This apple cider donut bundt cake is everything you love about baked apple cider donuts, but in bundt form! Bundt cakes are essentially giant donuts anyway, right?!
This cake is ultra soft & moist with an unmistakable apple cider flavor. Many apple cider flavored baked goods don't have a predominant apple cider flavor, so in order to ensure the flavor came through in this cake I didn't bother with regular apple cider. Read below for all of my tips on making the best apple cider bundt cake!
For more bundt cake recipes, try Fudgy Chocolate Espresso Bundt Cake, Gingerbread Bundt Cake, Red Velvet Bundt Cake, and Caramel Rum Bundt Cake.
Jump to Recipe
Ingredient Notes
- Flour: For best results, use a high-quality unbleached all-purpose flour.
- Spices: For the perfect combination of fall spices, I used cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and ginger.
- Unsalted Butter: You'll need just 6 tablespoon of butter for this recipe. I found that a butter-oil combination is the best way to achieve the right softness, but not miss out on that butter flavor.
- Sugar: You'll need both brown sugar and granulated sugar. I opted for dark brown sugar for a deeper molasses flavor, but light brown sugar will work just fine.
- Eggs: You'll need 3 eggs at room temperature.
- Apple Cider Concentrate: This is the most important ingredient, so it's important that the flavor comes through! Regular apple cider just doesn't cut it in my opinion, so I highly recommend using apple cider concentrate!
- Neutral Oil: Use any neutral oil, such as vegetable oil, canola oil, or light-tasting extra virgin olive oil.
- Applesauce: Be sure to use unsweetened applesauce. This will also make the apple flavor more pronounced, as well as add moisture!
- Yogurt: I added a little bit of plain whole milk greek yogurt for a slightly dense, donut-like texture!
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and individual quantities.
Step by Step Instructions
Here are step by step photos and instructions on how to make this apple cider bundt cake recipe! For the full ingredient list and method, see the recipe card at the end of this post.
STEP 1: Combine the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and ginger. Set aside.
STEP 2: Cream the butter & sugars. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, dark brown sugar, and granulated sugar for 2-3 minutes.
STEP 3: Mix in eggs & vanilla. Add in eggs and vanilla, and mix on high speed until very well combined.
STEP 4: Alternate dry & wet ingredients. Scrape down the bowl, then alternate adding the dry and wet ingredients (apple cider concentrate, oil, applesauce, and yogurt) until everything is fully combined.
STEP 5: Bake. Pour batter into prepared bundt pan and bake for about 35-42 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
STEP 6: Coat & serve. Allow cake to cool for no more than 10 minutes in the pan, then immediately use a knife to gently loosen the sides and turn out onto a cooling rack. While the cake is still warm brush all of the butter, cider mixture all over the cake. Immediately sprinkle the cinnamon sugar all over the cake. Serve the cake warm with a hot cup of apple cider or coffee!
Expert Baking Tips
- Liberally grease the fluted pan. To prevent the cake from sticking to the pan, liberally grease it with softened butter, then coat with a small amount of granulated sugar.
- Turn the cake out after 10 minutes. Do not let the cake cool in the pan longer than 10 minutes, or it may stick to the pan!
- Make the cake ahead of time. This cake stays moist for several days, so if you're making it for a gathering, you can bake it the day before serving.
Recipe FAQs
Most recipes that are apple cider flavored call for regular apple cider, which you will need to reduce to a more concentrated flavor by boiling over the stove for a long time. Other recipes just call for apple cider that is not reduced, and therefore lack a pronounced flavor. For this recipe, I opted to just buy apple cider concentrate to save time and ensure the flavor would really come through in the cake! You can find apple cider concentrate on Amazon or most specialty food stores.
The best way to grease a bundt pan is by using a pastry brush to spread softened butter all over the inside of the pan, then dusting it with granulated sugar. Alternatively, you can use flour, but I often find that it leaves a thin crust that falls off easily, leaving your bundt cake patchy. A dusting of sugar will not only ensure your cake pops out of the pan easily, but also leaves a slightly caramelized crust.
After you take the cake out of the oven, let it cool for about 5-10 minutes. Use a knife to loosen it from the sides, then turn it out onto a cooling rack. If you allow it to cool completely in the pan, it will likely stick.
