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If you love apple cider donuts, you’ll flip for this cake!
Great Donut Taste In A Cake
This cake tastes exactly like apple cider donuts! It’s probably less fat too–although I’m not entirely sure.
I consider myself somewhat of an expert on apple cider donuts as I used to make them commercially at one time. Background here is that my late husband was recovering from open-heart surgery so he couldn’t work; I had to. Anyway, as there were no local jobs in engineering and I needed specific hours that I could be home for him, I took a job as a baker at a local supermarket. Yeah, I know–a real career change!
Anyway, the cider donuts were a fall staple at that store so I improved on the standard recipe. All the customers said those donuts hit the jackpot. The truth is, they started with a mix where I doctored the spices.
Mace: A Donut Essential
This spice is essential for donuts. It gives them that donutty taste.
For those who don’t know this little factoid, mace is the outer covering of nutmeg. I never knew that until very recently and it was Clarissa from Two Fat Ladies who informed me (and millions of other viewers too).
You also need nutmeg in equal portions to the mace. It’s a one-to-one ratio.
The other secret to the great taste here is the fresh apple that’s cooked in the cider itself. Essentially, you’re making applesauce, but it’s an applesauce with a lot of kick. You cook it down until the cider is reduced–and reductions have intense flavor. Where you may be tempted for convenience sake to substitute store-bought applesauce–don’t. It’s worth the time to do the apple/cider reduction.
The Crowning Glory
You’ll love the sugar coating for this cake. It’s not merely cinnamon sugar because there’s yet another hint of nutmeg. There’s a bit of salt too, which is strange at first, but many people actually put a pinch of salt on an apple because it brings out a lot of flavor.
The Recipe
Apple Cider Donut Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 8 tbs unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 large Granny Smith apple about 8 ounces, peeled, cored, and roughly chopped
- 1 1/2 cups apple cider
- 1/2 cup milk at room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground mace
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 3 eggs at room temperature
- 1/4 cup oil
- 1 tsp vanilla
For the Sugar Coating:
- 6 tbs sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp salt
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a bundt pan with non-stick spray.
- In medium saucepan, bring chopped apple and cider to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until most of the cider has been absorbed and apples are easily smashed with a fork, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove pan from heat, cool 5 minutes, and mash with the back of a spoon. Measure out 1 cup apple mixture and stir in milk; set aside.
- In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and mace; set aside.
- In large bowl, beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add oil and beat until incorporated, about 1 minute.
- Decrease mixer speed to low and add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with apple mixture, scraping down sides and bottom of bowl with rubber spatula as needed. Increase speed to medium and beat mixture just until combined, about 20 seconds. Add vanilla and beat once more, just to combine, about 10 seconds.
- Scrape batter into prepared pan. Bake until cake tester inserted in cake comes out clean, rotating cake halfway through baking, 35 to 45 minutes. Transfer cake to cooling rack set inside baking sheet and cool in pan 10 minutes, then invert directly onto cooling rack.
- For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating: Combine sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in small bowl. Sprinkle warm cake with cinnamon sugar, using fingers to rub it onto sides.
- Cool cake completely, about 1 hour.
Video
Nutrition
*Adapted from Serious Eats
J says
This looks like a yummy cake to bake Judith when you’re not pressed for time! Would you please share the easy cider donuts recipe cuz sometimes I still use cake mixes…less dishes to wash by hand. Lol. Everytime I have gone apple picking, they are always sold out of their cider donuts. I got to try them only once! 😢
My son had to move far away to get a good job in engineering…nothing around here.
Have a great week coming up!
Judith Hanneman says
I generally don’t bake from scratch anymore either–this is a cake for when you have the time to do it!!! You’ll like my Easy Apple Cider Donuts because it starts with Bisquick and there’s no shaping because they’re just dropped from a spoon–like donut holes.
Erin mckain says
You add the milk to the one cup of apples?
Judith Hanneman says
Yes Erin, after you make the reduction though–you stir it in the “applesauce” that was made.
Dusica says
Can you tell me the size of cups?
Judith Hanneman says
For fluids, a cup is 8 fluid ounces. For dry measure–flour in particular–the weight varies by how you fill the cup. Flour lightly spooned into a cup or sifted then spooned into a cup is around 4 ounces.
Elaine Clemmer says
I would like the recipe for apple cider donuts also
Judith Hanneman says
Here you go—Easy Apple Cider Donuts
Etta Tarver says
Thinking of making this early for Thanksgiving. Would this freeze well?
Judith Hanneman says
I haven’t tried that but the cake has a good solid texture so I would say it would freeze well.
Elisabeth Wallace says
I just made this cake tonight, and it taste just as good as it looks. cant wait to try another recipe.
Judith Hanneman says
Glad you liked it! I don’t ordinarily bake from scratch anymore, but this one is sure worth it!!!
KATHY LAWSON says
I’m going to make this cake for Thanksgiving, so do you think baking it the day before would be okay? Actually, I’d like to bake it as far in advance as possible, without resorting to freezing it. Thanks!
Judith Hanneman says
I think it would be better made the day before, Kathy. The full flavor will really be there when the spices totally infuse.
KATHY LAWSON says
Thanks! Do you think making the cider and apple reduction ahead of time would be okay? (And if so, how would I store it?) I’m just a bit worried about having so many steps to do…but not making this cake is NOT an option! LOL
Judith Hanneman says
Sure it’ll be fine–if you can stop from eating it!!! It tastes fantastic!!
Vicki says
I made this tonight for a Festival of Lights parade tomorrow night. Hubs asked me to make another for a wild game feed tomorrow afternoon so number 2 is in the oven now. A small piece broke off the edge, oh my, you can taste the butter and the spices are perfect. I’m sure there won’t be any left from either functions.
Judith Hanneman says
I don’t often bake from scratch anymore, but this cake is well worth the effort!!! Everyone will love it, I’m sure!