I will always associate the fall season with visiting apple orchards and fall harvest festivals to celebrate the changing season. But even more fun—and delicious—than actually selecting or picking bushels of apples was the abundance of apple cider donuts.
Steaming hot and dusted with cinnamon sugar, they were always deliciously moist, tender, and melt-in-your-mouth good. Dipped in hot apple cider, one was never enough. Enter: Apple Cider Donut Cake, a creatively cidery Bundt cake recipe that’s basically a giant apple cider donut—and it might taste even better.
The Secret To Apple Cider Donut Cake
While it may just look like an ordinary spice cake, there are two special ingredients that make it taste authentically cider donut-like. First, it incorporates real, fresh apple cider. Second, it uses apple butter, which is mixed into the batter for extra apple flavor.
“Reducing the apple cider allows the apple flavor to really concentrate and intensify,” says recipe developer Marianne Williams. The apple butter is a smart addition, too, adding a depth of apple flavor that cannot be matched. Not only is it a unique and creative recipe, but it’s also easy to repeat.
Praise from the Allrecipes Community
Whether you’re looking for a fall potluck dessert, recreating the joys of a fall festival at home, or preparing a dessert for a cider donut-lover, this recipe is a great choice—just take it from our reviewers.
- “I have made this many times over the last few months,” says Allrecipes member Brenda. “I take this to meetings, I make it for home and it’s always a crowd pleaser!”
- “This ‘Donut Cake’ lives up to its name,” says 1010lisalynn. “The texture is truly that of a cake donut, full of delicious and spiced fall flavors!”
Tips for Making Apple Cider Donut Cake
- While the recipe calls for Honeycrisp apples, which are typically more tart than sweet, you can use any variety of apple. If you tend to like sweeter apples, those will do too—they may just alter the flavor notes of the final dish.
- The recipe creator opts for Smucker’s apple butter, but you can use any brand—or make your own, too!
- If you don’t have buttermilk handy, sour cream makes a great substitute, ensuring a subtly tangy flavor but more importantly, a moist crumb!
- The apple cider in the recipe is more for flavor than for liquid, which is why the recipe also includes buttermilk, oil, and eggs to bind the batter together and encourage a proper rise in the oven.
Get the recipe: Apple Cider Donut Cake
