Apple Cider Donut Cake

If you love those warm, sugary apple cider doughnuts from the orchard, this cake is going to hit the spot. It’s buttery, fluffy, and coated in that cozy cinnamon sugar you can’t stop picking at.

 

One of the things I miss about living in Ohio is the yearly trip to the apple orchard. We’d taste crisp apples, drink cold cider or an apple cider float, and always finish with a fresh cider doughnut (sometimes two).

Then we’d take home the apples, finishing the last of them into homemade applesauce or crock pot apple butter a week later.

This fluffy cake brings all of that fall feeling into one buttery bite, topped with that signature cinnamon sugar. And yep, somehow, it tastes even better the next day.

Why We Love Apple Cider Cake

• Fresh Donut Taste! – Tastes like a fluffy apple cider doughnut straight from the orchard, coated in warm cinnamon sugar for extra cozy flavor
• Great To Share – Perfect for fall parties, Thanksgiving, or sharing with family and friends
• Semi-Homemade Baking – Easy to make using boxed cake mix and simple pantry staples

Ingredients For Apple Cider Cake

• yellow cake mix- I used Betty Crocker yellow cake mix, but any standard size boxed yellow cake mix can be used with this recipe for the dry ingredients. You can also use a pumpkin spice cake mix or white cake mix.
• apple cider– Sometimes this is the hardest ingredient to find!
• applesauce– I prefer unsweetened, but sweetened can be used. You could also substitute sour cream for the applesauce, but applesauce does give the cake a little more apple flavor. Homemade applesauce can also be used if you prefer.
• eggs
• butter – melted
• brown sugar
• vanilla

Cinnamon Sugar Topping:

• butter – melted, use a salted butter for this recipe or add a pinch of salt if the butter is unsalted
• sugar – white sugar
• cinnamon

How To Make An Apple Cider Doughnut Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Use a baking release spray or grease and flour a bundt pan. A 10 or 12 cup bundt pan can be used for this recipe. When you use a 12 cup bundt pan the pan won’t fill all the way with cake batter. When you remove the cake from the bundt pan it will be just fine.
2. In a large bowl with a rubber spatula or with an electric mixer combine cake mix, apple cider, apple sauce, eggs, and melted butter.
3. Add the brown sugar and vanilla, then mix again until well combined. Pour batter into the bundt pan.

4. Bake for 40-50 minutes. Once finished baking prick the cake with a toothpick. When finished baking the toothpick should come out clean. My cake was done at 45 minutes, but ovens can vary. It’s ok if yours takes a little shorter or longer.

5. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
6. After 15 minutes, turn the bundt pan over onto a wire rack or parchment paper. As the cake cools, it pulls in on itself and away from the pan. Letting the cake cool will mean it can come out of the pan a little easier.

Adding The Cinnamon Sugar Topping

1. Mix together the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Brush melted butter over the entire cake.

2. Work quickly and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar topping on top and sides of cake. The sides can be a bit trickier. I found using clean hands to pat the cinnamon sugar onto the side of the cake was easiest to get it to stick.

Apple Cider Cake Variations

Want to take this cake over the top? Try one of these fun apple cider donut-inspired twists.

Make sure the apple cider doughnut cake is completely cool before adding any toppings. Drizzles, powdered sugar, and glazes will literally melt right off the cake if you try to add them to a warm cake. You can place the cake in the refrigerator to help speed up the process.

Powdered Sugar Variation

Instead of coating the cake in cinnamon and sugar try coating the entire cake generously in powdered sugar.

To add powdered sugar to a cake, use a flour sifter or fine mesh strainer, or even a splatter screen in a pinch. This helps dust the powdered sugar evenly across the cake without big clumps.” Watch how to dust powdered sugar onto a cake here.

Chocolate Drizzle Variation

Many apple orchards also drizzle apple cider donuts with warm, gooey chocolate on top. You can easily do the same with this apple cider cake. Make a quick chocolate ganache in the microwave to drizzle over the entire cake. I find it is easiest to make the ganache and then let it cool for at 10-15 minutes on the counter.

Once the ganache has cooled a little add it to a frosting bag or a zip-top bag. Snip the corner of the bag and drizzle the chocolate over the cake. Chopped peanuts or pecans can also be added on top of the chocolate drizzle.

Apple Cider Glaze Variation

An apple cider glaze can also be drizzled over the top of the entire cake. To make a glaze whisk together 1/4 cup of apple cider, one cup of powdered sugar, and a tablespoon of melted butter together. Drizzle over the cake once the cake is completely cool.

How to Grease a Bundt Pan (And Actually Get the Cake Out)

Bundt pans can sometimes be a little tricky to remove the cake. Have no fear, these tips will help you remove the doughnut cake easily.

Using Baking Spray On A Bundt Pan For Easy Release

I recommend a baking-specific spray when baking with a bundt pan. When using a baker’s specific spray, the cake releases super easily as long as the pan is well coated.

How To Oil And Flour A Bundt Pan

If you don’t have a baker’s spray you can use I recommend oiling and flouring the pan. This article explains how to grease and flour a bundt pan.

Bundt pans have beautiful and sometimes intricate designs that make will make a pretty beautiful doughnut cake! All of those swirls and folds can cause the cake to sometimes get stuck if you don’t grease the pan with a baking spray or grease and flour the pan.

Don’t Use Standard Cooking Oil Alone On A Bundt Pan

I really don’t recommend using a standard spray cooking oil that’s not designed for baking for a bundt pan. If your pan has a lot of detailed designs it can sometimes be harder to release.

Just butter or oil without the flour also will cause the cake to get stuck in the pan.

Turn The Cake Upside Down And Give It A Whack

Sometimes placing the cake upside down and letting gravity work for a few minutes is all it takes to slide the cake out of the pan. If that’s not working, I will also sometimes give the pan a little bit of a whack to help it slide out of the pan. Carefully running a thin knife around the edges (like a frosting knife) and sometimes help a stubborn cake to release.

Hide Imperfections For A Beautiful Cake

If your cake doesn’t come out of the pan perfectly, don’t panic! We coat this doughnut cake in a cinnamon-sugar coating once cool that will help the finished presentation to be beautiful!