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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The recipe mentions to cool the cake completely on a rack. But then the glaze directions indicate drizzling over the warm cake. Your thoughts? Cake is in the oven now.
Hi Patti, Sorry for any confusion (and weighing in too late)! 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. I’m going to update the recipe to make it more clear. Hope you enjoyed the the cake!
Thank you for the clarification. Cake is amazing and just gets better each day…love the hint of nutmeg. Brought it to a friend in the hospital cut in bite size portions so plate and fork not necessary. The staff heard about it and passed the word on the floor! LOL
I make this recipe. I did great at the cake portion. I totally messed up the glaze. One would think it should be pretty easy but I felt I may had over measured the apple cider because when I started boiling it there was still a lot left after I already used it in the cake batter. To be fair, I was doubling the recipe but still there was so much. So I decided to just keep boiling it. well the funny think about boiling sugar is it will become caramel and that is what it did but I did not understand that until I had already poured it over two pans. Im such an optimist I thought well caramel is good so it will be fine. It wasn’t. You couldn’t even bit into the cake because the caramel was so thick. So I let it cool, pulled the caramel off. made the sauce per the directions this time, and poured it on top and all was fine.
Perfect fall treat! Fluffy and moist cake. Really loved it. Thanks!
I made this vegan for my daughter by using vegan butter, yogurt, and an egg replacer. Those substitutions worked very well in this recipe. It’s just the thing for these early fall days! She’s in college and this was wonderful with a mug of coffee while she was studying. The nutmeg was a bit strong for us and I underbaked it a tad. Next time I will replace half of the nutmeg with cinnamon and wait for a definite spring back when testing for doneness.
Can you bake this cake in a 9×9 metal pan? If so, how long do you think the bake time would be? Thanks again for what looks like a great recipe.
Hi Richard, I think you could but the cake will be pretty flat. The bake time would be shorter, but I’m not sure by how much so keep a close eye on it. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Hi Jenn,
I tried the recipe in a 9×9 metal pan to great success. What I mean by that is, I found a website that showed how to scale up or down a recipe according to pan size. So, I did a little math and found that the scale up would involve multiplying the recipe by a factor of 1.26 or for arguments sake 1.25. I then multiplied your recipe by that factor and weighed all ingredients by grams. I had a fantastic cake in the end. It took a little work and a lot of weighing but it was worth it. I will be making it again. I have to admit though I went on Amazon and bought a 8×8 metal pan. Thanks for all you do. I love so many of your recipes and I have told so many people about your website. Thanks again.
Hi Richard, so glad it came out nicely. Also your comments about making 1.25 times the recipe for a 9 x 9 pan will likely be helpful to other readers. 🙂
Hi Jenn,
I have what may be a dumb question….years ago when I lived in the USA apple cider for our family was a richer, opaque kind of apple juice. Here in Germany, and in my husband’s native Britain, apple cider is an alcoholic beverage. Which kind of apple cider goes into the cake? My husband and I are huge apple fans and I would love to make this! Thanks, Mags
Hi Mags, this calls for the American (no alcohol) version. Hope you enjoy if you make it!
Hi Jenn, I’m in the UK and have a similar issue – could I replace the cider with cloudy apple juice and perhaps additional spices? Thanks!
Hi Grace, I think you can get away with replacing the apple cider with apple juice. Enjoy!
Can you use yoghurt in the apple cider donut cake?
Hi Sally, I do think you could use yogurt in place of the sour cream. I’d go with low-fat or whole milk yogurt for best results.
Do you think this cake would be the same if using gluten free flour?
Hi Creed, I haven’t tried this cake with gluten-free flour. I don’t think it will the same, but it should still be delicious.
Hi Jenn, I made it it using Bob’s Red Mill gluten free baking flour and it turned out great. I only have a glass 8×8 dish and it came out evenly baked.
Do you think I could add a fresh chopped apple to this? I have so many to use up!
Hi Diane, I do think you could add chopped apple – it should be delicious. I’d love to know how it turns out!
I ran the store today just to grab some apple cider so I could make this cake for dessert tonight! It is scrumptious! It turned out wonderfully. My kids devoured their slices and were asking for more! Thanks for the wonderful recipe.