Apple Cider Doughnut Cake Adventure

Even after more than a decade in Colorado, fall still makes me yearn for Vermont: crisp, tart McIntosh apples, beautifully balanced local apple cider, and warm apple cider doughnuts.

I probably didn’t spell “doughnut” correctly on a consistent basis until high school. A pervasive New England coffee chain might have been partially to blame. Come autumn, I was too busy savoring freshly fried apple cider doughnuts to care much about spelling anyway.

With the pandemic continuing to hamper everything, including Vermont apple shipments to homesick East Coasters, we made do with what we had.

Luckily apples haven’t been in short supply. This was an insane growing season. The trees around our neighborhood have been so productive that we’ve been gifted deliciously tart ones for free.

The doughnuts, that’s another story. I contemplated buying the pre-made mix from one of my favorite Vermont sources, but where’s the adventure in that? Online recipes abound and I’m more confident about frying these days. However, recommended frying temperatures run the gamut, giving me pause.

Rather than risk bad frying or buy a special pan just for baking doughnuts, I decided to tinker with an apple-cider doughnut cake that’s been in rotation around here for several years now. The original Martha Stewart Living recipe from 2017 needed a few tweaks to start. Helpful commenters led me to use vegetable oil instead of olive oil and reduce the cane sugar amount.

This cake turns out well, but the flavor isn’t as deeply apple or as spiced as my favorite doughnuts. By the way, I’m not about to start any ridiculous fights by declaring which place makes the “best” apple cider doughnuts.

Most fried apple cider doughnut recipes I found call for boiled cider. You can buy it, but after having some firsthand years ago, the commercial product tends to be almost as thick as molasses. My inclination is to add whole spices to generic store-bought cider and boil it down to more of a maple syrup consistency. Another commonality in the doughnut recipes was a little nutmeg, either a pinch of ground or some freshly grated.

In past years, following a tip from our friend Max, we boiled inexpensive cider from the store down into a spiced syrup that was perfect for cocktails. Even on its own, the syrup tasted like distilled autumn.

This fall, however, the cheap generic stuff tasted like cider-flavored water and lost liquid without getting any thicker at all. I tried twice: first boiling a small amount on high, and then a much larger amount simmered over hours. Good Bourbon didn’t even help. Guillaume mused that maybe the cider didn’t contain enough sugar.

In any case, the cake still came out quite tasty and the nutmeg definitely perked it up. Given what happened, I suggest spending a little extra on cider you enjoy drinking before boiling it down. Also, don’t be afraid to add a generous sprinkle of freshly grated nutmeg. If there’s ever a time to kick spices up a notch, this is it.

Apple Cider Doughnut Cake
Adapted from Martha Steward Living

2 C. (315g) all-purpose flour
1 C. (130g) whole-wheat flour
1½ tsp. baking powder
1½ tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. salt
1½ C. (310g) turbinado cane sugar
1 C. (225 ml) cider syrup (see below)
¾ C. vegetable oil
¾ C. (approx. 8 oz.) unsweetened applesauce
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 large eggs at room temperature
Baking spray with flour (optional)

Cider syrup:
2 C. (475 ml) good apple cider
1 whole clove
1 whole allspice
1-inch cinnamon stick

Coating:
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ C. (55g) granular sugar

Special equipment: Large nonstick Bundt pan and food-safe brush.

Cider syrup: Add the fresh apple cider to a small saucepan with the whole spices. Bring to a boil and lower to medium-high heat. Continue boiling, stirring occasionally, until the cider reduces to 1 cup. You don’t want it to be too thick. It’s okay to measure after about 10 minutes and continue boiling if needed. Exact timing depends on a bunch of factors. Set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, ground cinnamon, baking soda, freshly grated nutmeg, and salt. You can use a fork or whisk.

In a medium mixing bowl, add the applesauce, vegetable oil, eggs, cane sugar, and 1 cup of the cooled cider syrup. Whisk together until the consistency is fairly uniform. You can use a fork for this or an electric mixer on low speed.

Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture, and whisk until the batter looks well combined.

Grease and flour a large Bundt pan or use a baking spray with flour to coat the inside.

Gently scrape the batter evenly into the prepared pan using a spatula. Put the cake in the oven to bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Set a timer and remember to rotate the pan halfway through the bake.

While the cake is baking, set a wire cooling rack over a rimmed baking sheet. In a small bowl, mix the ¼ cup sugar and ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon using a fork.

When the cake is done, place the cooling rack setup. Let it cool for 15 minutes.

Invert the warm cake onto the rack: Place the rack and baking sheet over the top of the pan with the rack facing down toward the cake top. The sheet should be positioned so you can grasp both Bundt pan handles. Holding the handles, the sheet, and rack altogether, flip it over and set the whole thing on the counter. Lift off the pan.

Melt the butter gently. Brush the top and sides of the cake with the butter. Then, using your hand as a guide, sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the whole thing. You can let the cake cool a little bit more before serving, but you don’t have to. You can use a cake lifter to put it onto a cake plate for a fancier presentation.

Leftover cake can be covered and stored at room temperature for about a week. We had a glass mixing bowl over the cake plate. If it’s been a few days, put leftovers in a smaller container to prevent the cake from drying out.