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Table of Contents
- 🍽️ A Quick Look at the Recipe
- Why You’ll Love This Apple Cider Cake
- Key Ingredients
- How to Make Apple Cider Donut Bundt Cake
- Pro Tips and Troubleshooting
- Recipe Card
- Apple Cider Donut Bundt Cake Recipe
- Make-Ahead, Storage and Reheating
- What to Serve With Apple Cider Donut Cake
- Variations and Substitutions
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More AB Recipes
- Save This Recipe
Apple cider, cinnamon, and nutmeg bring the fall flavor to this Bundt cake, and a buttery cinnamon-sugar coating gives every slice that donut-style finish. Serve it with coffee for an afternoon treat or bring it to the table with vanilla ice cream after Sunday dinner.
Reducing the cider is the first step. It concentrates the apple flavor before it goes into the batter, while the simple coating keeps the finish focused on warm spice and buttery sweetness.
🍽️ A Quick Look at the Recipe
Recipe Name: Apple Cider Donut Bundt Cake
⏱️ Ready In: About 2 hours 40 minutes; cooling and oven performance can change the total
👨👩👧👦 Serves: 12
🥣 Main Ingredients: Apple cider, flour, butter, sour cream, eggs, cinnamon, and nutmeg
📖 Dietary Info: Contains wheat, milk, and eggs
🔥 Flavor Profile: Concentrated apple cider, warm spice, and a buttery cinnamon-sugar finish
⭐ Best For: Fall gatherings, holiday dessert tables, and coffee breaks
Why You’ll Love This Apple Cider Cake
- The cider is reduced before mixing, giving the apple flavor a stronger starting point.
- Cinnamon and nutmeg keep the spice profile simple and familiar.
- Butter and cinnamon sugar finish the cake without a separate frosting.
- A Bundt pan gives it a table-ready shape, and slices are easy to portion.
Key Ingredients
Apple cider: Use plain, nonalcoholic apple cider. Check the label carefully; apple cider vinegar is a different ingredient and does not belong in this cake.
All-purpose flour: Gives the cake structure. Weigh it if you can, or spoon it lightly into the measuring cup and level it rather than packing it down.
Butter and neutral oil: Butter brings flavor, while oil contributes softness. Keep the cake butter separate from the melted butter used for the coating.
Granulated and light brown sugar: Both sweeten the cake; brown sugar adds a deeper flavor. The coating uses its own portion of granulated sugar.
Eggs and full-fat sour cream: Eggs help the batter hold together. Sour cream adds richness and acidity. Bring them toward room temperature before mixing so they blend more easily with the softened butter.
Cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla: These support the cider without a long spice list. If you plan your baking ahead, AB’s Homemade Vanilla Extract is a separate pantry project; it needs time to mature, so use ready-to-use extract for this cake.
Tools to Have Ready
Use a saucepan, heatproof measuring jug, mixing bowls, hand or stand mixer, whisk, silicone spatula, a 12-cup Bundt pan, cooling rack, and a clean pastry or basting brush.
AB’s High Heat Resistant Silicone Basting Brush is one option for spreading the melted butter over the cake. Make sure the brush is clean and free of barbecue sauce or savory seasoning.
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- Spring Chef measuring cups and spoons: Measure the flour, sugar, spices, and leavening before mixing the cake.
- Pyrex glass mixing bowls: Keep the dry ingredients and cooled cider mixture organized before combining the batter.
- OXO cooling rack: Support the cake after unmolding, with a tray underneath to catch butter and cinnamon sugar.
How to Make Apple Cider Donut Bundt Cake
1. Reduce and Cool the Cider
Simmer the cider in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Start checking the volume after about 20 minutes; it may take 20–30 minutes or longer depending on the pan and heat. Measure carefully in a heatproof jug and use the exact reduced amount in the recipe card.
Let the reduction cool to room temperature before mixing the batter. It should be more concentrated than the starting cider, but it does not need to become a thick syrup.
2. Mix the Batter
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Whisk the dry ingredients together. In another bowl, beat the softened butter with both sugars until lighter and fluffy, about 3–4 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the oil and vanilla.
