This Eggless Apple Cider Donut Cake is moist, dense, buttery, and full of apple flavor. It’s super easy to make with kitchen staples. It’s perfect for dessert, brunch, or with your afternoon coffee. The recipe includes step-by-step photos and lots of tips.
Eggless Apple Cider Donut Cake Recipe Highlights
This Eggless Apple Cider Donut Cake was inspired by this Eggless Apple Cider Doughnuts recipe, which has become one of your favorite fall desserts.
It’s moist, dense, buttery, and full of apple flavor. Plus, it couldn’t be easier; this Bundt cake requires just two bowls: 1 for wet and 1 for dry. The ingredients are all kitchen staples like flour, spices, vanilla, etc.
This apple cider doughnut cake is perfect for dessert, brunch, or with your afternoon coffee.
Add a generous drizzle of brown butter glaze. It’s a big cake, for sure, so invite a bunch of friends and family over to help gobble it up.
Let’s get baking!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Please check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions (scroll down).
You’ll need:
Ingredients Notes & Substitutions
For the Apple Cider Cake:
- Apple cider: Apple cider is an unfiltered, unsweetened, non-alcoholic beverage made from apples. It’s mostly available in the US and Canada. Do not use apple juice or applesauce in place of cider, as it does not have the same complex flavors and consistency that cider has. You can use store-bought or homemade apple cider. See the instructions below to make apple cider at home.
- Flour: Standard all-purpose flour works best here; skip the cake flour, bread flour, and wheat flour. Make sure to measure accurately; a kitchen scale is the best way to measure your ingredients.
- Baking powder and baking soda: Make sure they’re not expired or too old. To avoid a chemical aftertaste, make sure your baking powder is labeled aluminum-free. I usually use the Clabber Girl brand, and though the ingredients state aluminum, I’ve never noticed an aluminum aftertaste.
- Salt: I prefer kosher or sea salt. If you only have table salt handy, I recommend reducing the amount to half.
- Spices: For extra warm flavors. I used ground cinnamon and apple pie spice.
- Butter: I prefer to use unsalted butter, but if you only have salted butter handy, you can use it. In this case, skip the salt called in the recipe.
- Oil: Vegetable or canola oil – Or any light-tasting oil of your preference.
- Sugar: For this recipe, you will need regular white granulated sugar o caster sugar, and brown sugar.
- Milk: For baking, I like to use whole milk. However, you can use any milk you have handy.
- Yogurt: You can substitute plain yogurt for plain sour cream. I recommend using the full-fat versions.
- Vanilla extract: For optimal flavor, reach for pure vanilla instead of imitation. Even better, try homemade vanilla extract! If you are looking for non-alcoholic vanilla flavoring, I recommend Simply Organic Vanilla Flavoring.
For the Brown Sugar Glaze
- Brown sugar: Light or dark brown sugar will work for this glaze.
- Butter: I prefer to use unsalted butter, but if you only have salted butter handy, you can use it. In this case, skip the salt called in the recipe.
- Heavy cream: Make sure it has at least 35% of fat content.
- Confectioners’ sugar: Regular confectioners’ sugar, also known as powdered sugar.
- Salt: I prefer kosher or sea salt. If you only have table salt handy, I recommend reducing the amount to half.
Step By Step Recipe Photo Tutorial
Please check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions (scroll down).
Step 1 – Reduce the Apple Cider
Bring apple cider to a boil in a small pot over medium-high heat. Boil until reduced to half and syrupy. Let it cool while you prepare the batter.
Step 2 – Make the Egg-Free Cake Batter
- Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and apple pie spice in a large mixing bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together melted butter, oil, sugars, milk, reduced apple cider, yogurt, and vanilla until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients; mix until evenly combined with no lumps.
Step 3 – Pour the Batter Into the Prepared Pan
Step 4 – Bake
Bake for 40 – 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes, then remove it from the pan. Allow the cake to cool completely on a wire cooling rack before glazing or slicing.
Step 5 – Make the Glaze
Combine the brown sugar, butter, and heavy cream in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Allow to boil for 1 minute without stirring, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 minute. Remove from heat and whisk in the sifted confectioners’ sugar.
