Apple Cider Bundt Cake
Serves 12
10 mins prep
55 mins cook
65 mins total
This apple cider bundt cake is tender, moist, and fluffy. It tastes just like apple cider, and is basically an apple cider donut cake! It’s coated in brown butter and a cinnamon sugar mixture for the perfect apple fall flavor. The cake has applesauce, apple cider, and apple chunks for lots of apple flavor. Reduced apple sauce is poured over the top right after baking to keep it extra moist and tender for days.
Cake
Topping
Cake
Pour apple cider into a medium saucepan. Heat on medium heat until boiling and simmer down until reduced to about 1 ¼ cups. Stir occasionally to prevent burning. You can work on the rest of the recipe while it simmers. Measure out 3/4 cup of reduced apple cider and set aside.
cup apple cider
Preheat oven to 355°F (180°C). Grease the bundt pan with a tablespoon of butter and shake a tablespoon of flour all around to coat evenly. Shake out any excess flour.
In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream the butter, oil, brown sugar, and salt until light and fluffy.
cup unsalted butter
cup vegetable oil
cup brown sugar
tsp sea salt
Add vanilla extract and eggs one at a time, beating well in between each addition. Add applesauce, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and beat until combined.
tsp pure vanilla extract
large eggs
cup applesauce
tsp nutmeg
tbsp cinnamon
Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda right into the batter. Add diced apples on top of the flour. Fold with a spatula just until no dry streaks of flour remain. Add ¾ cup of reduced apple cider (it's ok if it's still hot) and fold it into the batter.
cup all purpose flour
tsp baking powder
tsp baking soda
large apples
Scoop the batter into the prepared bundt pan and spread the top smooth.
Bake in the preheated oven for 50-55 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove the bundt cake out of the oven and immediately (carefully) pour the remaining ½ cup of reduced apple cider over the top. It will soak into the cake.
Let cool for 10 minutes inside the pan. Place a cooling rack or plate over top of the bundt cake and flip the cake. Tap the bundt pan to release the cake. Carefully lift off the pan to reveal the cake. Prepare the brown butter while it cools.
Topping
(Optionally you could just use melted butter) Place the unsalted butter in a small saucepan on medium low heat until it melts and comes to a simmer, stirring constantly. Keep stirring as the butter froths up. The foam will subside as the butter browns. Continue stirring for a few minutes, watching the butter the whole time. The milk solids (little white bits at the bottom) will slowly caramelize and turn a golden color when it is ready. Let cool.
cup unsalted butter
While it cools, mix together the sugar and cinnamon.
cup granulated sugar
tsp cinnamon
Liberally brush the bundt cake with the brown butter. Taking handfuls of the cinnamon sugar mixture, press it into the cake. You can do this over a sink because it will get a little messy. Slice and serve!