Mix the cooled cider with the sour cream. Add the dry mixture and cider mixture to the butter mixture in alternating additions, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix on low just until combined, then scrape the bowl and fold away any remaining flour streaks.
3. Prepare the Pan and Bake
Right before filling, coat every groove and the center tube of the Bundt pan with baking spray containing flour. Spread the batter evenly in the pan. Leave room for it to rise; do not fill beyond three-quarters full.
Bake on the center rack for about 50–65 minutes. Start checking at 50 minutes. A tester inserted into the thickest part should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs, without wet batter. The top should look set and spring back gently when touched.
4. Rest and Unmold
Set the pan on a cooling rack for 15 minutes. Gently loosen the exposed outer edge and center tube with a thin flexible spatula if needed, taking care not to scratch the pan. Place the rack over the pan and carefully invert both together, using oven mitts. Lift off the pan.
5. Brush with Butter
While the cake is still warm, set the rack over a tray to catch drips. Brush melted butter over the top and sides, working into the curves without soaking one spot.
6. Add the Cinnamon Sugar
Mix the coating sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle it over the buttered cake, gently pressing it onto the sides with clean hands or a spoon. You may have a little coating left on the tray; there is no need to force it all onto the cake. Let the coating settle for at least 10 minutes before slicing. Cooling longer will make the cake easier to cut neatly.
Pro Tips and Troubleshooting
Measure the reduced cider. A concentrated flavor is helpful, but changing the amount of liquid can change how the cake bakes. If you reduce it too far without scorching it, add enough water to reach the recipe card’s target volume. Discard scorched cider and start again.
Cool the cider before mixing. Hot cider can melt the creamed butter and interfere with the batter’s texture.
Prepare the Bundt pan thoroughly. Pay attention to the center tube and the narrow grooves. Grease it just before filling so the coating has less time to collect at the bottom.
Stop mixing when the flour disappears. Scrape the bottom of the bowl so dry pockets do not hide underneath the batter.
Use doneness cues, not only the clock. Pan material, oven accuracy, and batter temperature can all affect baking time. A dark crust alone does not prove the center is done.
Add the sugar after the butter. The butter gives the cinnamon sugar something to cling to. If a spot looks bare, brush it lightly before adding more coating from the prepared mixture.
Recipe Card
Summarize and Save
Apple Cider Donut Bundt Cake
Ingredients
Cider Reduction
- 3 cups plain nonalcoholic apple cider 720 mL; reduce to 1 cup (240 mL); cool before use
Cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour 360 g; spooned and leveled or weighed
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon fine table salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter 170 g; softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar 200 g
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar 100 g
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 1/4 cup neutral oil 60 mL; such as canola or vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup full-fat sour cream 120 g; at room temperature
- The full cooled cider reduction from above 1 cup (240 mL); not additional cider
- Baking spray containing flour for the pan
Cinnamon-Sugar Coating
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 57 g; melted
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar 100 g
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Pour the 3 cups (720 mL) cider into a saucepan. Simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 1 cup (240 mL), approximately 20–30 minutes or longer. Carefully check the volume with a heatproof measuring jug. If reduced below 1 cup without scorching, add water to make exactly 1 cup. Cool to room temperature, approximately 20 minutes or as needed. Do not use hot reduction in the batter.
- Heat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the center. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cake cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a bowl.
- Beat the softened butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, and brown sugar with a mixer on medium speed until lighter and fluffy, about 3–4 minutes. Scrape the bowl. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then mix in the oil and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl or jug, whisk the cooled 1 cup cider reduction with the sour cream. On low speed, add the dry mixture to the butter mixture in three additions, alternating with the cider mixture in two additions. Start and end with dry ingredients. Mix just until combined, scraping the bowl, then fold briefly with a spatula to incorporate any remaining flour.
- Thoroughly coat a 12-cup Bundt pan with baking spray containing flour, including the center tube and all grooves. Fill immediately. Spoon in the batter and smooth the top. Do not fill more than three-quarters full; reserve any unexpected excess for a separate bake rather than overfilling.