Allow the glaze to cool and slightly thicken. Drizzle glaze over the cake right before serving. NOTE: If your glaze thickens up too much before serving the cake, warm it in the microwave for 10 -15 seconds and stir until smooth.
PRO TIP: Instead of grazing your cake with brown sugar glaze, you can brush the whole cake with melted butter and then sprinkle it with cinnamon sugar.
Recipe Tips
Make sure you use Apple cider, NOT apple juice.
Have all the ingredients at room temperature. This helps the ingredients mix better and avoid overmixing the batter. Overmixed batter will result in a dense cake.
Measure the ingredients correctly. I highly recommend using a kitchen scale.
Don’t overmix the batter. Instead, mix just until you’ve evenly distributed the ingredients throughout the batter.
Bake the cake as soon as the batter is ready.
Don’t open the oven door until the cake has set. Leave the oven closed until the minimum time is stated in the recipe.
Preheat the oven for at least 20 minutes before you get started to give it plenty of time to reach the ideal recipe temperature.
Every oven is different, so baking times always have to be taken with a grain of salt. Oven thermostats can be wildly off, and that will all affect baking time, so keep an eye on yours. The cake(s) are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Easy Homemade Apple Cider
Stove: Place 1 peeled orange (quartered), 10 medium apples (quartered), 3 cinnamon sticks, 2 teaspoons ground cloves, and 2 teaspoons ground allspice into a large pot. Add enough water to cover the fruit, about 8 cups. Bring everything to a simmer. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 2 hours. Mash the fruit with a large spoon or potato masher. Cook for an additional hour. Then strain the mixture using a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth. Once you’ve strained all the cider, you can add a sweetener of your choice to taste or just leave it sugar-free. If you decide to add sugar, adjust the sugar to your taste. I usually use 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar for a spicier cider. If you prefer your apple cider on the sweeter side (like the kind you buy at the store), use 1/2 cup (100g) of granulated sugar.
Slow Cooker: Place 1 peeled orange (quartered), 10 medium apples (quartered), 3 cinnamon sticks, 2 teaspoons ground cloves, and 2 teaspoons ground allspice into the slow cooker. Add enough water to cover the fruit, about 8 cups. Cook on LOW for 6 – 8 hours (or overnight). Mash the fruits and cook for an additional hour. Then strain the mixture using a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth. Once you’ve strained all the cider, you can add a sweetener of your choice to taste or just leave it sugar-free. If you decide to add sugar, adjust the sugar to your taste. I usually use 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar for a spicier cider. If you prefer your apple cider on the sweeter side (like the kind you buy at the store), use 1/2 cup (100g) of granulated sugar.
Best Apples to Use in Homemade Apple Cider
I recommend using a variety of apples – some sweet, some tart – for the best flavor. Sweet apples: Fuji, Jazz, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Gala, and Cortland. Tart Apples: Granny Smith, Braeburn, and Jonathan.
Substitutions & Additions
APPLE PIE SPICE: If you don’t have apple pie spice, substitute for 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon + ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg + ¼ teaspoon allspice + ¼ teaspoon ground ginger.
GLUTEN-FREE: Substitute all-purpose flour for 1-to-1 Gluten-Free flour. This is my favorite brand.
DAIRY-FREE: Use your favorite plant-based milk, dairy-free, or vegan butter. Make sure to use an unflavored, unsweetened variety of non-dairy milk. Soy and oat milk have the best consistency and very neutral flavors.
My favorite dairy-free butter for baking are:
Also, use dairy-free yogurt.
Storing & Freezing Instructions
STORE: Leftover cake can be stored (well-wrapped) at room temperature for 3-4 days. It can also be stored in the refrigerator for a smidge longer.
FREEZE: This cake can be frozen for up to 1 month. To freeze, make sure the cake cools completely and wrap it in several plastic wrap layers to ensure it is tightly sealed. An extra layer of aluminum foil wouldn’t be a bad idea, either. It’s a small step that offers extra protection against freezer burn!
