Food Recipes Apple Cider Doughnut Tower Be the first to rate & review! This wow-worthy dessert has all the cozy fall flavors, without requiring a single minute of baking. By Melissa Gray Melissa Gray Melissa Gray is a Recipe Developer and Food Stylist for Dotdash Meredith. She attended The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, where she studied Culinary Arts and Culinary Arts Management. She's been working in food publishing since 2015 and joined the Dotdash Meredith test kitchens in 2019. During her career, she has developed over 1,500 original recipes and food styled in hundreds of photoshoots. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Published on September 15, 2021 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Jennifer Causey Hands On Time: 20 mins Total Time: 20 mins Servings: 16 If you're looking for a show-stopping dessert, look no further than this apple cider donut cake. Just pick up some apple cider donuts (or regular cake donuts if you prefer) at the supermarket or farmers market and whip some cream with cream cheese and maple syrup. Layer them into a mouth-watering pyramid and top with store-bought caramel sauce and chopped pecans. It's fun, it's decadent, and it would make an utterly delightful birthday cake with a single candle lit on top. Ingredients 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream 1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened ½ cup confectioners' sugar ¼ cup pure maple syrup ½ teaspoon vanilla extract ¼ teaspoon kosher salt 28 apple cider doughnuts 1 cup jarred caramel topping chopped toasted pecans, for serving Directions Beat whipping cream in a large bowl with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes. Beat cream cheese, sugar, syrup, vanilla, and salt in a separate large bowl (no need to clean beaters) until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Gently fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture. Spread 1 tablespoon whipped cream mixture over center of a cake stand or platter. Place 1 doughnut in center and arrange 6 doughnuts in a circle around center. Spread 1 cup whipped cream mixture over top. Repeat with 7 doughnuts and 1 cup whipped cream mixture. Arrange 5 doughnuts in a circle, with edges touching, on top. Spread on ¾ cup whipped cream mixture. Repeat with 5 doughnuts and ¾ cup whipped cream mixture, stacking directly on top of previous layer. Arrange 3 doughnuts in a circle, with edges touching, on top. Spread on ⅓ cup whipped cream mixture. Place remaining doughnut on top. Spoon caramel topping over doughnut tower. Top with remaining whipped cream mixture and pecans. Rate it Print