Turn apple cider doughnuts into a show-stopping cake with no baking

If you have a special birthday or other celebration coming up during the fall season, there’s no better treat to bring to the fall festivities than an apple cider doughnut cake. We recently shared a recipe for apple cider doughnut cake using a bundt pan, and it brings together everything we love about apple cider doughnuts in one easy-to-bake cake.

However, we all know the fall season is such a busy time for families. If you don’t have time to bake a cake for a bake sale or party, don’t worry. We found an apple cider doughnut cake recipe that is so simple, you don’t even have to bake it!

Few things beat a bite out of a warm apple cider doughnut. But imagine a tower of these incredible doughnuts piled high into one glorious cake, held together with cream cheese frosting and topped with pecans and caramel. That’s the idea behind Real Simple’s Apple Cider Doughnut Tower recipe.

To pull this show-stopping dessert together, you’ll need 28 apple cider doughnuts, caramel topping in a jar, heavy whipping cream and cream cheese, as well as a few other pantry staples.

While you will not be baking the apple cider doughnut cake, you will be mixing up a decadent cream cheese frosting to hold the tower together. A cake stand will come in handy for assembling this towering confection.

You could find apple cider doughnuts in the bakery section of a local grocery store. But we recommend taking the family on a day trip to an apple orchard, if you have time. Not only is it a great way to get outdoors for some family bonding, but you can pick apples right from the tree and grab a few dozen freshly-baked apple cider doughnuts on the spot, too.

Once you have all your ingredients together, just consult the Real Simple recipe to assemble your apple cider doughnut tower cake. Your creation will be devoured by everyone within arm’s reach!