apple cider donut cake recipe
it's fall. i've been craving apple cider donuts for a bit and rememebered i can literally bake. i used this recipe but with some changes of my own.
ingredients i used:
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
a pinch of ground cloves (though, not necessary.)
1/2 cup (one stick) of unsalted butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup REDUCED apple cider*
plus some extra butter, granulated sugar, and cinnamon for the topping.
*reduced apple cider is recommended, as to keep liquids down but flavor high. this can be achieved by boiling the apple cider. i started with 1 1/2 cups of cider, and ended with ~1/2 cup of cider. this adds a more tangy taste to it, so feel free to start with 1cup of cider instead. this is just how i did it, but feel free to look at a recipe that’s more in depth.
FOR REDUCED APPLE CIDER
pour 1½ cups (or 1 cup) apple cider into a small saucepan. we will reduce this to ½ cup.
place on medium/low heat and set a timer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
begin checking at 10 minutes, then every 3-5 minutes after that until you have ½ cup of cider reduction (approximately 20 minutes). feel free to measure while you do so to know where you are.
remove from heat and allow to cool for a while. feel free to use it warm for a more moist cake.
now, for the actual recipe.
directions:
heat oven to 350 degrees F. in a medium bowl, add 1 3/4 cup flour, 1 1/4 tsp baking powder, 3/4 tsp salt, 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, and a pinch of ground cloves and whisk to combine. set aside.
in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream a stick of butter, 3/4 cup brown sugar, and 1/4 cup granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. add the eggs one at a time and mix until well incorporated after each addition, scraping the bowl as necessary. beat in the 1 tsp vanilla extract.
add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until incorporated. with the mixer running, add the apple cider in a slow, steady stream and mix to combine. Scrape the bowl well to make sure the batter is homogeneous.
add batter to your pan of choice. i used one small bundt cake pan, and one small heart pan, both about 5 inches in length. the bundt cake pan took about 45 minutes to bake, and the heart-shaped pan took about an hour. bake for 45 minutes, and check with toothpick for consistency. bake for longer if needed.
once done baking, remove from oven and let cool til they can be removed from their pans. mix some sugar and ground cinnamon. take about a tbsp (or two) of melted butter and brush over your cake with the melted butter. sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the cake.
you're done!! enjoy!!
it's been really weird as of late, but i needed a way to push through my depressiveness once more, and what better way to do that than bake, right? i've been wanting to learn how to make this since LAST YEAR!!!!!! so glad i finally got around to it. <3
12/3/2024 EDIT: hi! i turned this recipe into a printable pdf! there were minor adjustments made to make it more to the point and concise. feel free to use :)