Apple Cider Doughnut Cake

A couple of months ago I saw a recipe on Facebook for Apple Cider Doughnut Cake. It led to a pin on Pinterest. Earlier this week, I wanted to make the recipe and got all the ingredients for it. 

When I clicked on the image, it was just a picture - no recipe. Of course...no directions. Then I noticed a recipe to the right of the picture. However, as I read it closer, it was a different recipe than what was pictured. The recipe calls for additional ingredients: 1/2 cup of melted butter, 3 or 4 eggs (the picture showed 3 eggs), 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and 1 cup of shredded apples. The measurements for the spices were different too. 

The recipe indicated it was a Betty Crocker recipe. So, I looked up an Apple Cider Doughnut Cake recipe by Betty Crocker on Google. Sure enough, there was a recipe. Like the typed recipe on Pinterest, this one didn't have applesauce either, but it had butter. 

I decided to create my own recipe - a combination of all of the recipes - to see what happened. The recipe I created was:

Ingredients 

Cake:

1 box of yellow cake mix

¾ cup apple cider

½ cup applesauce

4 eggs

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup shredded apples

Topping:

3 tablespoons melted butter

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions 

Put the cake mix, apple cider, and applesauce in a bowl, and mix together. Add the eggs. 

Then add the cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and shredded apples. 

Put into a bundt pan that has been sprayed and floured. 

Baked at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 20 minutes. 

Remove from the pan to the cooling rack. Brush cake with 3 tablespoons of melted butter. Cover with a mixture of ¼ cup sugar and 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. 

The recipe doesn't really taste like a doughnut. It is more of a cake. It is very light and fluffy. Looking at the picture on Pinterest, it looks like the recipe could use more of the sugar-cinnamon topping. 

Would I make it again? Yes. I'm not sure I would add the nutmeg next time. I'd like to see what the cake tastes like with just the cinnamon. I would use the 1/2 cup of applesauce again in lieu of the 1/2 cup of butter (as is shown in the Pinterest picture) because I think it is healthier to use applesauce versus butter.