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Spiced Apple Cider Donut Loaf

Spiced apple cider donut loaf bakes with reduced apple cider for concentrated flavor and a golden, tender crumb. Finished with a buttery cinnamon sugar coating, it delivers classic apple cider donut taste in an easy sliceable quick bread.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Calories: 360
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

apple cider
  • 1 cup apple cider, reduced to 1/2 cup Reduce until thickened slightly and flavor is concentrated.
butter
  • 0.5 cup butter, softened
  • 3 tbsp melted butter
granulated sugar
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.33 cup sugar mixed with 1 tsp cinnamon Use for the cinnamon-sugar topping.
eggs
  • 2 large eggs
vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
flour
  • 2 cup all-purpose flour
baking powder
  • 2 tsp baking powder
cinnamon
  • 1.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp cinnamon Part of the cinnamon-sugar topping.
nutmeg
  • 0.5 tsp nutmeg
salt
  • 0.5 tsp salt
buttermilk
  • 0.5 cup buttermilk

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Reduce the cider
  1. Simmer the apple cider in a saucepan until reduced to about 1/2 cup, then cool to room temperature.
Prep and mix
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a loaf pan.
  2. Beat the softened butter and granulated sugar until fluffy, then beat in the eggs and vanilla.
  3. Whisk the all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until evenly combined.
  4. Alternate folding in the dry mixture and the buttermilk, mixing just until incorporated.
  5. Fold in the reduced cider until the batter looks smooth and evenly spiced.
Bake and finish
  1. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50-55 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
  2. Brush the warm loaf all over with melted butter, then roll it in the cinnamon sugar mixture so the coating clings.

Notes

Reducing the cider concentrates the apple flavor, so don’t skip it—cool the reduced cider before mixing to avoid warming the batter too much. Wrap and store at room temperature for up to 3 days. Freezing is yes: cool completely, wrap tightly, and freeze up to 2 months. For a lower-sugar option, substitute half the granulated sugar with an equal amount of a 1:1 baking sweetener and keep the cinnamon-sugar topping the same.