Apple Cider Doughnut Cake Recipe (2024)

  • Cakes
  • Apple
  • Fall Desserts

The 2.0 version of apple cider doughnuts, no deep frying required.

By

María del Mar Cuadra

Apple Cider Doughnut Cake Recipe (1)

María del Mar Cuadra

María del Mar Cuadra is a food stylist, recipe developer, and art director. She has written three cookbooks and worked for America's Test Kitchen.

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Updated October 25, 2022

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Apple Cider Doughnut Cake Recipe (2)

Why It Works

  • A Granny Smith apple is cooked in apple cider and then reduced to concentrate the apple flavor.
  • Mace and nutmeg add that unmistakable apple cider doughnut flavor to the cake, while cinnamon is reserved for the cinnamon-sugar coating after it's baked.

With the end of summer comes the switch from pink and yellow peaches and garnet plums to apples in all their speckled and mottled varieties—gold and grassy green, blush pink and siren red lipstick. The wooden crates at the market stalls are overflowing with tart and crisp apples perfect for lattice-top pies and sweet little crab apples that look almost too precious to eat. But more often than not, I don't buy any apples. I head straight for the $1.00 cup of steaming cider and a cellophane baggie of apple cider doughnuts.

Tiny and chubby with a wrinkled belly button, the cakey doughnuts are covered in granulated sugar and a touch of cinnamon. They're irresistibly soft and I usually eat all but one, saving it for pre-bedtime snack when I'm tucked under blankets as the chill autumn wind seeps through a cracked window.

Since the doughnuts are so cake-like by nature, it was easy to turn them into an actual cake. This is a buttery cake, coated in the requisite cinnamon-sugar. Mace, the cobwebby exterior of nutmeg, is a must in this recipe as it adds that unmistakable doughnut flavor to the cake. There is no cinnamon in this cake other than in the coating because I find that it overwhelms the cake in general and the apple taste in particular. And now that we're on the subject, even though I love those farmers' market doughnuts, they're often wanting in apple cider flavor. Here, a tart apple is cooked in apple cider and then reduced to concentrate the flavor and make the cake live up to its name. How do you like them apples?

October 2012

This recipe was re-tested in 2022 and lightly updated and edited to ensure the best results.

Recipe Details

Apple Cider Doughnut Cake Recipe

Prep30 mins

Cook60 mins

Active30 mins

Cooling Time60 mins

Total2 hrs 30 mins

Serves10to 12 servings

Makes1 bundt cake

Ingredients

For the Cake:

  • 9 tablespoons (4 1/2 ounces; 135g) unsalted butter at room temperature, divided

  • 2 small Granny Smith apples (about 6 ounces/170g each), peeled, cored, and roughly chopped (about 2 cups)

  • 1 1/2 cups (355ml) fresh apple cider

  • 1/2 cup whole milk, at room temperature, plus more as needed

  • 2 1/2 cupsall-purpose flour (11 1/4 ounces; 319g)

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1 teaspoon (3g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume or the same weight

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground mace

  • 3/4 cupsugar (5 1/4 ounces; 149g)

  • 1/2 cup packedlight brown sugar (3 1/2 ounces; 99g)

  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature

  • 1/4 cup (60ml) vegetable oil

  • 1 teaspoon (4ml) pure vanilla extract

For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating:

  • 6 tablespoons granulated sugar (2 2/3 ounces; 75g)

  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

  • 1/8 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume

Directions

  1. For the Cake: Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a large (10- to 12-cup capacity) Bundt pan with 1 tablespoon butter.

    Apple Cider Doughnut Cake Recipe (3)

  2. In a medium saucepan, bring chopped apple and cider to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until most of the cider has been absorbed and apples are easily smashed with a fork, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove pan from heat, cool 5 minutes, then process in food processor until puréed, 60 to 90 seconds, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. Measure out 1 cup apple mixture (if you have less than 1 cup apple mixture, add additional milk to reach 1 cup). Stir apple mixture into milk, set aside.

    Apple Cider Doughnut Cake Recipe (4)

  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and mace; set aside.

    Apple Cider Doughnut Cake Recipe (5)

  4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat remaining 8 tablespoons butter, sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, about 20 seconds. Add oil and beat until incorporated, about 45 seconds.

    Apple Cider Doughnut Cake Recipe (6)

  5. Decrease mixer speed to low and add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with apple mixture, scraping down sides and bottom of bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Increase speed to medium and beat mixture just until combined, about 20 seconds. Add vanilla and beat once more, just to combine, about 10 seconds.

    Apple Cider Doughnut Cake Recipe (7)

  6. Scrape batter into prepared pan, smooth surface with a spatula. Bake in preheated oven until a cake tester inserted in cake comes out with just a few crumbs, 45 to 50 minutes. Transfer cake to wire cooling rack set inside baking sheet and cool in pan 15 minutes, then invert directly onto wire cooling rack (see notes).

    Apple Cider Doughnut Cake Recipe (8)

  7. For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating: Combine sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a small bowl. While cake is still hot, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, using fingers to rub it onto sides. Cool cake completely, about 1 hour, then serve

    Apple Cider Doughnut Cake Recipe (9)

Special Equipment

Food processor, Bundt pan, stand mixer, silicone spatula, wire cooling rack

Notes

To unmold the cake from the Bundt pan after cooling, use your fingers to gently pull the cake away from the side of the pan. Next, place the wire cooling rack on top, then quickly flip the whole thing over, using oven mitts to protect your hands. Once it's flipped, let the cake sit a moment or two. Then remove the Bundt pan carefully.

