Bready or Not: Cider Donut Bundt Cake

Posted by on May 20, 2026 in apples, Blog, Bready or Not, bundt, cake | 0 comments

Apple Cider Doughnuts have been an especially popular autumn thing the past few years. Good food, however, should be confined to no single season. This Cider Doughnut Bundt Cake would be delicious to make this very day.

Bready or Not: Cider Donut Bundt Cake

Use a good quality nonalcoholic apple cider for this recipe. The more flavor and spice to start, the more flavor in the final bake. I’m rather fond of a Honeycrisp cider that Aldi carries in the fall and I wish they had it year-round for my baking needs.

Bready or Not: Cider Donut Bundt Cake

The end result here is a moist spiced cake with lots of apple pieces and a outer layer coated in cinnamon and sugar. Note that this is a cake to feed a crowd, but leftovers are fantastic to freeze in slices.

Bready or Not: Cider Donut Bundt Cake

Modified a lot from Bake from Scratch Magazine.

Bready or Not: Cider Donut Bundt Cake

The ultimate apple cider donut: a big bundt cake imbued with that same flavor and spice! Modified a lot from Bake from Scratch Magazine.
Course: Dessert
Keyword: apple, bundt cake, cider
Author: Beth Cato

Equipment

  • 10-cup bundt cake
  • baking spray with flour
  • pastry brush

Ingredients

Cake

  • 1 cup unsalted butter (2 cubes) softened
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 cups apple cider (nonalcoholic) spiced version, if available
  • 1/2 cup milk or half & half
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 large Honeycrisp apple peeled and chopped

Topping

  • 2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon water
  • 2 Tablespoons white sugar
  • 1/2 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

  • Preheat oven at 325 degrees. Coat the inside of a 10-cup Bundt pan with baking spray with flour.
  • In a big bowl, beat butter, white sugar, and vanilla until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time.
  • In another bowl, mix together flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
  • In another small bowl, stir together cider, milk, and apple cider vinegar.
  • Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, alternately with cider blend, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat until just combined after each addition. Fold in apple pieces. Pour batter into prepared pan and even out.
  • Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 12 minutes, until the middle passes the toothpick test. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes then invert onto a wire rack. Let cool for about 30 minutes more.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together confectioners’ sugar and water until smooth. Brush mixture all over surface of cake, working quickly to keep moist.
  • Combine the remaining sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over cake to coat. Serve cake warm or at room temperature.

OM NOM NOM!

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    Impersonated by a Scammer on TikTok

    Posted by on May 16, 2026 in Blog, public speaking, writerly advice | 0 comments

    TikTok scammer warning

    I am not on TikTok.

    I will never be on TikTok.

    This bethcato2 account is impersonating me and direct messaging writers in an effort to sell marketing services. Any account pretending to be me on TikTok is fraudulent. Even more, I will never, ever, in a million years contact people in such a manner to sell marketing services on any platform.

    I’ve been informed that reporting an impersonator on TikTok isn’t really possible unless you are the person being impersonated. That said, if you’re on there, report them however you can, and even more, shame them and shame the platform for enabling this behavior. Please. I want people to share my warning posts and graphic everywhere. Get the word out.

    Please reach out to new authors online and in person. Warn them to never, ever trust direct solicitations, no matter how flattering they seem, whether they come via email or social media. As I posted just recently, I’m also being impersonated in AI-compiled email scams that also target writers. I get spammed with these scams, too, purporting to be opportunities from book clubs, Goodreads list curators, and even radio stations.

    My website lists my real, active social media accounts. If you see a suspicious Beth Cato out there, hey, let me know. Do the same for other authors, too.

    Thanks. I hope I don’t have to do another post like this soon, but well…

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    Bready or Not Original: Glazed Maple Cream Cheese Cookies

    Posted by on May 13, 2026 in Blog, Bready or Not, chocolate, cookies, nutty | 0 comments

    These Glazed Maple Cream Cheese Cookies were subjected to repeated experimentation as I perfected the dough, first rolling it in maple sugar, then realized no, a glaze drizzle was the way to go. I had to make sure that worked, too, to a delicious and beautiful result.

    Bready or Not Original: Glazed Maple Cream Cheese Cookies

    These cookies are something special. So special I entered them in the annual Star Tribune cookie contest. Alas. Those judges apparently didn’t deem them special enough.