Defrost the cake at room temperature before serving and frosting. Keep in mind that the cake will lose a bit of its fluffiness if refrigerated or frozen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Apple cider is an unfiltered, unsweetened, non-alcoholic beverage made from apples. It’s mostly available in the US and Canada. Do not use apple juice or apple sauce in place of cider, as it does not have the same complex flavors and consistency that cider has. You can use store-bought or homemade apple cider.
Yes, you can. Place 1 peeled orange (quartered), 10 medium apples (quartered), 3 cinnamon sticks, 2 teaspoons ground cloves, and 2 t teaspoons ground allspice into a large pot. Add enough water to cover the fruit, about 8 cups. Bring everything to a simmer. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 2 hours. Mash the fruit with a large spoon or potato masher. Cook for an additional hour. Then, strain the mixture using a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth. Once you’ve strained all the cider, you can add a sweetener of your choice to taste or just leave it sugar-free. If you decide to add sugar, adjust the sugar to your taste. I usually use 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar for a spicier cider. If you prefer your apple cider on the sweeter side (like the kind you buy at the store), use 1/2 cup (100g) of granulated sugar.
I don’t recommend it. The leaveners are activated once the wet and dry ingredients are mixed together, so it’s best to bake the batter right away.
Absolutely! You can make the apple cider reduction days in advance, probably up to 5 days before. Cover and store in the refrigerator.
I do not recommend that, as it does not have the same complex flavors and consistency that cider has. If you whisk, you can make your own apple cider at home. See the instructions above for homemade apple cider.
To make 2 teaspoons of apple pie spice, mix 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon + ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg + ¼ teaspoon allspice + ¼ teaspoon ground ginger.
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Recipe Card 📖
Eggless Apple Cider Donut Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup (360 ml) apple cider
- 3 cups (420 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons apple pie spice
- 3 tablespoon (45 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) vegetable or canola oil
- 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (150 g) brown sugar
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) milk
- 1/3 cup (80 g) plain regular yogurt
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
Brown Sugar Glaze
- 1 cup (200 g) brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (60 g) unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream
- 1/2 cup (60 g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
PREHEAT THE OVEN AND PREPARE THE PAN
- Preheat oven to 325º F (165º C). Generously spray a 10-cup Bundt pan with nonstick spray, then dust well with flour, and set aside.
REDUCE THE APPLE CIDER
- Bring 1 1/2 cup apple cider to a boil in a small pot over medium-high heat. Boil until reduced to 3/4 cup and syrupy, about 5 – 8 minutes. Let it cool while you prepare the batter.
MAKE THE BATTER
- Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and apple pie spice in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl whisk together, melted butter, oil, sugars, milk, reduced apple cider, yogurt, and vanilla until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients; mix until evenly combined with no lumps.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
BAKE
- Bake for 40 – 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes, then remove from the pan. Allow the cake to cool completely on a wire rack before icing or slicing.
MAKE THE GLAZE
- Combine the brown sugar, butter, heavy cream and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Allow to boil for 1 minute without stirring, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 minute. Remove from heat and whisk in the sifted confectioners’ sugar.
- Allow glaze to cool and slightly thicken. Drizzle glaze over the cake right before serving. NOTE: If your glaze thickens up too much before serving the cake, warm in the microwave for 10 -15 seconds and stir until smooth.
- Measure the ingredients correctly. I highly recommend using a kitchen scale.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Instead, mix just until you’ve evenly distributed the ingredients throughout the batter.
- Bake the cake as soon as the batter is ready.
- Don’t open the oven door until the cake has set. Leave the oven closed until the minimum time is stated in the recipe.
- Preheat the oven for at least 20 minutes before you get started to give it plenty of time to reach the ideal recipe temperature.
- Every oven is different, so baking times always have to be taken with a grain of salt. Oven thermostats can be wildly off, and that will all affect baking time, so keep an eye on yours. The cake(s) are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Nutrition
Eggless Baking Frequently Asked Questions
You’ve asked, and I’ve answered! Read on for a handful of answers to the most frequently asked questions about eggless baking.
This recipe was originally published in November 2021. The recipe remains the same, but more notes, tips, photos, and information have been added to the post in September 2022 to make it as helpful as possible!
