A cider donut in loaf form: the same spiced crumb and the same cinnamon-sugar coat, without a pan of hot oil.
The one step that matters is boiling the cider down first, and it happens before anything else.
Why This Recipe Works
- Reducing the cider by half concentrates the apple flavour and removes the water that would otherwise slacken the batter. It is the difference between an apple loaf and a cinnamon loaf.
- Applesauce alongside the oil keeps the crumb tender for days, which a butter-only quick bread does not manage.
- Brushing melted butter on while the loaf is still warm gives the cinnamon sugar something to grip, so the coating sits on the surface the way a donut's does.
- Holding back a quarter cup of the reduction for the glaze means the finish tastes of cider too, rather than only of sugar.
Concentrate, Bake, Coat
Three stages, and the first one is the whole recipe. Everything that makes this taste like a cider donut rather than a spice loaf happens before any flour is measured.
Stage 1 of 3
Reduce
Steps 1–1 of 8
A cup and a half of cider simmered down to three quarters of a cup over 12 to 15 minutes, then cooled to lukewarm. Cider is mostly water, and half a cup of unreduced cider in the batter would add liquid and almost no flavour. This step doubles the apple concentration and is not optional in spirit.
- Reduce the ciderSimmer 1 1/2 cups of apple cider in a small saucepan over medium heat until reduced to about 3/4 cup, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool to lukewarm.
Stage 2 of 3
Mix and bake
Steps 2–7 of 8
Dry whisked, wet whisked with half a cup of the reduction, folded together only until combined, then 50 to 60 minutes at 350°F. A quarter cup of the reduction is deliberately held back for the glaze. Applesauce alongside the oil keeps the crumb moist without making it greasy.
- Heat the oven and line the pan350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan and line it with a parchment sling.
- Whisk the dry ingredientsFlour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice.
- Whisk the wet ingredientsBoth sugars, eggs, oil or melted butter, applesauce, vanilla and 1/2 cup of the reduced cider. Reserve the remaining quarter cup.
- Combine gentlyPour the wet into the dry and fold until just combined, folding in the diced apple if using. Do not overmix.
- BakeScrape into the pan, smooth the top, and bake 50 to 60 minutes until a tester comes out clean with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool briefly, then coatTen minutes in the pan, then onto a rack. Stir the topping sugar with cinnamon and nutmeg, brush the warm loaf with melted butter on all sides, and shower it with the cinnamon sugar.
Stage 3 of 3
Coat while warm
Steps 8–10 of 8
Melted butter brushed over the warm loaf on all sides, then a shower of cinnamon sugar — the same finish a cider donut gets from the fryer, achieved without one. The optional glaze uses the reserved cider. Twenty minutes of cooling before slicing.
- Glaze and sliceIf using, whisk the powdered sugar with the reserved cider and a pinch of salt and drizzle over. Cool at least 20 minutes for clean slices.
Ingredient Notes
- Apple cider
- Cider, not apple juice — cider is unfiltered and has far more to concentrate. A cup and a half becomes three quarters of a cup, split between the batter and the glaze.
- Unsweetened applesauce
- Half a cup, and doing texture work rather than flavour. It is why the loaf is still tender on day three.
- Room-temperature eggs
- They emulsify into the oil and sugar smoothly. Cold eggs into cooled cider and oil can leave the batter looking split.
- The cinnamon-sugar topping
- A separate set of quantities from the spices in the batter. This is the coating that makes it read as a donut, so it is worth applying generously and on every side.
How to Make It
Reduce the cider
Simmer 1 1/2 cups of apple cider in a small saucepan over medium heat until reduced to about 3/4 cup, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool to lukewarm.
Heat the oven and line the pan
350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan and line it with a parchment sling.
Whisk the dry ingredients
Flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice.
Whisk the wet ingredients
Both sugars, eggs, oil or melted butter, applesauce, vanilla and 1/2 cup of the reduced cider. Reserve the remaining quarter cup.
Combine gently
Pour the wet into the dry and fold until just combined, folding in the diced apple if using. Do not overmix.
Bake
Scrape into the pan, smooth the top, and bake 50 to 60 minutes until a tester comes out clean with a few moist crumbs.
Cool briefly, then coat
Ten minutes in the pan, then onto a rack. Stir the topping sugar with cinnamon and nutmeg, brush the warm loaf with melted butter on all sides, and shower it with the cinnamon sugar.
Glaze and slice
If using, whisk the powdered sugar with the reserved cider and a pinch of salt and drizzle over. Cool at least 20 minutes for clean slices.
Success Tips
- Watch the reduction near the end. It goes from cider to syrup quickly once it is below a cup.
- Cool the reduction before it meets the eggs, or you will get sweet scrambled egg in the batter.
- Coat while warm. Cinnamon sugar slides straight off a cooled loaf, butter or no butter.
- Wait the twenty minutes before slicing. A warm quick bread tears rather than cuts.
Serving Ideas
Thick slices with coffee or hot cider. It is sturdy enough to toast the next day, which turns the cinnamon-sugar crust crisp again.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate
Airtight at room temperature up to 3 days. The applesauce keeps it moist longer than most loaves.
Freeze
Freeze the un-coated loaf whole or in slices up to 3 months. Add the butter and cinnamon sugar after thawing, since the coating goes damp in the freezer.
Reheat
A few seconds in the microwave, or toast a slice. Toasting is better — it re-crisps the sugared surface.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use apple juice instead of cider?
You can reduce it the same way, but juice is filtered and much milder, so the loaf tastes noticeably less of apple. If juice is all you have, reduce it a little further to compensate.
Can I skip reducing the cider?
Not really. Unreduced cider adds water without much flavour, so the batter is wetter and the loaf tastes of spice rather than apple. It is fifteen minutes and it is the point of the recipe.
Can I make these as muffins?
The batter works in a muffin tin — fill two thirds full and start checking at 18 to 20 minutes. Coat them the same way while warm, which is easier than coating a whole loaf.
