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Apple Cider Donut Snack Cake

Apple cider donut snack cake with a tender cinnamon-spiced crumb and a cinnamon sugar butter top. Reduced apple cider intensifies the flavor while the 8x8 bake delivers easy square slices.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 16 servings
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Calories: 260
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

all-purpose flour
  • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
baking powder
  • 2 tsp baking powder
ground cinnamon
  • 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon for cinnamon sugar coating
ground nutmeg
  • 0.5 tsp ground nutmeg
ground allspice
  • 0.25 tsp ground allspice
salt
  • 0.25 tsp salt
apple cider, reduced
  • 0.25 cup apple cider, reduced reduce to 1/4 cup
unsalted butter, melted
  • 0.33 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted for cinnamon sugar coating
granulated sugar
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.25 cup granulated sugar for cinnamon sugar coating
eggs
  • 2 eggs
vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
sour cream
  • 0.5 cup sour cream
cinnamon sugar coating
  • 4 tbsp cinnamon sugar coating

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Reduce the apple cider
  1. Reduce apple cider to 1/4 cup over medium heat. Cool the reduced cider completely before mixing.
Prep and preheat
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease an 8x8 square baking pan.
Mix dry ingredients
  1. Whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt. Mix until evenly combined with no visible spice streaks.
Mix wet ingredients
  1. Whisk the melted butter, granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, reduced apple cider, and sour cream together. Blend until the mixture looks smooth and glossy.
Combine and bake
  1. Fold the flour mixture into the wet mixture until just combined. Stop mixing when no dry pockets remain for a tender crumb.
  2. Pour the batter into the prepared 8x8 pan. Spread into an even layer.
  3. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350F until a toothpick comes out clean. The top should be lightly golden and set in the center.
Coat, cut, and serve
  1. While warm, brush the top generously with melted butter. The surface should look glossy and well coated.
  2. Mix the cinnamon and sugar together. Shower the mixture over the buttered cake so it clings to the top.
  3. Cut into squares and serve. Let the pieces cool slightly so the cinnamon sugar stays intact.

Notes

Pro tip: reduce the cider fully and let it cool so it won’t make the batter thin. Store covered in the fridge up to 3 days; rewarm briefly in the microwave before topping tastes bright. Freezing is yes—wrap slices airtight and freeze up to 2 months, then thaw overnight in the fridge. For a lighter option, use low-fat sour cream to reduce fat without changing the bake time much.