Description
Warm, spiced Spiced Apple Cider Donut Loaf with a cinnamon‑sugar crust—perfect fall loaf cake recipe.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Loaf Batter
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar (packed)
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup apple cider
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Crust / Topping
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 Tbsp melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven & prep the loaf pan.
Preheat to 350 °F (≈ 175 °C). Grease a standard 9×5‑inch loaf pan and optionally line it with parchment with overhang for easier removal. - Mix the dry ingredients.
In a medium bowl, whisk together: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. - Mix the wet ingredients.
In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each. Then stir in the apple cider and vanilla extract until well combined. - Combine wet + dry.
Pour the dry ingredients into the wet mixture in batches, folding gently until just combined. Avoid overmixing to keep the loaf tender. - Pour batter & bake.
Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan, smoothing the top. Bake for about 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs (not wet batter). - Prepare the cinnamon sugar crust.
While loaf bakes (or just before it finishes), mix together ¼ cup granulated sugar + 1 tsp cinnamon in a small bowl. - Apply crust after baking.
Once the loaf is done, remove from oven and let it cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Then brush the top with the 2 Tbsp melted butter, and immediately sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over the top, pressing gently to adhere. - Cool & slice.
After coating, transfer the loaf to a wire rack to finish cooling. Slice into ½‑inch to ¾‑inch slices and serve. Warm slices are especially delicious.
Notes
Be careful not to overmix the batter once you combine wet and dry—overmixing toughens the crumb.
The apple cider flavor is more noticeable if you use a good-quality, flavorful cider (not overly sweet).
If your pan tends to stick, parchment helps you remove slices cleanly.
The crust is best applied when the loaf is still warm (but not extremely hot) so the butter helps the sugar adhere without melting it away.
For deeper apple flavor, some versions suggest reducing the cider before using (i.e. simmering to concentrate it) before adding to batter.