I had my first apple-cider doughnut this past fall at a beautiful farm on the East end of Long Island. It was freshly made, hot, and delicious. Naturally, this recipe caught my eye. It is a giant version of fabulousness- even incorporating whole wheat flour and olive oil.
This cake was magnificent. I will make it again in the fall, although I think it is truly season-less. The olive oil and applesauce made it incredibly moist as well. This recipe was adapted from A New Way to Bake, via Martha Stewart Living. I reduced the baking temperature because my Bundt pan has a dark non-stick coating. I also reduced the amount of cinnamon sugar topping. We enjoyed it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
- room temperature unsalted butter, or melted butter, for the pan
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
- 1 cup whole-wheat flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups natural cane sugar or granulated sugar
- 1 cup fresh apple cider
- 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- vanilla ice cream or freshly whipped cream, for serving, optional
For the Topping:
- 2 T natural cane sugar or granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees if using a dark pan, or 350 degrees in a standard pan, preferably on convection.
- Butter and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan. (This step in incredibly important in a Bundt pan- make sure all of the crevices are coated.)
- In a large bowl, whisk together both flours, baking powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
- In another bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups sugar, cider, oil, applesauce, vanilla, and eggs. Add egg mixture to flour mixture; whisk until combined. Transfer batter to prepared pan.
- Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet; let cool 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix together 2 T sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon.
- Invert warm cake onto rack. Brush with melted butter, then sprinkle liberally with cinnamon sugar.
- Let cool completely before serving. Cake can be stored, covered, at room temperature up to 2 days.
Three Years Ago:
Four Years Ago: