Apple Cider Donut Cake
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When orchard-fresh cider meets a soft, spiced cake, you get the ultimate cozy treat: apple cider donut cake!
Ever find yourself daydreaming about donuts, donut cakes, or even donut muffins? If not, I admire your restraint, but we’re about to change that! Meet the apple cider donut cake: spiced generously with nutmeg and brimming with apple goodness, it echoes the flavors of your favorite fall donut—minus the frying and in a convenient square shape. The magic behind its irresistible flavor is reducing the apple cider, and then incorporating it into both the cake batter and the glaze. This process amps up the flavor and infuses the cake with a tart sweetness that, paired with nutmeg, nails the iconic cider donut taste. Perfect for using up apple cider from your autumn outings or weekend market hauls, this cake embodies fall’s warmth and is a hit with both kids and adults.
Table of Contents
“This cake is perfectly moist and delicious. It’s wonderful to serve for dessert…and leftovers make for a special breakfast treat.”
What You’ll Need To Make Apple Cider Donut Cake
- Apple Cider: Infuses the cake with moisture and a deep apple flavor, and is reduced to concentrate it for a more intense taste in the glaze.
- Sugar: Sweetens the cake batter, balances the tartness in the glaze, and adds a sweet crunch in the cinnamon sugar topping.
- Eggs: Provide structure, richness, and help bind the ingredients together for a tender, cohesive cake.
- Sour Cream: Adds moisture, tenderness, and a slight tang that enhances the cake’s texture and flavor.
- Butter: Contributes richness and a moist crumb to the cake, while also giving the glaze a smooth, velvety texture
- Ground Nutmeg: Adds a warm, aromatic spice that complements the apple flavor and gives the cake a cozy, autumnal note.
- Vanilla Extract: Deepens the flavor profile of the cake by adding a subtle sweetness and enhancing the other flavors.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness in the cake and glaze, and brings out the depth of flavors in both.
- All-Purpose Flour: Provides the necessary structure for the cake, giving it the right amount of density and chew. Measure it by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off to ensure accuracy.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Work together to leaven the cake, ensuring it rises properly while also helping to create a tender, airy crumb.
- Cinnamon: Used in the cinnamon sugar topping to add a warm, spicy flavor that perfectly complements the sweetness and apple notes in the cake.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350ºF and set an oven rack in the middle position. Butter or coat an 8-inch square metal baking pan with nonstick spray. Line the pan with an 8×16-inch piece of parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides. You’ll have to create seams in the corners and along the edges of the pan to get it to stay put.
In a small skillet, bring the apple cider to a boil over medium heat. Gently boil until the cider is reduced to ½ cup, 10 to 15 minutes. (If you accidentally over-reduce it, make up the difference with more cider.)
Let cool for about 10 minutes. Measure out ⅓ cup and leave the remaining reduced cider in the skillet.
In a large bowl, combine the sugar and eggs.
Whisk until pale and foamy, about 1 minute.
Add the sour cream, followed by the butter, and then the nutmeg, vanilla, salt, and the 1/3 cup of reduced cider.
Whisk until evenly combined.
Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
Whisk until smooth.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake until the cake is puffed and golden and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Set the pan on a rack to cool for about 15 minutes then use the parchment paper to lift the cake out of the pan and set it on the rack to cool.
Make the Glaze: To the skillet with the remaining reduced cider, add the butter, sugar, and salt.
Bring to a boil over medium heat and gently boil until very thick, 30 to 60 seconds.
Drizzle the cake evenly with the glaze, then let the glaze set for a few minutes while you make the cinnamon-sugar topping.
In a small bowl, mix the cinnamon and sugar until evenly combined.
Sprinkle a generous layer of the mixture evenly over the glazed cake, reserving a bit to add a fresh dusting before serving, if desired.
Cut the cake into squares and serve.
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Apple Cider Donut Cake
When orchard-fresh cider meets a soft, spiced cake, you get the ultimate cozy treat: apple cider donut cake!
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1½ cups apple cider
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ⅔ cup sour cream
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1¼ teaspoons ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled off
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
For the Cider Glaze
- Reduced cider, reserved from making the cake
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- Big pinch salt
For Cinnamon Sugar Topping
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and set an oven rack in the middle position. Butter or coat an 8-inch square metal baking pan (see note) with nonstick spray. Line the pan with an 8x16-inch piece of parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides. You'll have to create seams in the corners and along the edges of the pan to get it to stay put.
- In a small skillet, bring the apple cider to a boil over medium heat. Gently boil until the cider is reduced to ½ cup, 10 to 15 minutes. (If you accidentally over-reduce it, make up the difference with more cider.) Let cool for about 10 minutes. Measure out ⅓ cup and leave the remaining reduced cider in the skillet.
- In a large bowl, whisk the sugar and eggs until pale and foamy, about 1 minute. Whisk in the sour cream, followed by the butter, and then the nutmeg, vanilla, salt, and the ⅓ cup of reduced cider. Whisk until evenly combined. Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda and whisk until smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the cake is puffed and golden and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Set the pan on a rack to cool for about 15 minutes then use the parchment paper to lift the cake out of the pan and set it on the rack to cool.
- Make the Glaze: To the skillet with the remaining reduced cider, add the butter, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat and gently boil until very thick, 30 to 60 seconds. Drizzle the warm cake evenly with the glaze. Let the glaze set for a few minutes while you make the cinnamon-sugar topping.
- In a small bowl, mix the cinnamon and sugar until evenly combined. Sprinkle a generous layer of the mixture evenly over the glazed cake, reserving a bit to add a fresh dusting before serving, if desired. Cut the cake into squares and serve.
- Make-Ahead/Freezer-Friendly Instructions: Store the cake, covered, at room temperature for up to three days. The cake can also be frozen for up to 3 months; wrap the finished cake tightly with aluminum foil or freezer wrap. Thaw overnight on the countertop and dust with more cinnamon-sugar if necessary before serving.
- Note: For this particular cake, using a metal baking pan is essential for achieving an even rise; glass tends to heat unevenly, leading to cakes that rise irregularly and peak too high on the sides.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (16 servings)
- Serving size: 1 square
- Calories: 191
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated fat: 6 g
- Carbohydrates: 24 g
- Sugar: 14 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Sodium: 168 mg
- Cholesterol: 48 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Comments
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Your photos look to be a square pan, possibly 9×9? The directions say to use an 8×16. Which do you suggest?
Hi Jennifer, the cake pan is actually 8 x 8. The 8 x 16 you see in that paragraph references the dimensions of the parchment paper you’ll need. Hope that clarifies!
Do you let the cake cool completely before glazing? The directions say to let it cool but then it says pour glaze on the warm cake. I’m thinking it goes on the warm cake…
Hi Marisa, sorry for any confusion! You’ll make the glaze after removing the cake from the oven. When you’re done preparing the glaze and you’ve transferred the cake onto a cooling rack, that’s when you can put it on. Hope that clarifies and that you enjoy!
Jen: love this recipe!!
I’m wondering if apple butter could be used in place of the sour cream – or even half sour cream & half apple butter. I’m looking for way to use up several jars…
Thank you!
Dianne
Hi Diane, I think you could try half and half. Let me know how it works out!
Can this be easily doubled?
Thanks
Sure!
Hi Jenn,
Could you use greek yogurt instead of sour cream? Looking forward to making this soon. Love your recipes!
Yep, I think that’s fine. Please LMK how it turns out!
Hi Jenn, I am a huge fan of apple cider donuts. I have a couple of questions before baking these. First, is there really a difference between apple cider and apple juice? I have looked at labels on both, and the nutritional information looks the same (calories/sugars etc), indicating, at least in my uneducated eyes, that they are the same, just labeled differently. Second, I have a dark coated metal donut pan that makes six 3.5″ donuts. If I wanted to use the donut pan instead, would the baking temp be the same? Of course the time would likely be shorter? Thanks for your wisdom and expertise.
Hi Rhonda, I haven’t compared labels but there is definitely a difference in taste between the two. That said, I think you could get away with using apple juice here. If using a donut pan, the temp would be the same but bake time would shorter – I’m guessing 17 to 20 minutes, but of course keep an eye on it.
Is it ok to substitute apple juice for the cider? And does reduction make a big difference? Thank you.
Hi Carmella, I think you could get away with using apple juice here, but definitely reduce it – it makes a big difference, especially in the glaze. (I’ve tested it both ways – without reducing the cider, the apple flavor is barely noticeable. It adds an extra step, but it’s worth it!
Could these be baked in a donut or muffin pan for individual ‘donuts’ or muffins? if so, what temp and how long would you suggest?
Hi Grammy, Yes that will work. I’m guessing the bake time will be 17 to 20 minutes at 350°F. I’d love to know how it turns out if you try it.
I have moved out of state and have dearly missed the awesome apple cider donuts from where I was raised. Do you think this could work baked in a nonstick donut pan as well?
Yes, I think that would work. The bake time would shorter – I’m guessing 17 to 20 minutes, but keep a close eye on it. Please LMK how they turn out!
I am not a fan of nutmeg. Do you think I could substitute cinnamon instead of the nutmeg in the cake?
Sure, I think that would work. I’d love to hear how it turns out!
Hi Jenn!
In making my glaze, there’s no way it’s going to thicken in 30 seconds, especially without adding something else to thicken it…am I doing something wrong? It’s definitely not thick. I’m a seasoned cook and baker and love all your recipes!
Thx,
Syd
Hi Sydney, I’m guessing it may vary depending on the type of skillet you use. I have adjusted the recipe accordingly. How did it turn out?
It was wonderful using cinnamon. May I put a suggestion out there? It is wonderful that you can toggle between the two types of measurements, but would really be better if they were written next to each other rather than needing to toggle. Frequently I weigh dry ingredients, but use measuring cup for the liquid therefore needing to toggle back-and-forth. Just a thought. Thank you for your wonderful recipes.
Not fond of that spice either. Just leave it out and add cinnamon! It’s YOUR cake, so make it the way you wish. I do the same when recipe calls for cloves, which is horrid for anyone with acid reflux syndrome (inflicts tremendous pain so it’s never added to any recipe).
I haven’t made this recipe yet but plan on it for this weekend.
Enjoy your cake!
Hi Jen,
What do you think about adding some chopped apples to this batter? I have a lot of apples on hand.
Thanks
Sure, I think it would be delicious with some chopped apple. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!