“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
apple cider doughnut cake is easy and so delicious!
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 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!)
other recipes in my doughnut cake series
ingredients for apple cider bundt cake
- 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
- 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 doughnut 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.
tvfgi recommends: a great basic bundt pan
Bundt pans come in all sorts of wonderful shapes and sizes, which is great, except that you never know how your pan is going to work with a specific recipe. I like to use this one from Wilton which is 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
- 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.
- Judy dusts her greased bundt pan with cinnamon sugar for an extra crunchy crust.
- Lorraine uses boiled cider from King Arthur Flour.
- Anne made her apple cider cake flavored with a little apple brandy!
- Amanda made her own oat flour in the NutriBullet.
- 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.
- and that’s just a few of the great ideas you guys have come up with 🙂
more ways to cook with cider
- 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
- Set 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, 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
Do you have to use oat flour, and if so, is it by the regular flour
You don’t absolutely have to use it, but it does add a lot. You should be able to find it in the same aisle as the regular flour, Bob’s Red Mill makes it, for example. You can also make it yourself, very easily, by processing rolled oats in a food processor or blender. I have instructions here.
I dont gave any Apple Cider …. could I use Apple Juice instead ??
Yes, that will work fine!
Hi Sue
If you use finely diced apples do you have adjust the cooking time?
Thanks
I’m not sure since I haven’t actually added fresh apples to this cake. I’d check with a toothpick and go from there.
Do you know if this cake will freeze well? I have a business trip right before Thanksgiving and would like to make it in advance for the holiday.
I think it would be spectacular, so long as you buttered and cinnamon-sugared it the day you served it…..
This looks delicious! Do you think it would work with an egg replacement?
I don’t have much experience with egg replacements, Kristin, but if you have one you like, I say give it a try.
I made this for my mother’s birthday brunch. Everyone loved it and appreciated that it wasn’t too sweet. I think this will become a new Fall favorite! Thank you!
I think the fact that it’s subtle and not too sweet is one of the best things about this cake Melanie, I’m glad everybody liked it.
How could you make the Apple cider donut bundt cake have more apple
Flavor?!
You might add chopped apples, or maybe reduce the cider down so that the flavor is concentrated.
I use Apple brandy instead of vanilla. It adds a lot of extra apple flavor.
Cake is in the oven and smells delicious. I used my Nutribullet to process the oats into oat flour and it came out fluffy and perfect. Thanks for introducing me to this type of flour!:)
I love hearing about a new oat flour convert! Also good to know about the nutribullet, that thing is handy.
I don’t have oat flour. Can I just use more all purpose flour?
Yes, absolutely.
Hi Sue! Thanks for the recipe, it looks delicious. I am thinking of making an apple cider layer cake and I was wondering could this be made into a layer cake and be supported by a filling and a topping layer of frosting? And would the flavor be enough/not too much for this use? Thanks!
I don’t know, Nikila, the flavor of this cake is mild, and it has a somewhat denser texture than a traditional layer cake, but I assume you could cook it in layer pans.