Spiced Apple Cider Bundt (Printer-friendly)
Moist bundt with apple cider and warm spices, ideal for autumn or cozy afternoons.
# What you'll need:
→ Dry Ingredients
01 - 3 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2 teaspoons baking powder
03 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
04 - 1 teaspoon salt
05 - 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
06 - 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
07 - 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
08 - 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
→ Wet Ingredients
09 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
10 - 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
11 - 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
12 - 3 large eggs, room temperature
13 - 1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
14 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
15 - 1 1/2 cups apple cider, reduced
→ Add-ins
16 - 2 medium apples, peeled and finely diced
→ Optional Glaze
17 - 1 cup powdered sugar
18 - 2 to 3 tablespoons apple cider
# Method:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Thoroughly grease and flour a 10-cup bundt pan.
02 - Simmer apple cider in a small saucepan over medium heat until reduced to 3/4 cup, about 15 minutes. Let cool.
03 - Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves in a medium bowl.
04 - Using an electric mixer, beat butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy, approximately 3 to 4 minutes.
05 - Add eggs one by one, beating well after each addition. Mix in sour cream and vanilla extract until combined.
06 - Add flour mixture in three parts, alternating with cooled reduced apple cider, starting and ending with flour mixture. Stir gently to combine.
07 - Carefully fold diced apples into the batter until evenly distributed.
08 - Pour batter evenly into prepared bundt pan and smooth the surface.
09 - Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
10 - Let cake rest in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.
11 - Whisk powdered sugar with apple cider until smooth and pourable. Drizzle over cooled cake before serving.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The reduced cider creates a flavor depth that tastes like you spent hours on it, when really you just let it simmer while doing other things.
- One bowl of wet ingredients mixed with one of dry means minimal cleanup before guests arrive.
- It stays impossibly moist for days, so you can bake it ahead without that stale cake panic.
02 -
- If you skip reducing the apple cider and just use it straight, the cake will taste watery and bland—this step is where the magic actually happens.
- Room temperature ingredients aren't fussy perfectionism, they're the difference between a fluffy cake and one that's dense and uneven.
- Granny Smith apples are essential because sweet apples make the batter too sugary and lose their shape in the oven.
03 -
- Toast your spices in a dry pan for 30 seconds before measuring them if you want the flavors to pop even more intensely.
- Keep an oven thermometer nearby because ovens lie constantly, and this cake's moisture depends on the exact right temperature.