This Apple Cider Bundt Cake is like a spice cake with the essence of apple in every bite. While it is good all year long, it is also the best way to celebrate the autumn/harvest season!
Fall is finally here and I am delighted! Sweater weather is right around the corner and the trees are thinking about changing colors. Football season has begun and we are cheering on our favorite teams. Look out, the holiday season can’t be far behind!
The key to this cake is the reduced apple cider. It intensifies the apple flavor and you can taste it in each bite. The taste is subtle but definitely there.
It does take some time to reduce it by half, but boy is it worth the wait! Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until it is reduced to 1 cup. It will be a little darker in color but not thickened too much. The bonus is that you can make this part up to 2 days in advance saving you a ton of time on baking day! Just warm it up to room temperature before continuing with the recipe.
Bundt cakes are an easy way to make a beautiful dessert without having to know a lot of tricks for decorating. A lovely design in the pan and a glaze over the top and you’ve got a delightful end to any meal.
Be sure to butter every nook and cranny inside the bundt pan. I use butter and gluten-free flour to be sure the cake easily releases. When you are buttering the pan, don’t forget to butter the center column as well as the sides!
I used my stand mixer for part of this recipe but you could easily do it all by hand. I whisked the wet ingredients in my stand mixer’s bowl and then poured in the whisked dry ingredients. A quick spin on low gave me a beautiful batter on the thin side. Just be sure to scrape the bowl well to make certain there are not any dry ingredients that aren’t incorporated.
My bundt pan is on the smaller side and didn’t hold all the cake batter. I used nearly all of it, but there was some left in the bowl. If you have extra batter, you can bake it in ramekins or small au gratin dishes for a shorter time – until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs.
Today’s cake is dressed with a sweet white chocolate ganache glaze. This is the time to break out the good white chocolate in bars and chop them yourself rather than using chips. The chips don’t melt as smoothly or easily as freshly chopped chocolate.
Today’s Apple Cider Bundt Cake is a true delight. Packed with spices and apple cider concentrate, every bite is a little bit of heaven. I hope you make it soon – it would be perfect for Halloween or Thanksgiving dinners. And I bet you get requests to bring it to every potluck supper!!
Did you enjoy this recipe? Let me know in the comments and leave a star rating, I love hearing from you!
Ingredients needed for Apple Cider Bundt Cake:
- Apple cider, flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon,
- Apple pie spice, salt, sugar, brown sugar, vegetable oil,
- Applesauce, vanilla, eggs, white chocolate, heavy cream
PRO Tip:
Whenever working with flour, always aerate it before measuring. You can do this by whisking it, drawing what is on the bottom up to the top and repeating this action. This is especially important when using gluten-free flours because the starches and flours can separate as they sit.
How to make Apple Cider Bundt Cake:
- Reduce the apple cider to 1 cup and set aside to cool to room temperature. Whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, apple pie spice, and salt in a bowl.
- In another bowl, whisk both sugars, reduced cider, applesauce, vanilla, and eggs. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk together.
- Pour into a buttered and floured bundt pan (preferably a 12-cup pan) and place in a 350°F (177°C) oven. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs. Transfer to a wire rack set into a baking sheet pan and cool about 15 minutes. Then turn out (invert) onto the rack and set aside to cool completely. When cool, transfer cake to a plate or platter big enough to hold the cake and the glaze that puddles around it.
- When the cake is cooled, make the glaze. Chop the white chocolate and place in a heat-proof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan to a simmer and pour over the chocolate. Set aside for 5 minutes to start melting, then stir until a smooth and creamy ganache forms. If the chocolate isn’t fully melted, you can microwave the ganache for 30 to 60 seconds, then stir until fully melted and creamy.
- Set aside to cool to 84°F (28°C) which is cool to the touch but still pourable. Ladle the glaze over the top of the cake, letting it run down the sides. Transfer the cake to the refrigerator to help firm up the glaze.
- Remove the cake from the refrigerator 20 minutes before you want to serve it. Use a hot knife to slice the cake and serve immediately.
PRO Tip:
To make your own apple cider, place the 2 cups of apple juice in a saucepan and add 1/8 tsp nutmeg, 1/8 tsp ground cloves, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and 1 tsp allspice. (Optional, add 1-2 tablespoons of brown sugar to sweeten it). Simmer until reduced by half.
PRO Tip:
I made the glaze optional because the cake is so good you can serve it with just a dusting of powdered sugar. Both ways are delicious – it is completely your choice.
Recommended Tools (affiliate links; no extra cost to you):
Gluten-Free Tips:
*You can adjust any baking recipe to gluten-free by using 120 grams per cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you are using another brand of gluten-free flour, whisk the mix, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup until mounded, level off the top with the back of a knife, and weigh the flour left in the cup. Use that weight as your standard per cup of that specific flour. Do this for each flour blend you use. Commercial blends such as Pamela’s All-Purpose Artisan Blend, Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good choices.
All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.
