Apple Cider Doughnut Cake

Apple Cider Doughnut Cake ~ a warm cinnamon apple bundt cake that tastes just like Fall’s iconic apple cider doughnuts.  It’s basically everything you love about the season, baked up in a pan.

I highly recommend this wonderful apple bundt cake, it’s pretty much everything you want in an easy Fall treat.  There’s nothing fancy or fussy about it, but it’s soft and tender, with a thin cinnamony-sugar crust just like those cider doughnuts you get when you go apple picking.  The aroma is intoxicating, and it’s the perfect thing to take to a Fall gathering or party.   It’s also ideal for housewarmings, new neighbors, new moms, or anyone who could use a little extra comfort or care.

Other recipes in my Doughnut Bundt Cake Series~

• Glazed Old Fashioned Buttermilk Doughnut Bundt Cake

• Chocolate Sour Cream Doughnut Bundt Cake

• Jelly Doughnut Bundt Cake

I attribute the pillowy texture of this apple cider doughnut cake to the applesauce and the oat flour in the recipe.  Oat flour is readily available in most large grocery stores, and Bob’s Red Mill makes a good one, but it’s essentially oats that have been ground into a fine powder, so if you don’t have any on hand you can actually process rolled oats in a food processor or high speed blender, like a Vitamix, to make your own. For more details, check out my post on how to make your own oat flour!

Oat flour gives baked goods a nice soft texture and a little extra flavor.  I love it to add it to regular flour in lots of different types of recipes.  It does wonders for my IRISH OATMEAL SODA BREAD and my QUICK WHOLE GRAIN OAT ROLLS.

This cake is not overly sweet, so it’s appropriate for breakfast or mid-morning, with a cup of coffee, tea, or hot cider.

Check out the comment section for the good reviews and to see how readers have tweaked the recipe for themselves.  Karen gets a gold star for creating a gluten free version:

“I made this the first try with Bob’s Red Mill GLUTEN FREE baking mix instead of the two cups a/p flour, and 1.5 cups ground almonds instead of oat flour, so our gluten free hosts could try it (folks– not all oats are gluten free. many are contaminated. UNLESS IT SAYS, IT’S NOT!). The subtle almond flavor was incredible, texture was amazing. Don’t skimp on the melted salted butter at the end, OR the sugar. I you don’t have “oat flour,” throw some oats in your blender, food processor or– like I did– coffee grinder. As far as sugar is concerned, this is a LLLAAARRRGGEE cake; try the recipe AS IS before cutting anything please! Not one crumb left over.”

Cider is a wonderful ingredient to experiment with in Fall, here are some fun ways to use it ~

• Kale and Fall Fruit Salad with Cider Poppy Seed Dressing
• Spiced Cider Glazed Apple Bars
• Slow Cooked Cider Brats with Apple Onion Relish
• Hard Cider Braised Pot Roast with Fresh Sage
• Brussels Sprout Slaw with Maple Cider Vinaigrette

*I’ve adapted this recipe from Martha Stewart

Make it your own ~

• Sub cardamom for cinnamon, yum.
• Fold in some finely diced fresh apple for texture.
• You might use apple butter instead of applesauce.
• Instead of the sugar coating you could make a simple glaze out of cider and powdered sugar to drizzle (liberally!) over the cake.

Don’t forget to pin this Apple Cider Doughnut Cake!