Spiced Apple Cider Bundt (Printable)
Moist bundt cake featuring reduced apple cider, warm spices, and diced apples for a cozy, flavorful treat.
# What You 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 reduced apple cider
→ Add-ins
16 - 2 medium apples, peeled and finely diced
→ Optional Glaze
17 - 1 cup powdered sugar
18 - 2 to 3 tablespoons apple cider
# How To Cook:
01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and dust a 10-cup bundt pan with flour to prevent sticking.
02 - Simmer the apple cider in a saucepan over medium heat until it reduces to 3/4 cup, about 15 minutes. Set aside to 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 the butter with granulated and brown sugars until light and fluffy, approximately 3 to 4 minutes.
05 - Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Mix in sour cream and vanilla extract until smooth.
06 - Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in three parts, alternating with the cooled reduced apple cider, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Stir until just combined.
07 - Gently fold the finely diced apples into the batter using a spatula.
08 - Pour the batter evenly into the 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 - Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.
11 - Whisk powdered sugar with 2 to 3 tablespoons of apple cider until smooth and pourable; drizzle over cooled cake before serving.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The cake stays impossibly moist for days, thanks to the cider and sour cream working their quiet magic.
- Those warm spices hit different when they're layered this way—cozy but never overpowering.
- It's elegant enough for a gathering but humble enough to eat alone with coffee on a Tuesday.
02 -
- The apple cider reduction is not optional—it's what transforms this from a spiced cake into something that tastes like autumn in a slice, so don't skip it or shortcut it.
- Room temperature ingredients matter more here than you might think; cold eggs and butter won't emulsify properly and you'll end up with a denser, grainier crumb.
- Granny Smith apples are your friend because their tartness cuts through the sweetness and prevents the cake from tasting cloying.
03 -
- Add a tablespoon of apple brandy or bourbon to the glaze if you want a sophisticated edge that nobody can quite identify.
- Toast your whole spices and grind them yourself if you really want to level up—the flavor difference is worth the extra five minutes.