- Bake at 350°F for approximately 50–65 minutes, beginning checks at 50 minutes. A tester inserted into the thickest part should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs, with no wet batter. The surface should look set and spring back gently. If not done, continue baking and check again in a few minutes.
- Rest the cake in its pan on a rack for 15 minutes. Gently loosen the exposed edges and center tube if needed with a thin flexible spatula. Wearing oven mitts, place a cooling rack over the pan, invert them together, and carefully lift the pan off the cake.
- Set the warm unmolded cake and rack over a tray. Mix the coating’s 1/2 cup sugar with its 2 teaspoons cinnamon. Brush the top and sides with the 4 tablespoons melted butter, then sprinkle and gently press on the cinnamon sugar. Let stand at least 10 minutes before slicing, or cool longer for cleaner slices.
Notes
- Measure the cider after reducing it, then let it cool completely before adding it to the batter.
- Coat every groove and the center tube of the Bundt pan with baking spray containing flour, then fill the pan immediately.
- Rest the cake in the pan for 15 minutes before unmolding, then brush with melted butter and add the cinnamon sugar while the cake is still warm.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Make-Ahead, Storage and Reheating
You can reduce the cider ahead, cool it, and refrigerate it in a covered container for up to two days. Bring it back toward room temperature before mixing the batter.
For the finished cake, allow it to cool completely before covering. Store in an airtight container at cool room temperature for up to two days, or refrigeration for up to five days. Store ice cream, whipped cream, or other perishable toppings separately according to their labels.
For longer storage, wrap cooled individual slices well and freeze for up to two months. Thaw while wrapped. The sugar coating may soften after refrigeration or freezing. For a warm slice, microwave briefly in short bursts, checking between bursts so it does not become tough.
What to Serve With Apple Cider Donut Cake
Coffee, tea, or a cold glass of milk keeps this simple. Vanilla ice cream turns a slice into a plated dessert, and AB’s Homemade Caramel Sauce makes an optional finishing drizzle.
Let the cake cool enough to hold its shape before cutting. A sharp knife, including the Chef Knife from AB’s shop, can portion it on a stable board. Use the knife you already have if it cuts clean slices.
Variations and Substitutions
Follow the recipe as written for the intended cider flavor and texture. Flour substitutions, smaller pans, and swapping out the eggs or sour cream can change the texture and baking time.
For individual apple treats, try Apple Cinnamon Muffins. For a cinnamon-sugar cookie instead of a cake, make Snickerdoodles.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this cake contain donuts?
No. The name refers to the apple-cider flavor and cinnamon-sugar finish. It is a cake baked in a Bundt pan.
Can I use apple cider vinegar?
No. Vinegar is much more acidic and would change both the flavor and the batter. Choose nonalcoholic apple cider.
Can I replace the cider with apple juice?
Apple juice may produce a different flavor and sweetness. Use apple cider for this recipe.
Do I need a special burner to reduce the cider?
No. Use a stovetop and saucepan suitable for your kitchen. A portable burner is not required for the recipe. If you use one, follow its manufacturer’s ventilation, clearance, cookware, and fuel instructions.
Can I make cupcakes or use a smaller Bundt pan?
The recipe is designed for a 12-cup Bundt pan. Smaller pans and cupcakes require separate portioning and timing checks; do not transfer the same bake time to them.
More AB Recipes
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- Fried Apple Caramel Crumb Cheesecake
- Caramel Cinnamon Crumble Cheesecake
- Homemade Caramel Cake
- Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce
Cakes for the Dessert Table
- Million Dollar Pound Cake with Vanilla Butter Glaze
- Lemon Pound Cake
- Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Banana Pudding Cake
Fall and Holiday Dessert Ideas
- Sweet Potato Caramel Crumble Cheesecake
- Sweet Potato Pie with Three Topping Options
- Peach Cobbler Two Ways
- Southern Banana Pudding
Coffee-Break Bakes and Treats
Save This Recipe
Save this Apple Cider Donut Bundt Cake for your next fall baking day.