This bundt cake is so moist, it lasts for dayyysss. Actually about 5 days in an airtight container stored at room temperature. Individual slices can also be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Baking in Grams
All of the recipes on this blog are carefully developed with gram measurements so you can easily recreate them in your own kitchen with success. Volume measurements are extremely inaccurate and leave room for significant errors. Not all measuring cups are made equally, so your one cup of flour will be different from my one cup of flour. By providing precise measurements in grams (aside from minor ingredients, which are given in tsp/tbsp), you can make these recipes accurately and with less cleanup! All you need is this kitchen scale.
If this still isn't enough to convince you, I have provided volume measurements in the recipe card. If you are interested in understanding the conversions, this is the best conversion chart.
But trust me, once you try baking in grams you'll never turn back!
Happy baking! x
Other fall recipes you'll love
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📖 Recipe
Apple Cider Bundt Cake
Ingredients
For the apple cider donut cake:
- 330 g (2 ¾ cup) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- 85 g (6 tablespoon) unsalted butter, room temp
- 142 g (¾ cup) dark brown sugar
- 132 g (⅔ cup) granulated sugar
- 3 eggs, room temp
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 180 g (⅓ cup + 1 tbsp) apple cider concentrate
- 110 g (½ cup + 1 tbsp) neutral oil
- 130 g (½ cup) unsweetened applesauce
- 56 g (¼ cup) plain whole milk greek yogurt
For the coating:
- 28 g (2 tablespoon) unsalted butter, melted
- 35 g (1 ½ tablespoon) apple cider concentrate
- 50 g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
- Grease a 10 cup bundt pan by brushing 1 tablespoon of softened butter all over with a pastry brush, then coat with granulated sugar.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, all spice, nutmeg, and ginger. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, dark brown sugar, and granulated sugar for 2-3 minutes.
- Add in eggs and vanilla, and mix on high speed until very well combined.
- Scrape down the bowl, then alternate adding the dry and wet ingredients (apple cider concentrate, oil, applesauce, and yogurt) until everything is fully combined.
- Pour batter into prepared bundt pan and bake for about 35-42 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Allow cake to cool for no more than 10 minutes in the pan, then immediately use a knife to gently loosen the sides and turn out onto a cooling rack.
For the coating:
- In a small bowl melt the butter, then stir in the apple cider concentrate.
- In a separate bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon.
- While the cake is still warm brush all of the butter, cider mixture all over the cake. Trust me, you want to use ALL of it!
- Immediately sprinkle the cinnamon sugar all over the cake.
- Serve the cake warm with a hot cup of apple cider or coffee!
Notes
- Liberally grease the fluted pan. To prevent the cake from sticking to the pan, liberally grease it with softened butter, then coat with a small amount of granulated sugar.
- Turn the cake out after 10 minutes. Do not let the cake cool in the pan longer than 10 minutes, or it may stick to the pan!
- Make the cake ahead of time. This cake stays moist for several days, so if you're making it for a gathering, you can bake it the day before serving.
Kaitlin says
Hi there,
If I bake this ahead of time, should I brush it with melted butter when it’s warm out of the oven or right before serving the next day?
Thank you!
Sloane says
when it's warm so it will absorb the butter, cider mixture!
Allie says
I really would love to make this. Though what if I can't get the apple cider concentrate??
Sloane says
You can use regular apple cider and boil about 1 cup until it's reduced to the amount you need for the recipe (1/3 cup + 2 1/2 tbsp). However, I found that this did not yield as strong of a flavor as the store bought apple cider concentrate does. You can buy the concentrate on amazon, which is linked in the recipe!
Patricia Balch says
I would love to try the Bundt Cake Recipes, especially the Apple Cider Bundt Cake and the Rum Bundt Cake. However I live in the United States and the recipes here are posted in cups and tablespoons and teaspoons. I cannot convert grams to cups. Is there any way to obtain these recipes using cup instead of gram measurements?
Cynthia Richter says
I loved making this cake! The Apple cider concentrate makes it. I reduced regular apple cider instead of buying the concentrate. The cake is very moist and the combination of spices is perfect. I would serve this for breakfast because with the sugar crust it reminds me of a apple cider donut but it would be great for a dessert with some cinnamon whipped cream too! I’ll definitely make this again!