My apple cider doughnut cake is moist, lightly spiced, and covered in a sweet cinnamon sugar topping. It tastes just like an apple cider doughnut… in sliceable, shareable form!
Favorite fall treat? Apple cider doughnuts are definitely a top one for me. I could eat a whole batch. What I'd really love, though, is a giant apple cider doughnut. So one day I was like, "Hey, why not do that, in a bundt pan?" And apple cider doughnut cake was born.
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Okay, that was a total lie, but it's kind of fun to fantasize about eating this whole beautiful cake, isn't it?
Apple cider doughnut cake is a thing. I didn't come up with it — I just made it vegan. I love apple cider doughnuts, and I can't resist a good bundt cake. Whether it's my vegan rum cake, vegan lemon cake, vegan blueberry cake, or vegan applesauce cake (another fall favorite!), there's just something about that beautiful shape that's so enticing. Probably the fact that it looks like a big doughnut…
But the appeal of this one doesn't stop at the shape. It's full of classic spiced apple cider flavor, super moist, and covered in that sweet cinnamon sugar topping that you just can't get enough of. It tastes like fall and will absolutely make your home smell like fall while it bakes. It's the perfect treat to enjoy with a big cup of coffee for dessert — or, let's be real, breakfast. I won't tell.
Ingredients You'll Need
Below you'll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
- Flour. We're using all-purpose wheat flour (also known as white flour), which is the only variety I've tested the recipe with, so it's the only type I can promise will work.
- Sugar. Use organic sugar to keep the recipe vegan. Conventional sugar is sometimes processed with animal bone char.
- Baking soda.
- Spices. You'll need cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg.
- Salt.
- Apple cider. Make sure you're using apple cider, and not apple cider vinegar. In some regions it's called cloudy apple juice. Confused? Make sure you're buying a beverage and not something from the salad dressing aisle.
- Vegetable oil. Any neutral baking oil will work, such as canola oil, corn oil, or melted coconut oil.
- Applesauce.
- Vanilla extract.
- Vegan butter. Most grocery stores carry this in the refrigerated section, near the regular butter.
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Steps 1 & 2: Prepare. Start by preheating your oven to 350°F. Grease a 10-inch bundt pan, then flour it.
Step 3: Mix dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, spices, and salt together in a nice big bowl.
Step 4: Mix wet ingredients. Stir the apple cider, oil, applesauce, and vanilla together in a separate container.
Step 5: Mix the batter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, then beat everything together with an electric mixer. Just mix until the batter is smooth.
Step 6: Pour and bake. Pour the batter into your greased and floured pan, then bake the cake for about 40 to 45 minutes. A toothpick will come out clean when it's done.
Steps 7 & 8: Cool then remove. Let the cake cool completely in the pan on a cooling rack, then run a knife along the edges to loosen it before inverting it on a plate.
Steps 9 & 10: Top it. Brush the outside of the cake with melted vegan butter, then sprinkle it with a mix of cinnamon and sugar.
Step 11: Serve. Your apple cider doughnut cake is ready! Slice it up and enjoy!
Variations
- Add spices. Additional warming spices like cardamom, allspice, and even black pepper would work in this cake. Get creative, but start conservative, as these spices are potent!
- Drizzle with glaze. Make a glaze by stirring together 1 cup of powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk, and a teaspoon of vanilla. Drizzle the cake instead of or in addition to coating it with cinnamon sugar.
- Powdered sugar coating. Replace the cinnamon sugar with powdered sugar, or, better yet, cinnamon powdered sugar by mixing 1 cup powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon.
- Stir-ins. Add chopped nuts, diced apple, or dried fruit such as raisins to the batter.
Frequently Asked Questions
I'm not sure. If you'd like to try it, an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend would be the safest option, but I haven't tested this myself.
Keep running a knife around the edges, both inner and outer, loosening as you go. Be patient, and gently pry the cake out when it starts to feel loose. I also have better luck when I grease my bundt pan with vegetable shortening, as opposed to cooking spray, so consider using that for your next cake.
I haven't tried this, but generally a mix of apple juice and applesauce is the best substitute for cider. Use ¾ cup of apple juice and an additional ¼ cup of applesauce.
Store your apple cider doughnut cake in an airtight container, such as a cake keeper, at room temperature for up to a day, in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More Apple Desserts
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📖 Recipe
Apple Cider Doughnut Cake
Ingredients
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups organic granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup apple cider (not apple cider vinegar - Note 1)
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup applesauce
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
For Topping
- 1 cup organic granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons vegan butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Grease and flour the inside of a 10-inch bundt pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and salt.
- In a separate container such as a large liquid measuring cup, stir together the apple cider, oil, applesauce, and vanilla extract.
- Pour the apple cider mixture into the bowl with the flour mixture, then beat everything together using an electric mixer on high speed for about 1 minute, until the batter is smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the cake for 40 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
- Place the pan on a cooling rack and let the cake cool completely in the pan.
- Once the cake has cooled, gently run a knife around the edges, then invert it onto a plate to remove it from the pan (Note 2).
- Stir the sugar and cinnamon for the topping together in a small bowl.
- Brush the cake with the melted butter, then sprinkle it with the cinnamon sugar.
- Slice and serve.
Notes
- Apple cider is called cloudy apple juice in some regions. Make sure you're buying a beverage and not a type of vinegar.
- Give the knife another pass if the cake is stubborn. Keep at it and use the knife to gently pry the cake from the pan.
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is provided as an estimate only and may vary based on ingredients, brands, portion sizes, and preparation methods.
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