The Most Delicious Apple Cider Donut Bundt Cake for Fall
Apple Cider Donut Bundt Cake – an incredibly tender and moist apple spice cake with a delicious cinnamon sugar coating.
One of My Favorite Fall Traditions
Since moving to Utah six years ago, one of my favorite fall traditions is visiting Rowley’s Big Red Barn in Santaquin. It’s about a 45-minute drive from our house and worth every minute on the road! As soon as we arrive, we hop the wagon ride out to the field to do all the activities first. The kids love the corn mazes, slides, zip-line and apple throw.
After hours playing in the field, we head back to the Red Barn for apple cider donuts, ice cream and apple slushies. We always get one of everything! (Well, more than one donut, because those are too hard to share. Ha!)
Every year after we visit Rowley’s, I always say I’m going to make an Apple Cider Donut Cake based on their donuts. Somehow, however, life gets in the way and other cake flavors take priority.
Not this year!
Apple Cider Donut Bundt Cake
For this cake, I worked off my pumpkin cake recipe from my Pumpkin Pie Cake. In my pumpkin cake layers, I use two cups of pumpkin puree. Since we’re not using pumpkin, we’re replacing that with a cup of applesauce and one cup of apple cider for this cake…plus oil! All these liquids make this cake incredibly moist! I’ve also added some cinnamon and nutmeg for a little extra flavor. This Apple Cider Donut Bundt Cake is simply one of the best fall desserts you’ll ever make!
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
Once the bundt cake is baked and cooled, you’ll use a pastry brush to coat the cake with butter and then a dusting of cinnamon and sugar. I used coarse sugar, but you can also use regular, granulated sugar. (or powdered sugar for a more “wintery” looking cake!”
Tips for Making a Bundt Cake
- Bake at a low temperature for longer to ensure your cake bakes completely but doesn’t burn around the edges.
- Allow the cake to cool in the bundt pan for at least an hour to cool completely. Allowing the cooled cake to sit will make it easier for the cake to come out of the cake pan.
- This cake will freeze well if covered in plastic wrap. Just make sure to bring back to room temperature before serving.
- At room temperature, this cake can be stored for a couple of days in an airtight container.
Which Bundt Pan Should I Use
When making bundt cakes out of my cake recipes, I recommend using a 12-cup bundt pan. You’ll have plenty of room for the cake to rise without spilling. I recommend THIS bundt pan.
Other Cakes You’ll Love for Fall
- Caramel Apple Cake
- French Apple Pie Cake
- Turtle Pie Cake
- Pumpkin Gingersnap Cake
- 5 Delicious Thanksgiving Cakes
Apple Cider Donut Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp (5 g) ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp (1 g) nutmeg
- 1 tsp (5.6 g) salt
- 1 1/2 tbsp (21 g) baking powder
- 1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (110 g) brown sugar
- 1 cup (224 g) vegetable oil
- 3 eggs at room temperature
- 1 cup (250 g) applesauce at room temperature
- 1 cup (248 g) apple cider at room temperature
- 1 tsp (5.6 g) vanilla extract
For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 1/4 cup (56 g) unsalted butter melted
- 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tsp (5 g) 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 50 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.
Baking now….325 for 50 minutes and it’s not even close to done. I see buried in the comments that it’s 325 for 90 minutes????
It depends on your oven. Some take longer than others.
I made this in tiny loaf pans to gift to neighbors. It’s so good!! I boiled down 2 cups of cider to 1 cup to up the apple flavor. Such a yummy recipe.
Really yummy! Made twice this holiday season. Pay attention to TBLS and teas… first time I made it reading off my phone, I read it wrong and didn’t use enough baking powder. Still yummy.
I love yummy foods, but I also want to be healthy. So it was easy enough to swap out half whole wheat flour. I used about a third less sugar. And I substituted half of the oil for Chia seed gel. That turned out terrific. The first time I made it I also diced up two small apples. That was great, but I forgot to do it the second time. I like it better with the little apples.
I don’t think there was any need for added sugar and cinnamon on top. I did dust my pan with cinnamon and sugar instead of flour.
It needs to be baked much longer than directed – start at 60, you may need 75 minutes. Came out delicious once done!
Amazing! I used extra applesauce (to substitute the 3 eggs and make it vegan) and homemade apple juice (instead of apple cider). I did muffins rather than a cake and my family LOVED them.
I made this using my mini muffin tin. I used paper liners sprayed with Baker’s Joy. I baked at the same temperature (325) for 10 minutes. Made about 125 muffins. Good for a crowd. I’ve had better luck with this method than using a bundt pan.
How long would I cook it if I want to make it as cupcakes?
About 20 mins. Keep your eye on it!