Spiced Pecan Apple Cider Doughnut Cake.

If there was ever a recipe that screams fall, it’s this Spiced Pecan Apple Cider Doughnut Cake. Made with salted apple butter, spiced cider, cinnamon, and nutmeg and layered with a buttery, cinnamony apple pecan streusel. There’s really nothing not to love about this autumn spiced cake. The true secret? A ripple of sweet maple throughout the center of the cake that keeps it incredibly moist and so delicious. Finish the cake with a (generous) sprinkle of cinnamon spice for a true apple cider “doughnut” cake. Best enjoyed while still warm, with a steaming mug of coffee…or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The perfect way to celebrate the autumn apple season.

It’s officially wedding weekend and it’s officially complete chaos. The family is all over the place running around prepping for my brother’s wedding tomorrow. I’m not going to lie, I think everyone’s on a little bit on edge. Don’t get me wrong, everyone’s happy and excited, but hosting a wedding with 200 people is not a small task. Naturally, there’s just a bit of stress in the air.

And yes, I’m still making the wedding cakes, and yes, I am still super nervous about it. Today is all about baking and assembling cakes. I’m going to do my best to share some stories of the process. But it can be hard to both film with my phone and focus on actually making the food look and taste great. So there will be more to come on that next week.

Fingers crossed all goes well. But no matter what, everyone will have fun, that’s just my family, we always make it work.

Until I have all the details of the wedding to share, let’s talk cake. Especially my first official autumn dessert. I know fall doesn’t start until the 23rd, but here in the mountains of Colorado, it’s very much fall. The temperatures have dropped greatly at night, the leaves are just starting to change, and the air is crisp. In fact, it snowed on the mountain tops on Wednesday night leaving a very pretty dusting.

It’s my favorite time and I’m loving all the fall recipes so very much.

This cake took some effort to get just right, but I’m pretty excited to be sharing it. Many times it’s the recipes I have to work hard to perfect that I end up being most excited to share.

So…the details.

This is not your average bundt cake. It’s not your average coffee cake.

It is so much better.

For starters, it kind of tastes like an old school apple cider doughnut…but in cake form…and minus all the grease from frying. In fact, this cake was inspired by last fall’s mulled apple cider doughnuts. All the same flavors, but in cake form, and with the addition of a “pecan pie” layer.

The cake batter itself is fairly simple. Butter, eggs, apple butter, flour, spices, and apple cider. A lot of apple cakes call for applesauce, but I much prefer to use apple butter. It’s has a deeper apple flavor, and in my opinion, is far better than apple sauce.

The batter is all mixed in one bowl and takes only a few minutes to throw together. I baked my cake in this bundt pan, it is very similar to this one, but these nordic ware bundt pans are my usual go-to’s. Either works really well and turns out so pretty.

Now, the streusel. It’s buttery, very heavy on the cinnamon, and tossed with brown sugar, sweet honeycrisp apples, and nutty pecans. Kind of basic, kind of not.

Next, the “pecan pie” layer. AKA the three magic ingredients that make this cake better than all other apple bundt cakes.

I really wanted the center of this cake to be as gooey as possible. I tried many different things, but in the end found that using a mix of maple syrup, vanilla, and 1 egg created an incredibly moist and almost gooey center to this cake. Looking at the photos you might not think this is a “gooey” cake, but once you bite in, you’ll understand. The “pecan pie” layer is drizzled over the streusel, then covered with additional cake batter. As the cake bakes, the mix melts down into the cake creating the most delicious, moist and flavorful bite.

Every. Single. Time.

While the cake is still warm, sprinkle it generously with cinnamon sugar. Nothing is better.

I really can’t describe just how good this cake tastes. You’ll just have to trust me here and give it a try.

And preferably this weekend, because it’s already mid-September and the apples are at their best. Find yourself an apple farm, pick fresh apples, bake this cake. The most perfect September weekend!

Bonus? The smells wafting through your house as this cake bakes are better than a fall candle. SO GOOD.

If you bake this over the weekend, you’ll have Monday morning breakfast all worked out. Because let’s be honest, this cake makes a great breakfast with a steaming mug of coffee. Or skip to the end of the day, and serve this cake as a sweet dessert with a scoop of ice cream. It’s great either way you serve it up, just be sure to serve it up. And soon!

If you make this spiced pecan apple cider doughnut cake be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

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