Apple Cider Bundt Cake with White Chocolate Glaze (Gluten Free)
This Apple Cider Bundt Cake is a spice cake with the essence of apple in every bite. While it is good all year long, it is also the best way to celebrate the autumn/harvest season! This may make another appearance on my Thanksgiving table!
Ingredients
Apple Cider Bundt Cake
- 2 cups (473 ml) apple cider, store-bought or homemade *
- 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour **
- 1 cup (113g) whole wheat flour **
- or 3 cups (360g) gluten-free flour blend **
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon apple pie spice (or a blend of nutmeg, allspice, cardamom, and ginger)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1-1/2 cups (297g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (53g) firmly packed brown sugar
- 3/4 cup (177 ml) vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup (191g) unsweetened applesauce
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 eggs (150g), at room temperature
White Chocolate Glaze, optional
- 227g (8 oz) white chocolate, chopped - high quality baking chocolate melts more smoothly than white chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup (79 ml) heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Reduce the Cider: Place the apple cider in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and reduce the liquid by half. You will need 1 cup of reduced apple cider. Set aside to cool to room temperature. If you over reduce it, add enough more apple cider to equal 1 cup.
- Prepare the Cake: Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Butter a 10 or 12-cup bundt pan.*** A 12-cup bundt pan will give you room to spare after the cake is fully baked. If you use a 10-cup pan, it may not hold all the batter. Don’t overfill the pan and bake it on a sheet pan just to be safe.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, whisk together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, reduced apple cider, applesauce, vanilla, and eggs.
- In another bowl whisk together the flours or gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, apple pie spice, and salt
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk to combine. Scrape the bowl sides and bottom. Transfer the batter to the prepared bundt pan. If your pan is smaller and not all the batter will fit, pour the extra into a separate buttered ramekin or other small baking dish. Place the bundt pan and any ramekins on a baking sheet if there is any risk that it may overflow.
- Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean with a few moist crumbs on it. Transfer to the wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes.
- Invert the warm bundt cake onto a wire rack and remove the bundt pan. When cool, transfer the cake to a serving platter big enough to hold the glaze as it drips down the cake and puddles on the plate.
- Make the Glaze: Chop the white chocolate into small pieces and place in a medium heatproof bowl.
- In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer over medium heat. It will be steaming hot with little bubbles around the edges. Pour the hot cream over the white chocolate pieces. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then stir until smooth and creamy. I used a spatula which worked well.
- If the chocolate still hasn’t fully melted, you can microwave for 30 to 60 seconds and stir until smooth with no streaks. Set aside to cool to 84°F (28°C), when it is cool to the touch but still pourable.
- Glaze the Cake: Using a ladle, pour the glaze over the top of the cake, letting it run down the outsides and center. The glaze will be thin. Transfer the cake to the refrigerator to help firm up the glaze. Once firm, you can pour on a second layer of glaze if you want.
- If you don’t have a lid that will fit over the cake, stick some toothpicks around the top and cover loosely with plastic wrap, securing it under the plate or platter.
- To Serve: Take the cake out of the refrigerator 20 minutes before you are ready to serve. Use a hot knife to slice the cake and serve immediately.
- Store the cake, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Recipe found at www.theheritagecook.com
Notes
*To make your own apple cider, place apple juice on the stove and add about 1/8 tsp of nutmeg, 1/8 tsp ground cloves, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and 1 tsp all spice to the 2 cups of apple juice. (Optional, add 1-2 tablespoons of brown sugar to sweeten it). Simmer until reduced by half.
**You can adjust any recipe to gluten-free by using 120 grams per cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you are using another brand of gluten-free flour, whisk the mix, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup without a spout until mounded, level off the top with the back of a knife, and weigh the flour left in the cup. Use that weight as your standard per cup of that specific flour. Do this for each flour blend you use. Commercial blends such as Pamela's, Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good choices.
For this recipe I combined the amounts of the all-purpose and whole wheat flours and used that total (3 cups; 360g) of my favorite gluten-free flour blend.
***You can grease a bundt pan with room temperature butter then dust it with flour (gluten-free if needed), use shortening and flour, or spray liberally with a cooking spray containing flour (avoid if GF). Just be sure that all the nooks and crannies are well covered so the cake will release easily and the pattern will show clearly. I always use butter and GF flour.
Cake recipe adapted from Salt and Baker
All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 399Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 58mgSodium: 298mgCarbohydrates: 73gFiber: 3gSugar: 13gProtein: 10g
The nutritional information for recipes on this site is calculated by online tools and is merely an estimate.
If you enjoyed this recipe, be sure to follow me on social media so you never miss a post:
| Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | Twitter |
Create a New Tradition Today!
Welcome! The suggestions here are not intended as dietary advice or as a substitute for consulting a dietician, physician, or other medical professional. Please see the Disclaimers/Privacy Policy page for additional details. Unauthorized use, distribution, and/or duplication of proprietary material from The Heritage Cook without prior approval is prohibited. If you have any questions or would like permission, please contact me. We participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small amount from qualifying purchases without any additional cost to you. This page may contain affiliate links.
