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Apple cider donut cake coated in cinnamon sugar with a slice beside it

Apple Cider Donut Cake

I reduce apple cider and mix it into a tender cinnamon-spiced Bundt cake, then finish it with a buttery cinnamon-sugar coating.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Cooling Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings: 12 12
Course: Desserts
Cuisine: American
Calories: 390
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Apple cider cake
  • 1 cup apple cider reduced to ½ cup (120 ml)
  • 2½ cups all-purpose flour 313 g
  • 1½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ½ cup unsalted butter softened (113 g)
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar 150 g
  • ½ cup packed light brown sugar 100 g
  • 2 large eggs at room temperature
  • ½ cup sour cream 120 g
  • ¼ cup whole milk 60 ml
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cinnamon-sugar coating
  • ½ cup unsalted butter melted (113 g)
  • ½ cup granulated sugar 100 g
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method
 

  1. Simmer the apple cider in a small saucepan for 10 to 15 minutes, until reduced to ½ cup. Cool to room temperature.
  2. Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan thoroughly.
  3. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl.
  4. Beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a large bowl for 2 to 3 minutes, until creamy. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
  5. Stir together the sour cream, milk, cooled cider, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in a few additions, alternating with the sour cream mixture. Mix just until combined.
  6. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
  7. Let the cake rest in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack. Cool until warm, about 10 minutes more.
  8. Stir the coating sugar and cinnamon together. Brush the warm cake with melted butter, then sprinkle or gently press the cinnamon sugar over the surface. Cool before slicing.

Notes

I measure the reduced cider after simmering and cool it before mixing it into the batter. I grease the Bundt pan carefully so the cake releases cleanly. Nutrition is an estimate and will vary with the ingredients and serving size.
I coat the cake while it’s warm so the melted butter helps the cinnamon sugar cling.