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 nearly 10 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 used to love the corn mazes, slides, zip-line and apple throw.
After hours playing in the field, we always head back to the Red Barn for apple cider donuts, ice cream and apple slushies. We get one of everything! (Well, more than one donut, because those are too hard to share. Ha!)
A few years ago, I came home from one of our visits and decided I had to recreate the donuts in cake form!
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. 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.
How to Make This Apple Cider Donut Bundt Cake: Video Tutorial
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) unsweetened applesauce, at room temperature
- 1 cup (248 g) apple cider juice (not vinegar), 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.
I love this recipe. I made for the time last fall. And many times since. It is always a hit!! And I always get asked for the recipe.
I have one question. The sugar and cinn sprinkled on top tends to soak in. It does have the lovely white sparkle as in your photo. Any ideas on what I may be doing wrong?
Try using sanding sugar. It’s the thick, coarse white sugar.
What I do, hopefully works for you too, do not melt the butter all the way. It should be still yellow solid color, melted but not clear melted.
I made this for a party this weekend and it was SO delicious, some asked for the recipe. Adding to the Thanksgiving menu. 😍Question: Thoughts on substituting more apple sauce instead of oil?
So happy you loved it. I haven’t tried that substitution but it should work okay. May change the texture a little but could be fun to try out.
Can this recipe be used differently? Such as a loaf pans? Muffins? 13×9 pan? TIA.
Yes to all!
Would homemade apple butter work in place of the applesauce?
I would stick to apple sauce.
Trust the recipe measurements, it’s delicious! I did not do the sugar coating and added 1/8tsp or cardamom and 1/8tsp all spice for more apple flavor. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
You are correct. I saw the amount of baking powder and thought it was a typo, but I read your comment about trusting the measurements and followed it exactly. It’s a sincerely great cake that my very picky family loved as much as everyone else.
Is it possible to add pieces of apple to the batter -to make it truly an “Apple” cake?
I haven’t done it so I can’t tell you if it works perfectly, but you can definitely give it a try. I’d just make sure the apples are chopped small so they don’t sink in the batter.
Sounds delicious- will be making this week! Can I make a day ahead or is it better to make the day I serve it?
So happy to hear you loved it. You can totally make it a day ahead and then store in an airtight container.
If made a day ahead, would you still go ahead and do the melted butter, and cinnamon/sugar mixture? Or would you wait and do that right before serving? Thank you!
Right before serving.
First time making the cake and everyone raved about it. I thought we prepared the burnt pan properly, but lots of sticking. Can we use thus recipe for cupcakes? Might nit be as much sugar coating. Thanks!
Yes totally!
Can I use a sheet pan instead of a bundt pan?
Sure!
I’m going to freeze but should I wait to put sugar or freeze then add the sugar
Wait for the sugar until serving!
Hi there, I’m planning on making this for Thanksgiving but I only have a 10 cup bundt pan…will it work on that or will it spill over?
You should be ok. It will be close, so maybe put tin foil under the pan just in case 🙂
You should be ok. It will be close, so maybe put tin foil under the pan just in case 🙂
Hi Courtney,
I’ve made this several times and it’s always a big hit. Thank you for your recipe. My only struggle is that my batter is very lumpy, am I underbeating? It happens every time I bake it and I get nervous the lumps won’t go away while baking (flour lumps) so I spend some time trying to break them with a spoon (takes a while though). Hopefully you can share your advice.
I would like to use this recipe for mini bundt cakes. How full should I make them?
3/4
Absolutely FANTASTIC. And so easy! I didn’t have any applesauce, but I did have a few apples, so I peeled and chopped a few and cooked them on top the stove in some apple cider. When the apples were soft, I used a potato masher and voila, instant applesauce. I didn’t have a Bundt pan, either, so I baked two 8 inch rounds and made a nice cream cheese frosting to go between the layers. Gorgeous! I think your cake recipe is like an autumnal little black dress – it can be accessorized to make it your own. Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful recipe!
Very yummy and moist. Definitely will be saving and making again. Only change I made was adding boiled apple cider ( maybe 1/8 cup) in place of part of the apple cider just for some added apple flavor.
What a moist and delicious cake. Will be making this again. I normally stay away from bundt recipes because they never come out of the pan without some cake sticking but this came right out. Thank you!
I have a family member who cannot have dairy – do you have a butter substitute recommendation?
I like the earth balance butter sub.
Just wondering how far in advance this can be made? Thinking about making for thanksgiving and hoping to bake it a couple days before Thanksgiving. Thanks!
You can totally make it a few days, even weeks ahead of time. After it’s baked and cooled completely, wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze it. Allow about 6 hours to thaw before serving. Add the butter and cinnamon sugar coating on before serving.
I’ve made this recipe several times and it is delicious, but it never comes out looking as nicely as the photo. Even with a new Bundt pan, greased and floured, it still seems to stick and the nice smooth surface as pictured is not what I get. It’s almost like it’s too moist and gets gummy on the outside. Anyone else have this issue? Any suggestions on how to fix this problem?
Have you tried dusting the pan with sugar instead of flour? Also, are you letting the cake cool completely in the pan before you turn it out?
Have you ever substituted butter for oil? Would it make it to dense?
I haven’t but yes, it would make it more dense. If you want to make that sub, maybe melt the butter first. You could also use a different non-seed oil like avocado oil.
Love this recipe – could not stop eating…! Just want to confirm that the 1 1/2 tbsp of baking powder is not meant to be 1 1/2 tsp baking powder? Thank you so much.
Yes!