Ingredients
Scale
- 1 ½ cups apple cider (reduced to ½ cup)
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- Pinch of ground cloves
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 medium apple, grated (such as Honeycrisp or Gala)
- 2–3 tbsp melted butter (for topping)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (for topping)
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon (for topping)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F and grease a 9×5-inch light metal loaf pan. Line with parchment paper.
- In a saucepan, simmer 1 ½ cups apple cider over medium-low heat until reduced to ½ cup (about 15–20 minutes). Let it cool completely.
- In a bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt.
- In another bowl, cream softened butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time.
- Add cooled reduced cider, grated apple, and buttermilk to the wet mixture. Stir gently to combine.
- Fold dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined. Don’t overmix—leave a few lumps.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan, filling only ¾ full. Smooth the top.
- Bake for 55–65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Tent with foil if browning too quickly.
- Cool in the pan for 10–15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
- While still warm, brush the top with 2–3 tbsp melted butter. Mix ¼ cup granulated sugar with 1 ½ tsp cinnamon and sprinkle generously over the top.
Notes
Reduce the apple cider first for deep flavor. Don’t skip the cinnamon sugar topping—it’s the doughnut magic. Wrap tightly once fully cooled to keep it moist, and it freezes beautifully in slices.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 22g
- Sodium: 210mg
- Fat: 13g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 46g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 55mg