Name: Apple Cider Donut Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg; 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature; 1/2 cup light brown sugar; 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 2 large eggs, at room temperature; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1/2 cup apple cider; 1/3 cup apple sauce; 1/4 cup granulated sugar; 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon; 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe· 5 from 9 reviews

Moist, delicate and bursting with all the apple flavors, this apple cider donut cake is the perfect slice of fall.

Apple cider donut bundt cake on a white cake stand with a white bowl, plates, candles and a glass of apple cider in the background.

If you ever needed proof that cakes and donuts could indeed be BFFs, this apple cider cake would be it!

It takes all the cozy flavors of your favorite farm stand apple cider donuts and wraps them in a delicious bundt cake form perfect for an easy weeknight bake.

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Ingredients
How to make an apple cider donut cake
Expert tips
Other cake sizes
Storage
More fall cakes
Recipe

Ingredients

Below are a few recommendations and some of the baking science behind key ingredients. A full list of ingredients and their measurements is available in the recipe card.

Baking powder: Helps the cake rise. We're using only baking powder to preserve the acidic flavors in the cake and to keep it from becoming overly browned (baking soda neutralizes acids and promotes browning).
Apple sauce: Adds an extra burst of apple flavor. I originally recipe-tested this cake with sour cream for moisture (which apple sauce adds, too), but it wasn't as good. I recommend unsweetened, but you can use a sweetened or homemade apple sauce if you want a slightly sweeter cake.
Cinnamon and nutmeg: Add to the flavors of the apple cider.
Butter: Provides fat, moisture, and a buttery flavor. We'll be creaming it with the sugar to create a lighter, finer crumb, so you'll want to make sure it's at room temperature.
Brown and granulated sugar: Using both creates the right balance of sweetness and the brown sugar adds moisture and caramel undertones.
Apple cider: Provides moisture and the flavor basis for this cake.

All ingredients should be at room temperature to keep the batter from seizing.

How to make an apple cider donut cake

Cake batter being poured into a small, greased bundt pan.

First, make the batter.

Cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time until combined.

Add the dry ingredients in two equal parts alternating with the wet ingredients in one part.

Overhead view of apple cider donut cake in a silver bundt pan.

Second, bake.

Pour the batter into a well-greased 6-cup bundt pan.

Bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with only baked crumbs.

Butter being brushed onto a baked bundt cake with a bowl of butter and cinnamon sugar in the background.

Third, allow the cake to cool.

Once the pan is cool enough to handle, turn the cake out onto a cooling rack.

Close up of cinnamon sugar dusted bundt cake.

Finally, coat.

Brush with melted butter and coat with cinnamon sugar.

Close up of a hand taking a slice out of a bundt cake on a white plate.

Expert tips

Testing for doneness: Although tempting to wait until the toothpick comes out clean, doing so will likely lead to over-baking your cake. Instead, you want your toothpick to come out without any raw batter and with a few cooked crumbs.
Easy pan removal: The trick to removing a cake from a bundt pan starts with the preparation. You'll want to start by generously greasing the pan (I've found a homemade pan release made from equal parts oil, flour and vegetable shortening works best). Once the pan is cool enough to handle, turn the cake out onto a cooling rack.
Decorating with flowers: Flowers look lovely on cakes but can pose a food safety risk. For more information, check out my post on fresh flower cake decorating. The flowers garnishing this cake are wax flowers.

Other cake sizes

This recipe makes a small (6-cup) bundt cake, but if you need this in another size, here's how to adapt the recipe:

Full-size (10-cup) bundt: Double the measurements and bake at 350F for 55-60 minutes.
Layer cake: As it's written, this recipe will make two layers of 6" cake that will take 30-35 minutes each to bake. If you're looking for frosting suggestions, I'd recommend the cream cheese frosting from my pineapple carrot cake or the browned butter frosting from my caramel apple cake.

Slice of lightly browned apple cider donut cake on a stack of three white plates. Candles, larger cake and a small bouquet of flowers are in the background.

Storage

This cake can be stored at room temperature and is best when eaten within 2-3 days. Once the cake has been cut, place a piece of plastic wrap against the exposed part to keep it from drying out.

You can also freeze this cake prior to coating it with butter, cinnamon, and sugar by wrapping it tightly in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. This cake will keep for up to three months in the freezer.

More fall cakes

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below! I regularly update these posts and feedback from wonderful readers like you help me improve them.