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“This Apple Cider Doughnut Cake is the most delicious cake I ever made — and I bake a LOT! I could have eaten the whole cake.” ~Carol
if you love fall, you’ll love apple cider doughnut cake!
I highly recommend this wonderful apple cider doughnut 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 gathering or party. It’s also ideal for housewarmings, new neighbors, new parents, or anyone who could use a little extra comfort or care.
This cake is not overly sweet, so it’s appropriate for breakfast or mid-morning, with a cup of coffee, tea, your pumpkin spice latte (or hot cider!)
more doughnut cake recipes
ingredients for apple cider doughnut cake
- all purpose flour + oat flour
- I use both all purpose and oat flour in this cake, which gives it a nice, tender crumb. Oat flour can be found in your supermarket baking aisle, and you can easily make oat flour at home.
- sugar
- cinnamon
- vanilla extract
- apple cider
- fresh apple cider is amazing, but you can use apple juice if necessary. Do not use apple cider vinegar!
- applesauce
- you might also try apple butter.
- vegetable oil
- butter
- eggs
- baking powder, baking soda, and salt
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!
how oat flour changes the texture of this apple cider cake
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 rolls.
Oat flour has a slightly higher moisture content than wheat flour, which helps keep cakes moist and tender.
Oat flour has a lovely nutty, earthy taste that adds depth to the flavor of this cake.
a basic bundt pan
This is a must in any kitchen. Recipes that call for bundt pans rely on the shape to bake the cake properly
Bundt pans come in all sorts of wonderful shapes and sizes, which is great, but if you only buy one, I like to use this one from Wilton. It’s a basic, all purpose pan that’s sturdy, nonstick, and a standard size. The simple fluted shape insures an easy release, and isn’t that what it’s all about? Click here for details.
check out the comments for great reviews and variations
I don’t expect you to read through 400+ comments, so here are some highlights!
- Karen and Susan get a gold stars for creating gluten free versions of this apple cider doughnut cake. Many used Bob’s Red Mill gf baking mix with great success.
- Karla makes her own gluten-free flour blend (rice flour, tapioca flour, coconut flour, millet flour, + sorghum flour)
- Jen drizzled the cake with a cider icing.
- Sandy added a cup of grated apples to the batter.
- Judy dusts her greased bundt pan with cinnamon sugar for an extra crunchy crust.
- Lorraine and Susan use boiled cider from King Arthur Flour.
- Linda substitutes butter for the vegetable oil.
- Anne made her apple cider cake flavored with a little apple brandy!
- Enid actually subs apple cider vinegar diluted with water for the cider and loves it.
- Amanda and Eyvonne made their own oat flour in the NutriBullet and food processor and it turned out perfectly.
- Dee turned the bundt cake into a layer cake.
- Bella adds a layer of cinnamon sugar to the bottom of the cake before flipping it over, which is genius.
- “A” made half of the recipe, and baked it in a 8X8 pan for 27 minutes. It was perfect.
- and that’s just a few of the great ideas you guys have come up with 🙂
more ways to cook with cider
Apple cider adds natural sweetness, flavor, moisture, and a pop of acidity to so many foods! I make it a point to keep a quart in the fridge all season long.
- Kale and Fall Fruit Salad with Cider Poppy Seed Dressing
- Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts ~ New York Times Recipe
- Homemade Apple Cider
- Apple Cider Doughnut Loaf Cake
- Hot Buttered Apple Cider
- Mulled Cider Jelly
- Slow Cooked Cider Brats with Apple Onion Relish
- Wild Rice Salad with Maple Cider Vinaigrette
- Hard Cider Braised Pot Roast with Fresh Sage
Apple Cider Doughnut Cake
Equipment
- standard bundt pan (10-12 cup capacity)
Ingredients
dry ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups oat flour
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
wet ingredients
- 1 cup apple cider
- 3/4 cup applesauce
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil, I use safflower
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
topping
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Generously butter and flour your bundt pan, making sure to get into all the nooks and crannies. Don’t skip this step!
