Spiced Apple Cider Donut Coffee Cake

• Prep time: 25 mins | Bake time: 45 mins
• Serves: 8–10

Ingredients

• Cinnamon Sugar Crust:
  • $\frac{1}{3}$ cup granulated sugar
  • $1\frac{1}{2}$ tsp ground cinnamon
  • $2$ tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• Cake Batter:
  • $2$ cups all-purpose flour
  • $1\frac{1}{2}$ tsp baking powder
  • $\frac{1}{2}$ tsp baking soda
  • $\frac{1}{2}$ tsp salt
  • $1$ tsp ground cinnamon
  • $\frac{1}{2}$ tsp ground nutmeg
  • $\frac{1}{2}$ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • $\frac{3}{4}$ cup light brown sugar
  • $2$ large eggs
  • $1$ tsp vanilla extract
  • $\frac{1}{2}$ cup apple cider (or unsweetened applesauce)
  • $\frac{1}{2}$ cup buttermilk
  • $1\frac{1}{2}$ cups peeled, finely diced crisp apples (such as Honeycrisp or Granny Smith)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a 9-inch round or square baking pan.
2. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl.
3. Beat softened butter and brown sugar together until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, then mix in vanilla.
4. Alternate adding the dry ingredients with the apple cider and buttermilk, mixing just until incorporated.
5. Gently fold in the diced apples and transfer the batter to the prepared pan.
6. Mix the $\frac{1}{3}$ cup granulated sugar and $1\frac{1}{2}$ tsp cinnamon together, sprinkle evenly over the unbaked batter, and drizzle the $2$ tbsp melted butter over the sugar.
7. Bake for 45 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.