Apple Cider Donut Bundt Cake Recipe

Apple-based desserts tend to please a wide variety of people, thanks to their versatility and range of styles. If you want the apples to be front and center, pick a dessert that showcases the fruit in larger slices. Meanwhile, if you're seeking subtlety, apple-based ingredients are an excellent alternative to include. Tasting Table recipe developer Jessica Morone brings us this apple cider donut bundt cake recipe that will please any palate. 

"If you like apple cider donuts you will love this cake," she comments and describes, "It's the perfect fall dessert because it is moist, delicious, and full of apple flavor." While there is enough sweetness in this baked treat to satisfy your sweet tooth around dessert time, it also has certain qualities of a quick bread that make it a good candidate for other occasions. Morone agrees and suggests, "I think you could probably also serve it at a brunch."

For this recipe, get all-purpose flour, apple pie spice, salt, baking powder, baking soda, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Next, you'll need vegetable oil, large eggs, apple cider, unsweetened applesauce, sour cream, and vanilla extract. Finally, for the topping, you'll need more granulated sugar, apple pie spice, and melted unsalted butter. 

Preheat the oven to 325 F.

Generously spray a bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, apple pie spice, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk until well mixed. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, apple cider, applesauce, sour cream, and vanilla extract until combined.

Add the flour mixture into the large bowl of wet ingredients and mix until no streaks of flour remain.

Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake in the preheated oven for 50-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.

Let the cake cool for 20 minutes in the pan, then turn it over onto a wire cooling rack placed over a baking sheet.

In a small bowl, combine the remaining granulated sugar and apple pie spice.

Brush the melted butter over the bundt cake on the cooling rack.

Sprinkle the tops and sides of the cake with the sugar mixture, use your hands if necessary to pat it into the cake so it sticks.

Cut the cake and enjoy!

Per the cake's name, apple cider is pretty essential to the final result, and Morone comments, "Taking out the cider part kind of makes it a different thing, but in a pinch, you could use unsweetened apple juice." You'll want to read the label carefully to see if there are added sugars. As Morone points out, "They don't usually add sugar to apple cider, so using apple juice with sugar in it will make this cake much too sweet." 

Morone explains, "The apple cider and applesauce are mainly to flavor the bread, but they also do add moisture to the batter." This ensures the cake has a pleasant apple aroma in each bite while remaining tender and soft. Another ingredient that contributes to both the flavor and consistency is sour cream. "[It] helps to balance the sweetness out, and also adds more moisture, fat, and acidity to the cake," Morone says. Whereas butter or oil would improve the moisture and fat, sour cream is unique in its ability to tame the sweetness and infuse a bit of tang. 

A bundt cake is a fun shape to add to the table, and it produces nice slices that are easy to cut and serve. Still, you may not have access to a bundt pan or instead prefer to prepare your sweet treat in a different format. If so, Morone notes, "You could make this recipe in other types of pans," and provides a few suggestions to guide the way. 

If the pan size and shape change, you'll naturally need to modify the baking time for optimal results. "You could divide it into two 9-inch round cake pans and bake it for about 30 minutes, or bake it in one 13×9-inch pan for about 45 minutes," Morone instructs. To be on the safer side, check the cake regularly to make sure it isn't burning. Then, test it with a toothpick — the cake is ready when the toothpick comes out clean. Just like with the bundt pan, leave the cake to sit in the pan for about 20 minutes before cooling it on a wire rack.