The cinnamon sugar is not just a flavoring here; it is a structural element. It goes into the batter in layers and on top before baking, creating a cake that has cinnamon running through it and a crunchy, caramelized crust on the surface. The Bundt format produces a shape that needs no frosting and no decoration to look complete, which is the kind of low-maintenance elegance that small-batch baking is built around.
This cake holds its texture exceptionally well. The crust stays crunchy, the crumb stays moist, and it freezes without losing either quality. That reliability is what keeps it in the rotation long after the novelty has worn off.
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Key Ingredient in This Recipe
You’ll find the complete list of ingredients and exact quantities in the recipe below.
FOR THE CAKE
- Apple cider
- Butter
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Eggs
- All-purpose flour
- Cinnamon
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Milk
- Apple cider vinegar
- Apple
FOR THE SIMPLE ICING
- Confectioner’s sugar
FOR THE CINNAMON SUGAR SPRINKLE
- Granulated sugar
- Cinnamon
Making the cake is rather straight forward, with the exception of cooking down the apple cider that is used in this recipe. I should invest in a fancier Bundt cake pan, that way the cakes are a little more exiting to look at. However, in the end it is about the flavor and when I make the cake just for the two of us . . . . . . . is it important to decorate it?
How to Make Cinnamon Sugar Bundt Cake
- Step 1 – Start by cooking the apple cider until it has reduced from 6 cups to 1.5 cups. This will take about 2 hours and you’ll have to check every now and then, so it doesn’t reduce too much.
- Step 2 – Then mix butter and sugar and vanilla and mix until white and creamy, next step: add eggs.
- Step 3 – In another bowl, mix the dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
- Step 4 – In a third bowl mix milk, reduced apple cider and apple cider vinegar.
- Step 5 – Then combine the content of these 3 bowls and add chopped apple and mix transfer to your Bundt pan.
- Step 6 – Bake for about 1 hour at 325°F. In the meantime, you can make the simple icing and the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
- Step 7 – Once the cake is baked and cooled, brush it with the simple icing.
- Step 8 – When that is done, sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar mixture and you’ll have the cake you will like.
I am sure that an entire Bundt cake is too much for a family of two, unless we eat it every day for about a week or so. When I bake a cake, I need the cake to be freezer friendly. And this one certainly is. After thawing this cake is still moist, flavorful and crunchy at the top. A winner in my book.
I will however try to make one for two, in a small bundt cake pan and then will replace this recipe. Will keep you posted.
ENJOY !
Cinnamon Sugar Bundt Cake
Pin Recipe FacebookIngredients
Cake Batter
- 6 cups apple cider
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 large apple, peeld and chopped
Simple Icing
- 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
Cinnamon Sugar Sprinkle
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Bring apple cider to a boil in a saucepan and continue to cook until the cider is reduced to 1 1/2 cups. This will take about 1.5-2 hours. Stir the apple cider every now and then, so you have a consistent mixture. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Prepare a 10 cups Bundt pan by spraying with baking spray with flour.
- Combine butter, sugar and vanilla extract in a bowl and mix until white and creamy. Add eggs, one by one, until well mixed. Only add next egg when the previous one is well incorporated.
- In a second bowl, mix the dry ingredients; flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
- In a third bowl, mix together milk, apple cider vinegar and reduced apple cider.
- Mix content of the 3 bowls by adding flour mixture to butter mixture and alternate with apple cider mixture. Start and end with flour mixture. When well mixed, add apple pieces and mix again.
- Spoon batter in Bundt cake form and bake approx. 1 hour in the oven.
- Cake is good when a wooden pick comes out almost clean.
- Allow cake to cool in form for about 10 minutes. Then invert onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
- Make simple icing by mixing the two ingredients. Brush icing over cake and then sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar sprinkle.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.