Description
This Thanksgiving Apple Cider Donut Cake is a deliciously moist and spiced cake that captures the essence of fall with apple cider, warm spices, and a cinnamon sugar coating. Perfect for holiday gatherings, this bundt cake features browned butter and a tender apple base that brings comforting flavors to your dessert table.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Cake Ingredients
- 1 large honeycrisp apple, peeled and chopped
- 1 1/2 cups apple cider
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup loosely packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 3 large eggs
Brown Butter
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Prepare the oven and pan: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Spray a 10-cup bundt pan generously with nonstick baking spray to ensure easy cake release.
- Cook the apple and cider: In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the chopped apple and apple cider. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until the apple softens and the cider is mostly absorbed. Mash the mixture with a fork to break down any large chunks. Measure out 1 cup of this mixture for the cake batter.
- Combine wet ingredients: Stir the oil, milk, and vanilla extract into the mash apple cider mixture until evenly combined.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a small bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, fresh nutmeg, and allspice until well combined.
- Cream butter and sugars: In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the softened unsalted butter until creamy. Gradually add the light brown sugar and white sugar, beating for about 5 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add eggs: Beat in the eggs one at a time, ensuring each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next.
- Incorporate dry and wet mixtures: Alternately add the dry flour mixture and the apple cider mixture to the butter mixture in three increments, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Beat gently after each addition just until combined to avoid overmixing.
- Prepare for baking: Pour the batter into the greased bundt pan and smooth the top with a spatula for an even surface.
- Bake the cake: Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 45 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
- Remove and cool: Carefully remove the cake from the pan and allow it to cool completely on a wire rack, approximately 1 hour.
- Brown the butter: In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter. Whisk continuously; once it begins to brown and you see brown bits forming (2 to 3 minutes), immediately remove from heat and continue whisking for another 30 seconds to prevent burning.
- Prepare cinnamon sugar: In a small bowl, mix together sugar, cinnamon, freshly ground nutmeg, and a pinch of salt.
- Finish the cake: Using a brush, evenly coat the cooled cake with the browned butter. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture all over the cake, pressing it gently onto the sides and center so it adheres well.
- Serve and enjoy: Present the cake as desired. This cake pairs beautifully with coffee or tea for a festive autumn treat.
Notes
- Using a honeycrisp apple adds a nice balance of sweetness and tartness, but you can substitute with Fuji or Gala apples.
- Make sure to mash the cooked apple mixture well to avoid large chunks in the cake batter.
- Be careful when browning butter; remove it from heat as soon as it turns golden brown to avoid burning and bitterness.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before brushing with brown butter to help the cinnamon sugar adhere better.
- The cinnamon sugar topping adds a delightful crunch and extra spice, enhancing the donut cake experience.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/8th of cake)
- Calories: 340
- Sugar: 26g
- Sodium: 210mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 46g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 75mg
