Tender spiced cake infused with reduced apple cider and cinnamon-sugar coating, baked in bundt or layer pans for a doughnut-inspired autumn dessert.
Reduce apple cider in a saucepan over medium heat 15–20 minutes until syrupy and reduced to 1/2 cup; cool completely before adding to batter to prevent curdling eggs. For bundt pan: brush interior thoroughly with softened butter, then coat evenly with cinnamon-sugar mixture before pouring batter to ensure coating adheres and cake releases cleanly.
Do not overmix batter once dry ingredients are added; fold gently until just combined to keep cake tender. For layer pans: grease and flour both pans, or line bottoms with parchment; use only 1/4 cup cinnamon-sugar total, divided between pans.
Ingredients
Scale
Measurement units
- 2 cups apple cider (will be reduced to 1/2 cup)
- 8 oz unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup cinnamon sugar coating (for bundt pan; reduce to 1/4 cup if using 9-inch layer pans)
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter for pan (for greasing)
Ingredients
Scale
Measurement units
- 2 cups apple cider (will be reduced to 1/2 cup)
- 8 oz unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup cinnamon sugar coating (for bundt pan; reduce to 1/4 cup if using 9-inch layer pans)
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter for pan (for greasing)
Instructions
Reduce the apple cider
Pour apple cider (2 cup) into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Reduce heat to medium and simmer until cider is syrupy and reduced to 1/2 cup.
Pour reduced cider into a small bowl and let cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes.
Equipment: saucepan, bundt cake pan
Prepare the pan
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Brush the interior of a bundt cake pan (or two 9-inch round pans) with 1 tbsp softened butter, coating all ridges and surfaces.
Dust the buttered pan evenly with the cinnamon-sugar coating (1/2 cup for bundt, or 1/4 cup divided between two layer pans), tilting and tapping to coat all surfaces.
Equipment: bundt cake pan, oven, toothpick or cake tester
Mix dry ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 cups flour, baking powder (1 ½ teaspoon), baking soda (½ teaspoon), 1.5 tsp cinnamon, 0.5 tsp nutmeg, 0.25 tsp ginger, and salt (½ teaspoon).
Set aside.
Equipment: whisk
Cream butter and sugar
In a large bowl, beat 8 oz softened butter and granulated sugar (1 ½ cup) together with a mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
Add 3 room-temperature eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until fully incorporated.
Equipment: stand mixer or hand mixer
Combine wet ingredients
Stir vanilla extract (1 teaspoon) and the cooled reduced apple cider into the butter-egg mixture until combined.
Build the batter
Add half of the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients and fold gently with a rubber spatula until just combined.
Fold in sour cream (¾ cup) until smooth.
Fold in the remaining dry ingredients until no streaks of flour remain; do not overmix.
Equipment: rubber spatula
Bake the cake
Pour batter into the prepared bundt pan (or divide evenly between two prepared 9-inch pans).
Bake at 350°F until a toothpick inserted in the thickest part comes out clean, 40–50 minutes for bundt or 25–30 minutes for layer pans.
Equipment: bundt cake pan, toothpick or cake tester
Cool and serve
Let cake cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.
Invert bundt cake onto a serving plate; the cinnamon-sugar coating will form a caramelized crust on top. For layer cakes, cool completely in pans, then turn out onto racks.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Equipment: cooling rack, bundt cake pan, toothpick or cake tester
Before you cook
Cook notes
- • Reduce apple cider in a saucepan over medium heat 15–20 minutes until syrupy and reduced to 1/2 cup; cool completely before adding to batter to prevent curdling eggs.
- • For bundt pan: brush interior thoroughly with softened butter, then coat evenly with cinnamon-sugar mixture before pouring batter to ensure coating adheres and cake releases cleanly.
- • For layer pans: grease and flour both pans, or line bottoms with parchment; use only 1/4 cup cinnamon-sugar total, divided between pans.
- • Do not overmix batter once dry ingredients are added; fold gently until just combined to keep cake tender.
- • Cake is best served warm or at room temperature the same day; store covered at room temperature up to 2 days.
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