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Spiced Apple Cider Donut Loaf

Spiced apple cider donut loaf bakes into a golden, tender loaf with warm cinnamon-spice flavor throughout. Reduced apple cider concentrates the fall taste, then a crackly cinnamon sugar coating finishes the loaf with bakery-style texture.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 290
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Apple cider, reduced to 1/2 cup
  • 1 cup apple cider Reduce to 1/2 cup total.
Butter, softened
  • 1 cup butter Measure 1/2 cup for batter; additional butter is used for coating.
Brown sugar
  • 0.75 cup brown sugar
Eggs
  • 2 eggs Large.
Sour cream
  • 0.5 cup sour cream
All-purpose flour
  • 2 cup all-purpose flour
Baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking powder
Baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp baking soda
Cinnamon
  • 2 tsp cinnamon Plus cinnamon sugar coating.
Nutmeg
  • 0.5 tsp nutmeg
Melted butter for coating
  • 0.25 cup butter Melted, for brushing the warm loaf top.
Cinnamon sugar for coating
  • 0.5 cup cinnamon sugar For rolling the loaf after buttering.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Reduce cider and prep
  1. Simmer the apple cider in a small saucepan until reduced to 1/2 cup, then let cool slightly.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a loaf pan.
Mix the batter
  1. Cream the softened butter and brown sugar together until fluffy.
  2. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
  3. Mix in the reduced cider and sour cream.
  4. Fold in the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg until just combined.
Bake and coat
  1. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
  2. Bake for 50-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  3. Cool for 10 minutes, then brush the top with melted butter.
  4. Roll the warm loaf in cinnamon sugar so the coating sticks.

Notes

Pro tip: reducing the apple cider concentrates its flavor, so don’t skip that simmer step. For best results, coat the loaf while it’s still warm so the cinnamon sugar adheres. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days; freeze wrapped slices for up to 2 months (thaw overnight in the fridge). For a dairy-light swap, use full-fat Greek yogurt in place of sour cream for similar tang and moisture.