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk the wet ingredients together in a another bowl.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk until just combined, don’t over mix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out without wet batter clinging to it. Set the pan on a cooling rack for 15 minutes.
- Stir the sugar and cinnamon together for the topping.
- Invert the cake onto a plate. Brush with the melted butter, and sprinkle generously all over with the sugar.
Video
Notes
- 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.
Nutrition
When you say oat flour. Can I grind oatmeal into oat flour?
Yes, you can. Grind it as finely as you can for best texture.
Excellent recipe! I used King Arthur’s Boiled Cider in both the cake and with the melted butter on the finished cake. Adds so much great flavor. Susan
Thus recipe interests me because most cakes are overly sweet for my taste. I am curious about the effect on the texture and ‘weight’ of the cake? Unlike some, I prefer a more dense cake with a delicate crumb and box cakes are always too light and fluffy. I would think the addition of oat flour would contribute density but I read in your blog it actually lightens it? Can you please address these questions. Anxious to try many of your recipes. Thinking finely chopped toasted pecans would add a lovely addition to this Apple Cider cake. Thanks!
These ‘doughnut’ bundt cakes tend to be denser than boxed cake mixes, for sure. In fact I find most homemade cakes to be denser than mixes. The oat flour loosens the texture somewhat, in my opinion, but not in the sense of the fluffiness of a boxed cake, if that makes sense!
Exactly what I needed to know. Going to try this one very soon. Thank you!
Just made the GF version using Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 flour and almond meal (no oats available) for my DIL here in Vermont who is GF. OMG. It is so delicious! She has not had apple cider donuts in over 10 years, and I used a portion of the batter in two mini-tube pans to make donuts; the remainder went into the bundt pan. No one can tell that it is a GF cake! I’ll be making this again. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Thanks Susan 🙂
Thank you for this lovely recipe; the cake is delicious. I appreciated the suggestion to dust the pan with a sugar-cinnamon mix; cake released easily, and mine is a 50 year old pan. I did make a few changes, as I tend to enjoy more strongly-flavored baked goods. For wet ingredients, in place of 1 C of apple juice, I used 1/4C fresh orange juice and 3/4C of Boiled Cider, which I purchase through King Arthur; It is a terrific product. In place of apple sauce, I grated a peeled Granny Smith apple and sautéed it in a little water and a rounded teaspoon of brown sugar, then added 1/4 C candied ginger bits to that. I bumped up the vanilla to 1 T. In the dry ingredients, I reduced sugar to 1 1/4 C sugar and increased to 2t cinnamon. This was a light, moist cake, and I will certainly make it again. Perfect for a house gift, luncheon, or quick dessert. I enjoy regularly reading your posts and playing with the recipes. Thank you.
This has become one of my all time favorite cakes. One small change i have made is instead of flouring the pan after greasing it, I sprinkle it with the cinnamon sugar.
Nice idea Judy, I recently read that sugar is better than flour at releasing cakes.
What a great bunt cake! Made it for Christmas Eve Brunch along with a couple of quiches. Spectacular!
I have never commented on your blog before Sue but I read it almost daily. I had to reach out about this recipe because holy batman it is GOOD. I didn’t even bother to make the topping and it is just amazing. It is literally Fall in your mouth, makes your house smell like you died and went to heaven and is a wonderful use for some of homemade applesauce we are blessed to have on hand. Simple. Easy. Scrumptious. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Haha, thanks Angie, you have a great way with words 🙂
How many cups of apples would you recommend adding?
I’d say about 1 1/2, pretty finely diced.
Thank you!
Hi, my American uncle gave me this recipe which I used to make my husband’s birthday cake. It was delicious. I shared some with 3 friends who have asked for the recipe. Looks like the Bundt tin will go along with it 🙂