Apple Cider Donut Bundt Cake with Cinnamon Sugar Crust
Ingredients
Method
- Set the oven to 350F. Coat a standard 10 cup bundt pan very thoroughly, pushing grease into every groove and corner so the cake releases cleanly. A baking spray made with flour or a homemade butter and flour paste works best.
- Whisk the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, allspice, salt, baking powder and baking soda together in a medium bowl until evenly blended, then leave it aside.
- Stir the apple cider and applesauce together in a large measuring cup. Leave it at full strength, since the applesauce supplies all the moisture the cake needs.
- In a large bowl, beat the oil with the dark brown sugar and granulated sugar until the mixture turns glossy and loose instead of looking like wet sand.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, then add the vanilla and beat until the batter looks smooth and has lightened a shade.
- Add the dry mixture and the cider mixture to the sugar mixture in alternating batches, starting and finishing with the flour. Mix only until the last dry streaks vanish, and no longer.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and level the top. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a wooden skewer pushed into the deepest part comes out clean.
- Let the cake rest in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a cooling rack placed over a baking sheet. While the cake is still warm but not too hot to touch, brush it all over with melted butter and press on a generous layer of cinnamon sugar. Give the crust a few minutes to set before cutting.
Nutrition
Notes
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Let us know how it was!Why You’ll Love This Apple Cider Donut Bundt Cake
Every October I get a craving I can’t shake. It shows up the second the air turns crisp and the orchard stands start frying cider donuts in those little paper bags.
That smell. Warm cider, cinnamon, hot oil. It’s the whole season in one breath.
But I don’t own a fryer, and I’m not about to. So I built this apple cider donut bundt cake instead, and honestly, it might be better. You get the same spiced cider flavor and the same cinnamon sugar finish, minus the vat of oil and the grease splatter on the stovetop.
It’s a moist bundt cake with a tender crumb that stays soft for days. The crust is the best part. More on that below.
Oh, and if you’re already thinking about the Thanksgiving dessert table, let me just say this cake has quietly replaced pumpkin pie at my house twice now. Nobody complained.
Key Ingredients and Why They Work
This isn’t a complicated bundt cake recipe, but the ingredient list is doing real work. Every item earns its spot.
Here’s the short version of what matters most:
- Apple cider at full strength (no boiling, no reducing)
- Unsweetened applesauce for moisture and apple depth
- Neutral oil instead of butter, for a crumb that stays soft
- Dark brown sugar for caramel notes
- A four-spice blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and allspice
Full-Strength Apple Cider (No Reduction)
Let me save you twenty minutes of standing over a simmering pot. You do not need to reduce the cider.
A lot of apple cider reduction advice exists because cakes made with only cider can taste flat. Makes sense. This recipe solves that differently. The applesauce carries the apple flavor, so the cider can go in straight from the jug.
Use the cloudy, unfiltered stuff if you can find it. It has more body and a deeper spiced note than clear juice.
Applesauce: The Moisture Secret
Three quarters of a cup of unsweetened applesauce is the reason this cake doesn’t need buttermilk or sour cream to stay tender.
It also adds a soft, cooked-apple sweetness that pairs naturally with the warm spices. Skip the sweetened kind. You want plain, unsweetened, and if it happens to be chunky, even better, because you get little pockets of apple throughout.
The Warm Spice Blend
Cinnamon gets top billing, but it isn’t alone. Nutmeg, cardamom and allspice round it out, and cardamom is the one people can never place.
It’s a little floral, a little citrusy, and it makes the whole cake taste more expensive than it is.
Shortcut Note
Out of individual spices? Swap in 2 1/2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice for the cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and allspice. It works, and I’ve done it on a Tuesday night when I was out of cardamom.
How to Make Apple Cider Donut Bundt Cake
Four stages. That’s it. Let me walk you through them the way I teach them in my workshops.
Stage 1: Prep the Pan and Whisk the Dry
Start by setting the oven to 350F and coating a 10 cup bundt pan like your cake’s life depends on it, because it kind of does. Push grease into every groove and corner. A baking spray made with flour is my go-to, and a butter-and-flour paste works just as well.
In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, allspice, salt, baking powder and baking soda until everything is evenly blended.
Stage 2: Blend the Wet Ingredients
Stir the cider and applesauce together in a large measuring cup. Leave it at full strength, no reducing.
In a big bowl, beat the oil with the dark brown sugar and granulated sugar until it turns glossy and loose. This takes a couple of minutes. When it stops looking like wet sand, you’re there.
Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla, until the batter lightens a shade.
Stage 3: Fold Gently and Bake
Add the dry mixture and the cider mixture in alternating batches, starting and finishing with the flour. Mix only until the last dry streaks disappear. Then stop.