    Bready or Not Original: Glazed Maple Cream Cheese Cookies

    Therefore, I present the recipe for your enjoyment. If you love maple like I do, I think you’ll rate them quite highly.

    Bready or Not Original: Glazed Maple Cream Cheese Cookies

    Bready or Not Original: Glazed Maple Cream Cheese Cookies

    These soft, chewy perfectly-sweetened cookies are a must for any maple lovers!
    Course: Dessert, Snack
    Keyword: chocolate, cookies, maple, pecans
    Author: Beth Cato

    Equipment

    • large cookie scoop or tablespoon

    Ingredients

    Dough

    • 1 cup unsalted butter (2 cubes) softened
    • 8 ounce cream cheese softened
    • 3/4 cup white sugar
    • 3/4 cup brown sugar packed
    • 1 large egg room temperature
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 2 1/2 teaspoons maple flavor
    • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
    • 1 cup white chocolate chips
    • 1 cup pecan pieces

    Glaze

    • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
    • 1/3 cup real maple syrup

    Instructions

    • Cream together the butter, cream cheese, and both sugars. Add the egg, vanilla, and maple flavor. In another bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually incorporate the dry ingredients with the wet. Fold in white chocolate chips and pecan pieces.
    • Cover dough and chill for at least two hours or overnight.
    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
    • Use a large cookie scoop or tablespoon to shape dough into rounds. Place spaced out on cookie sheet.
    • Bake for 13 to 16 minutes, until the top is just starting to gain a golden tint. Let set for a few minutes before moving to a rack to cool. Once the cookies are completely cool, make the glaze.
    • Combine glaze ingredients in a bowl. Transfer to a piping bag with small tip or a freezer bag with a corner snipped. Pipe lines over the cookies. Let set at least an hour before packing cookies into a sealed container. If stacking cookies, use strips of waxed paper between layers.

    OM NOM NOM!

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      Bready or Not Original: Date Sugar Chocolate Chip Bars

      Posted by on May 6, 2026 in Blog, blondies, Bready or Not, chocolate | 0 comments

      I bought a bag of date sugar for a recipe and then had to figure out what else to make to use up the bag. Cue my experimentation with cookies, which then led to a superior version: these Date Sugar Chocolate Chip Bars.

      Bready or Not Original: Date Sugar Chocolate Chip Bars

      The date sugar I used was very light and powdery in texture. It tastes sweet in a different way than other sugars, and tends to create a dense texture, kind of like brown sugar. I didn’t get any aftertaste from it.

      Bready or Not Original: Date Sugar Chocolate Chip Bars

      My husband took my experiments to work, and people gobbled them up. These bars taste different, yes, but are also still delicious, and so people still ate them even though they didn’t know what made them strange.

      Bready or Not Original: Date Sugar Chocolate Chip Bars

      Bready or Not Original: Date Sugar Chocolate Chip Bars

      These bars look and taste different because of the unique sugar, and they are soft, chewy, and delicious!
      Course: Dessert, Snack
      Keyword: bars, chocolate, dates
      Author: Beth Cato

      Equipment

      • plastic wrap
      • 8×8 or 9×9 pan
      • aluminum foil
      • nonstick spray

      Ingredients

      • 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick) room temperature
      • 3/4 cup date sugar
      • 1 large egg room temperature
      • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
      • 1 cup all-purpose flour
      • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
      • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
      • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
      • 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
      • 1/2 cup chopped dates

      Instructions

      • Cream together the butter and date sugar. Add the egg and vanilla. Scrape the bottom of the bowl to incorporate everything.
      • In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
      • Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing until no white streaks remain. Fold in chocolate chips and date pieces.
      • Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in fridge to chill for at least 8 hours, overnight, or a few days. Alternatively, it can also be frozen and then thawed in the fridge.
      • When it’s baking time, line an 8×8 or 9×9 pan with foil. Apply nonstick spray or coat with soft butter. Preheat oven at 325 degrees.
      • The cold dough will be quite stiff. Leave at room temperature for 20-30 minutes, then break into pieces to press into prepared pan, forming a thick, even layer.
      • Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the middle passes the toothpick test.
      • Let cool completely. Use foil to lift contents onto a cutting board. Slice into bars. Store in a sealed container at room temperature.

      OM NOM NOM!

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