Apple Cider Donut Cake
October 6, 2020
More so this year than ever before, here at Erbe Living we are ready for the fall. The change of pace, the falling leaves, the holiday preparations, and the warming, welcoming scents from our kitchen. Out of all of the incredible fall flavors that burst into our lives during this time of year, apple cider has to be our favorite. It is a true celebration of the tended to produce grown right in our backyard and infuses the house with an inescapable nostalgia that makes us remember what it is like to be home. To celebrate this incredible flavor, we turn to one of our greatest inspirations Martha Stewart. It just so happens that one of our amazing role models is also the author of one of our most favorite fall creations. Martha Stewart’s Apple Cider Doughnut Cake is fall epitomized. Warm, comforting, and as remarkable in its appearance as it is easy to make.
The most difficult part of this recipe is picking the Bundt pan you want to cook it in. It is made with apple cider, apple sauce, and a heaping pour of olive oil making it rich in flavor and perfectly textured. Do yourself a favor and find the best pressed apple cider you can. The better the quality of the apple cider the better your cake will taste. We used apple cider from Barsotti’s Juice Company in Apple Hill California and trust us it is worth the extra step to hunt a quality product down. We have made this cake in various formats throughout the years, serving it at countless occasions and it is an unarguable marvel. A couple years ago we even made them in miniature form and packaged them as favors for our guests to take home from Thanksgiving. Precious and delicious.
A couple notes on the recipe below. We frequently bake this cake without the whole wheat flour and natural cane sugar in the original recipe for no reason other than we don’t have to make an extra trip to the grocery store for the additional ingredients. It is incredible with or without them. The one downfall to this recipe is having to spend all that time buttering your bunt pan and the more intricate the design, the more painful it is. We have found that coconut oil spray and flour work just as good. Save yourself the time. Lastly, please don’t skimp on the buttering and sugaring of your cake. Take the time to build up the outside layer. Not only does it create an incredible crust but it keeps the cake fresh longer. The recipe has been slightly adjusted for this. We are always looking for recipes that will stand up to time for entertaining or gift purposes and this cake is perfect for this. Serve alone or with vanilla cinnamon whipped cream for a truly elevated experience. Beyond that, throw the ingredients in a bowl, wisk them up, pour in the pan to bake, and welcome fall into your heart and home.
Ingredients:
Cake batter
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 ¾ cup sugar
1 cup apple cider
¾ cup olive oil
¾ cup unsweetened applesauce
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs
Coating
4 tablespoons salted butter
½ granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray your standard size bunt pan (typically 12-cup) with coconut oil spray or coat with butter. Then coat the inside with a thin coating of flour ensuring to tap out the excess prior to pouring in your batter.
Combine your dry ingredients in a large bowl including flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together sugar, apple cider, applesauce, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Then combine the wet and the dry ingredients and whisk until a smooth batter forms. Pour the batter into your greased and floured pan.
Bake the cake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Make sure to rotate the pan halfway through for even baking. When your cake is done, take it out and allow to cool for 15 minutes. This will ensure it doesn’t break when turning out. Once 15 minutes are up, turn the cooled cake out onto a wire rack set over another baking tray.
Combine the coating ingredients in a bowl and melt your butter. Take a pastry brush and liberally brush the entire outside of your cake. Don’t neglect the sides. Then take the sugar/cinnamon mixture and coat the outside of the cake. Continue to coat with the sugar until an even, reasonable coating is built up. Serve warm or at room temperature. Ensure to cool completely before storing.