Scrape the batter into the pan, level the top, and bake 40 to 50 minutes, until a wooden skewer pushed into the deepest part comes out clean.
Stage 4: Cool, Unmold and Coat
Let the cake rest in the pan for 10 minutes. Not 30. Not an hour. Ten minutes is the sweet spot, and I’ve tested this window more times than I care to admit.
Turn it out onto a cooling rack over a baking sheet. While it’s still warm but not too hot to touch, brush it with melted butter and press on a generous layer of cinnamon sugar.
The Cinnamon Sugar Coating
This is the step that turns a good spiced cake into an apple cider donut cake. Don’t rush it.
Melt 5 tablespoons of butter and mix 3/4 cup granulated sugar with 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon before you take the cake out of the pan. You want both ready the moment it lands on the rack.
- Warm cake only. Sugar slides right off a cooled cake.
- Brush, don’t soak. A light, even coat of butter gives the sugar something to grab.
- Press, don’t sprinkle. Use your hands and gently press the mixture into the surface.
- Let it set. Give it a few minutes before you cut in.
The texture you’re after is a thin, crackly shell that gives a soft crunch against the tender crumb. If you hear a faint crackle when you slice it, that’s exactly right.
Bundt Cake Baking Tips
I’ve baked a lot of failed bundts. Most problems come down to three things: pan prep, mixing, and timing. Let’s cover all of it.
Which Bundt Pan Should I Use?
A standard 10 cup bundt pan is what this recipe is built for. Nordic Ware pans release the most reliably in my testing, but any heavy, well-made pan works.
For greasing and flouring, I recommend one of two methods:
- Baking spray with flour: fast, even, and my everyday choice
- Butter and flour paste: the traditional method, brushed into every crevice with a pastry brush
Intricate pans with sharp edges need extra attention. Get into the center tube and the inner curves. That’s where sticking starts.
Mini Bundt Cake Option
This batter fills about 12 mini bundt cavities three quarters of the way.
Bake them 18 to 22 minutes and coat them while they’re still warm. They’re a great option for a fall brunch or a tray of Thanksgiving desserts, and they bake fast enough to make on a whim.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
❌ Overmixing the batter. ✅ Fold gently once the dry ingredients go in and stop the moment the batter is uniform.
❌ Skimping on pan prep. ✅ Grease every groove and corner thoroughly. Miss one spot and that’s where it tears.
❌ Coating a cooled cake. ✅ The cinnamon sugar only sticks to a warm cake.
❌ Wrapping while warm. ✅ Let the cake cool completely first, or trapped steam will soften the crust you just built.
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
Keep the finished cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. It honestly gets better on day two once the spices settle in.
Want it to last longer? Refrigerate for up to a week and warm individual slices for a few seconds before serving.
For making it ahead, bake the cake a day in advance, cool it completely, wrap it tightly, and add the cinnamon sugar coating the day you plan to serve it. The crust stays crisp that way.
To freeze: wrap the uncoated cake tightly and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature, then brush with butter and press on the cinnamon sugar while it’s warm.
Serving Suggestions
This cake is rich enough to stand on its own, but a little contrast never hurts.
- Lightly sweetened whipped cream for a cool finish against the warm spice
- Vanilla ice cream, slightly softened, pressed right into the slice
- A drizzle of caramel if you’re feeling extra
- Strong coffee, always, no debate
One small thing: brush any excess cinnamon sugar off the serving plate before you set it on the table. It looks cleaner and keeps the crust from looking messy.
Apple Cider Donut Bundt Cake FAQ
More Fall Cakes You’ll Love
If this apple cider donut bundt cake becomes your new October tradition, there’s a whole season of baking ahead.
Look for a spiced pear bundt with a thin maple glaze, a classic pumpkin bundt with cream cheese drizzle, and a brown butter apple cake that uses up the rest of your orchard haul.
Same rules apply to all of them: prep the pan properly, don’t overmix, and trust the cooling time.
Let’s Bake It Together
When you make this apple cider donut bundt cake, I want you to text me a photo of that clean release. That moment when the pan lifts and the whole cake drops out in one piece? It never gets old.
My sons judge every cake by whether it stuck. Yours won’t. Follow the pan prep, respect the 10 minute rest, and coat it while it’s warm.
And if you want more bundt inspiration, pan prep experiments and glaze tests between now and Thanksgiving, come find me over on Pinterest for fall bundt cake inspiration. I pin everything I’m testing that week.
Happy fall baking. May your kitchen smell like cider and spice, and may your cake release on the first try. #AppleCiderBundt
Source: Learn More About This Dish
Can I use apple juice instead of apple cider?
You can, but you’ll lose some depth. Cloudy or unfiltered apple juice is the closest swap. Regular clear apple juice works too, but the cake comes out sweeter with a lighter apple flavor. Cider is worth the hunt in October.
