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This apple cider bundt cake is ultra-moist, full of cozy warm spices, and bursting with apple flavor. It’s brushed with browned butter and maple syrup, then sprinkled with cinnamon sugar for the perfect crunchy coating. Think apple cider donut in bundt cake form!
For more apple recipes, make my apple cider cupcakes, apple cider donuts, and apple coffee cake!
This apple cider bundt cake is fall in dessert form! It’s soft, plush, and loaded with cozy apple spice flavor. The cake itself is ridiculously moist and stays tender for days!
Once it’s baked, I brush the whole bundt cake with browned butter (because why not make it extra indulgent?). Then add a generous sprinkle of cinnamon sugar that gives the outside a crunchy, sparkly coating. It’s like the love child of a cider donut and a bundt cake, and I’m not mad about it.
Perfect with a cup of coffee in the morning or a scoop of ice cream after dinner. Basically, this cake is guaranteed to disappear way faster than you expect.
Table of Contents
Why This is the BEST Apple Cider Donut Cake!
- Big Warm Apple Flavors! Between the applesauce, apple cider, and warm spices, every bite tastes like a cozy Fall day in cake form. 🍎
- Super Moist Texture! The combo of oil, sour cream, and applesauce guarantees a tender, plush crumb that stays soft for days.
- Perfect Anytime Treat! It’s fancy enough for the holidays with a glaze or frosting, but also the perfect cake to enjoy with a cup of coffee on a random Tuesday morning.
- Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce and it’s a dessert fit for royalty!
Key Ingredients
(full list of ingredients can be found in the recipe card)
- Unsweetened Applesauce adds natural sweetness and makes for a super moist cake. It also helps make the crumb softer and more tender.
- Apple Cider gives that classic apple cider flavor. I also used apple cider flavoring to boost that true apple cider flavor. This is totally optional but highly recommended – you can use it for any of my apple recipes! Use this in my apple cider whoopie pies too.
- Sour Cream brings fat and acidity for a rich, tender crumb, and also helps activate baking soda/powder for lift.
- Vegetable Oil keeps the cake soft and moist (oil coats flour proteins, limiting gluten formation). It also stays soft even when the cake is chilled, unlike butter which firms up. You can also use olive oil here.
- Apple Pie Spice (ground cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves) adds a warm, cozy flavor, perfect for the Fall season. Cinnamon is sweet/spicy, nutmeg brings nuttiness, allspice adds complexity, and cloves provide bold, aromatic punch. You can also use pumpkin pie spice here, too.
- All-Purpose Flour provides the structure and foundation of the cake. The gluten network holds everything together.
- Light Brown Sugar adds sweetness, but also contributes moisture (thanks to molasses) and a slightly chewy texture with deeper caramel notes.
- Granulated Sugar balances sweetness with a cleaner, more neutral flavor and also helps with aeration when creamed (if you’re whipping it with eggs or butter).
Variations
- If you’ve gone apple picking at the apple orchards this year, you can be a homemade applesauce with all of the leftover apples for a more fresh apple flavor.
- Serve the warm cake with a little apple butter on the side for a deep depth of apple flavor!
- If you prefer, you can split the batter between to two 9 x5-inch loaf pans, just start checking them at the 40 minute mark as they’ll bake up a lot quicker.
How To Make Apple Cider Bundt Cake
Prep: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 12-cup bundt pan with nonstick baking spray. Set aside. Add 3 cups of apple cider to a saucepan over high heat and boil until it has reduced to 1 cup ~ 240g. Set aside to cool.
Step 1: In a large mixing bowl whisk together the dry ingredients – all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. Set aside.
Step 2: In a separate large bowl, whisk together oil, browned butter, brown sugar, and sugar. Mix for about 1-2 minutes, until fully combined, then add in the vanilla extract, cider extract, and eggs. Whisk together for 1 minute, until everything is fully incorporated and the mixture slightly thickens.
Step 3: Add the remainder of the wet ingredients – applesauce, apple cider, and sour cream. Continue to whisk until combined, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined, about 30 seconds.
Step 4: Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes, until a wooden skewer comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn over onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 5: While the cake is cooling, brown the butter in a skillet. Once browned, remove from heat and stir in the maple syrup. In a small bowl, mix together sugar and cinnamon and the tiniest pinch of salt. Use a pastry brush to brush the outside of the cake with the butter, then press and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar into and on top of the cake.
Pro Baking Tips for the BEST Apple Cider Cake!
- Check doneness by texture, not just time. Insert a skewer into the center of the cake. There should be moist crumbs clinging, but not wet batter. The cake continues to set as it cools, so pulling it just shy of “done” yields the perfect moist interior.
- Use room temperature ingredients. Sour cream, eggs, and apple cider straight from the fridge will seize your fat and make the batter clump. Using room temp ingredients ensures a silky smooth batter and even baking.
- Don’t overmix once the flour is added. Gluten development happens fast. Mix just until the last streaks of flour disappear for a tender, melt-in-your-mouth crumb.
- Pan prep makes the difference. Butter and flour the pan generously or spray with non-stick cooking spray with flour. This prevents the finished cake from sticking to the pan!
Recipe FAQs
You can in a pinch, but cider has more depth and tang. If using apple juice, make sure it’s 100% juice (not from concentrate).
Bundt pans are sneaky! Grease every nook and cranny with butter or nonstick spray, then lightly flour it. A pastry brush helps get into all the grooves. And always let the cake cool for 10–15 minutes before flipping.
Yes, actually, bundt cakes often taste better the next day because the cider and spices have time to mingle. Wrap tightly once cooled and store at room temp for up to 3 days.
No, you don’t need to! Just pour it in straight from the container into the batter.
Wrap the cake with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container. It’ll keeps for 3 days at room temperature, 5 days in the fridge, and up to 2 months in the freezer.
More Bundt Cakes
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If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating on the recipe card and comment below! You can also tag @BritneyBreaksBread on Instagram and hashtag #britneybreaksbread so I can celebrate your beautiful creations!
Apple Cider Cake
Equipment
- Skillet
Ingredients
- 3 cups (720 g) Apple Cider, (reduced 1 cup ~ 240g)
- 1/2 cup (113) Salted Butter, (browned)
- 1/2 cup (112 g) Vegetable Oil
- 1 1/4 cups (275 g) Brown Sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 g) Sugar
- 3 large (150 g) Eggs
- 1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 tsp Apple Cider Flavoring, (optional)
- 1 cup (256 g) Unsweetened Applesauce
- 1/4 cup (60 g) Sour Cream
- 3 cups (375 g) Cake Flour
- 1 3/4 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 tbsp Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp Allspice
- 1/2 tsp Ground Cloves
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 5 tbsp Salted Butter, (browned)
- 1 tbsp Maple Syrup
- 1/4 cup (50 g) Sugar
- 2 tsp Cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 12-cup bundt pan with nonstick baking spray. Set aside. Add 3 cups of apple cider to a saucepan over high heat and boil until it has reduced to 1 cup ~ 240g. Set aside to cool.
- Add butter to a skillet over medium heat. Melt the butter, once melted, continue to cook until it becomes foamy and browned bits begin to form on the bottom of the skillet. Whisk until the foam begins to turn brown and it begins to smell nutty/caramel-like.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together the dry ingredients – all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together vegetable oil, browned butter, brown sugar, and sugar. Mix for about 1-2 minutes, until fully combined, then add in the vanilla extract, cider extract (if using), and eggs. Whisk together for 1 minute, until everything is fully incorporated and the mixture slightly thickens.
- Add the remainder of the wet ingredients – applesauce, reduced apple cider, and sour cream. Continue to whisk until combined, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined, about 30 seconds. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes, until a wooden skewer comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn over onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the cake is cooling, brown the butter in a skillet. Once browned, remove from heat and stir in the maple syrup.
- In a small bowl, mix together sugar and cinnamon and the tiniest pinch of salt. Use a pastry brush to brush the outside of the cake with the butter, then press and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar into and on top of the cake.
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients. Sour cream, eggs, and apple cider straight from the fridge will seize your fat and make the batter clump. Using room-temp ensures a silky smooth batter and even baking.
- Don’t overmix once the flour is added. Gluten development happens fast. Mix just until the last streaks of flour disappear for a tender, melt-in-your-mouth crumb.
- Check doneness by texture, not just time. Insert a skewer into the center—there should be moist crumbs clinging, but not wet batter. The cake continues to set as it cools, so pulling it just shy of “done” yields the perfect moist interior.
- Pan prep makes the difference. Butter and flour the pan generously or spray with non-stick cooking spray with flour. This prevents the finished cake from sticking to the pan!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
