Where many cider donut cake recipes tend to present the spices forward, the applesauce in this recipe uses a spiced apple cider reduction that gives a more intense apple flavor to balance the spices.
Ingredients
Apple sauce
- 1 to 2 large honeycrisp apples, peeled and roughly chopped, about 12 oz
- 3 cups apple cider
- 3 whole allspice berries
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 whole clove
Cake batter
- 1 cup apple sauce
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 9 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup loosely packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup white sugar
- 3 large eggs
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F, and grease a 10 cup bundt pan with nonstick spray or butter.
Combine 3 cups apple cider, allspice, cinnamon and clove in a 2qt saucepan. Raise to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer until liquid reduced by half.
Peel and chop apples into 1 inch cubes. Add to the saucepan until the apple chunks are covered with cider. Simmer until apples are tender and liquid is mostly absorbed. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Mash apple chunks with a fork or immersion blender until no large chunks remain. Set aside and allow to cool.
Cream 1 stick of butter in a stand mixer until light and airy, wiping down occasionally. Add sugars and continue to cream until sugars are dissolved, wiping down occasionally. Add eggs one at a time until incorporated.
Whisk together remaining dry ingredients in a bowl.
In a separate bowl, combine apple sauce, milk, oil and vanilla.
With the stand mixer on low, alternating additions of ⅓ dry ingredients then ½ wet ingredients until just combined. Do not overwork the batter.
Transfer batter to a prepared, greased bundt pan, smoothing the top with an offset spatula. Bake at 350°F until a wooden probe draws clean, about 40 minutes.
Remove bundt pan from oven and allow to cool 15 minutes to allow the cake to set and release from the pan. Invert over a serving platter and allow to cool completely before sugaring or glazing
Serving suggestions
Cake may be glazed using a 4:1 ratio of confectionery sugar and liquid, including water, milk, maple syrup, bourbon or half & half. (See Maple Bourbon Glaze)
Cake may be brushed with browned butter and sanded with a mix of granular sugar and cinnamon.
Adapted from: https://www.howsweeteats.com/2019/10/apple-cider-donut-cake-with-brown-butter/