
can you use apples instead of applesauce
No it is best to follow the instructions and not make this substitution.
I made this cake to take to my Mother-n-laws for a fall get together. I was to embarrass to take it. Like some of the others it was to gummy. I went strictly by the recipe. It doesn’t matter whose recipe this is, I will never make it again. This was a miss.
Hi Evie, I spoke with the author of this recipe and she said that it could be that the cake wasn’t baked enough. She also said that the texture of the cake should be more like a donut instead of a typical bundt cake.
I have a recipe for baked apple cider donuts, which I love, so was excited to try this one. I agree with what others are saying that the flavor is delicious but there’s something off. There’s a moist cake but this was gummy. I followed the recipe as written except used avocado oil instead of vegetable oil since that’s what I had and will not be trying this one again due to the texture. I used not only a long wooden cake tester but also my Bundt cake tester, too. Both indicated this was done but in reality, only the outside edge of the cake was really good. The flavor was amazing but baking is a science and an art. This recipe clearly demonstrated the artistic side but the science was lacking.
This sounds delicious! I cannot eat vegetable oils because I have a metabolic problem. What can I use to substitute? I would like to make this for Thanksgiving. Thanks!
This cake was delicious! Made it for my son’s 14th birthday. Followed the recipe to the t and it worked out perfectly!
I followed the recipe exactly, Jocyln, but even after putting it back in the oven and raising the temp to 350 for 15 more minutes it stayed way too moist, almost to the point of gumminess. The flavor was tremendous and it raised properly but I wonder if anyone else has had this problem? I generally love and trust your recipes, and have had such good luck with them. Help!
Hi Marj, thank you so much for writing to me. This isn’t my recipe. It is my friend Courtney’s from her new cookbook that I mention above so it wasn’t developed by me however when I mad eit, I didn’t have the same issue. I am wondering what may have happened. Did you end up baking it longer?
I baked it miuch longer and it is still too moist to the point of gumminess. Oh well. Maybe I can make a trifle out of it.
I had this problem too but I realized after the fact that I forgot to add the baking powder! Still loved the cake though. Can’t wait to try it again with the baking powder : )