Read More

  • Serious Entertaining: Pick Some Apples Already!
  • The Best Apple Cider Doughnuts
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
373Calories
15g Fat
55g Carbs
5g Protein

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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 10to 12
Amount per serving
Calories373
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 15g19%
Saturated Fat 6g31%
Cholesterol 70mg23%
Sodium 268mg12%
Total Carbohydrate 55g20%
Dietary Fiber 2g6%
Total Sugars 33g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 12mg60%
Calcium 73mg6%
Iron 2mg9%
Potassium 141mg3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Apple Cider Doughnut Cake Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What makes apple cider donuts different? ›

For starters, the TEXTURE. They're so soft and pillowy but remain really moist and tender. This is due to the fact that these donuts are made with oil instead of butter. Apple sauce is also added to further that moist texture.

What is the tradition of apple cider donuts? ›

They are a harvest tradition in autumn in the northeastern United States and are sometimes sold at cider mills. They are often paired with apple cider, and may be covered with cinnamon and/or granulated sugar.

Do apple cider donuts taste like apple? ›

Note that while apple cider donuts include apple cider, they're actually not designed to TASTE very strongly of apple, per several readers. Fittingly, most of these recipes are basically excellent cinnamon sugar cake doughnuts with a hint of apple.

Can you freeze homemade apple cider doughnuts? ›

It's best to freeze these donuts before they're coated in cinnamon sugar. To freeze your apple cider donuts, store them in an airtight container with parchment paper between layers.

What makes an old fashioned doughnut? ›

Old-Fashioned Doughnuts are basically cake doughnuts that have been fried. This gives them a slightly crunchy outer shell, that's usually lacquered with glaze or dusted with sugar. The inside tends to be less dense than the cake of your typical powdered doughnut and less airy than a Krispy Kreme-style glazed.

What pairs well with apple cider donuts? ›

Cider donuts classically pair with a good scoop of our Country Store & Bakery's soft-serve vanilla ice cream, but if you're enjoying your treat at home, you might want to try another flavor. Caramel, cranberry, or chocolate ice cream sandwiched by a cider donut create a flavor combination you'll have to have a bite of.

What is the forbidden donut? ›

Forbidden Doughnuts

(aka Iced Pumpkin Cake Donuts, inspired by King Arthur Flour) Makes 12 to 18, depending on the size of your donut pans. 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree. 1 cup sugar. 3 eggs.

What are honeymooners donuts? ›

Our honeymooners are made from our donut dough and topped with a generous spoonful of our fruity pie fillings and surrounded by vanilla icing. CHERRY. APPLE. LEMON.

Why are apple cider donuts good? ›

A good one is tender yet cakey, has a delicate crust, and is lightly spiced, with an apple-y tang. And it's best eaten warm. One might argue that it's hard to re-create this experience at home, but I would argue that making apple cider doughnuts at home is the best way to ensure that you get the best doughnut possible.

Where are Trader Joe's apple cider donuts made? ›

#TraderJoes Apple Cider Donuts are made for us by a family-owned bakery based in Western Massachusetts, where donut-peddling farmstands dot the landscape.

Are Aldi apple cider donuts good? ›

I liked the flavor but thought the texture was a little dry.

The doughnuts had a sweet but not overpowering apple-cider flavor. In my opinion, the texture inside was soft but a little too dry. The next time I have one, I'll pair it with hot apple cider or dunk it in coffee.

Are apple cider donuts a New England thing? ›

CIDER DONUTS have become nearly as synonymous with a New England fall as apples and foliage. Every orchard's cider donuts are different, and every orchard's are the best, according to its devotees, who are often passionate on the subject. Like apples and the orchards that make them, no two cider donuts are alike.

Can you reheat apple cider donuts? ›

Cider donuts freezing and reheating instructions

Keep up to 3 months. Thawing: Leave at room temperature, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes. Once thawed, they can be heated by placing in the microwave for 5-10 seconds or in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees.

How long do Krispy Kreme donuts last? ›

The brilliance of a Krispy Kreme doughnut is best when fresh. Our products have a shelf life of 24 hours, however you are able to freeze them for a later date. If you do choose to freeze the doughnuts, make sure you seal them in an airtight package.

Do Krispy Kreme donuts freeze well? ›

To maintain your Krispy Kreme doughnuts in optimum condition, we recommend that you store them in a temperature under 18 degrees and out of direct sunlight. To keep Krispy Kreme doughnuts at their freshest after their first day at home, you can freeze the doughnuts and reheat in the microwave.

Why are they called apple cider donuts? ›

Cider Donuts are to be eaten with cider, that's where the name comes from. So if you grew up in rural New England, as I did, you have indelible memories of the smell of cider donuts at Apple Orchards this time of year.

What are apple cider donuts made of? ›

Homemade apple cider donuts! This easy recipe includes brown butter, apple butter, and apple pie spices making it the ultimate cider donut. It's packed with flavor, the texture is cakey but decisively donuty as they are fried and coated in spiced sugar.

What is different about apple cider? ›

Apple cider is made of pressed fresh apples. Unfiltered and raw, it doesn't contain added sugar, undergoes minimal processing, and is usually unpasteurized. It tends to be slightly darker than apple juice, more opaque, and can sometimes have residue at the bottom.

What is the difference between the two types of doughnuts? ›

The Obvious Difference

Yeast doughnuts, as the name clearly spells out, are made from dough leavened with yeast (think brioche), whereas cake doughnuts are traditionally made from a kind of cake batter that uses a chemical leavener (i.e. baking powder or baking soda).

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