Baked Apple Cider Donuts
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These apple cider cake donuts are about to become your new favorite fall treat! Easy baked apple cider donuts are flavored with spices, syrupy apple cider reduction, and coated in cinnamon sugar. These taste just like the donuts from your favorite apple orchard!
why I love these apple cider donuts:
There are so many reasons to love a cake donut! I tend to choose a cake donut over a fried donut if I am at a bakery. I love the flavor of the cake without the texture of the fat that comes with a fried donut.
Moisture. These cake donuts have a great moisture content and are similar to the density of a muffin or lighter pound cake.
Texture. Even with its incredible moistness, the crumb of these donuts stay together. This makes them ideal for dunking into the icing so that they don’t fall apart. It’s fluffy and has a tender crumb that’s not too tight while not crumbling apart.
Simple Ingredients. There is nothing better than keeping it simple when it comes to baking (and cooking)! This recipe uses incredibly simple ingredients, making it a doable recipe for most home bakers.
One Bowl. You only need one bowl to make these apple cider donuts, which means easier clean up!
gathering ingredients:
To make these delightful spiced apple cider donuts, you will need a few key ingredients to get started. These donuts are baked in the oven and then coated in cinnamon sugar!
Apple Cider. To make apple cider donuts, you will need some apple cider to make a reduction. The apple cider reduction gives the donuts their signature autumnal flavor!
All-Purpose Flour. For this recipe, I have found that all-purpose flour gives you the best results. Whole wheat flour can really weigh down the recipe and pastry flour is too fine, making the donuts fall apart.
Granulated Sugar. I would suggest using granulated sugar or a raw sugar with a finer granule for the best results. Sugar in a liquid form such as honey or syrup will not work for this recipe as the sugar is creamed with the butter.
Brown Sugar. You will need light brown sugar for this recipe, which really helps boost the overall flavor of the donut.
Baking Powder & Baking Soda.
Salt.
Spices. I used cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice in this donut recipe.
Butter. I always use salted butter in my recipes, but you can swap it out for unsalted butter and increase the salt by 1/4 teaspoon.
Eggs. For this recipe, you will want large eggs.
Vanilla Extract.
Buttermilk.
tips for baking donuts:
Donuts are usually fried, but these donuts are baked! To do so, you will need a special type of pan called a donut pan. Here are some helpful tips to ensure that baking donuts is a piece of cake!
Use a Donut Pan. If you are baking donuts, you will need a donut pan so that your donuts keep their signature shape. Technically, these little donuts are just a standard cake baked in a fun shape. Most donut pans come with only 6 donut cavities, and this recipe makes 16 to 18 donuts so you may want to invest in 2 pans if you can!
Use a Piping Bag. Utilizing a piping bag for this recipe can be a lot of help and cut down on the mess! Simply transfer the donut batter to a piping bag and perfectly pipe the correct amount of batter into the pan. This also helps to keep the batter in a uniform shape and texture while baking so that your donuts are smooth and perfect.
Weigh Your Ingredients. It’s always incredibly helpful to weigh your ingredients! I provide metric measurements for my recipes and this is how I develop them so that they turn out perfect every time. For the best results, I highly suggest investing in a kitchen scale and weighing everything out.
how to make baked Apple Cider Donuts:
Step One: Begin by making your apple cider reduction. To a medium saucepan, add the apple cider and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and continue to cook until the cider is reduced to about 1/3 cup (80 ml) and is a dark amber color, thick, and syrupy. Let the reduction cool to room temperature before using.
Step Two: To a large bowl, whisk together the apple cider reduction, granulated sugar, brown sugar, egg, melted butter, buttermilk, and vanilla until well combined, about 3 minutes. To a separate large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice until well combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, whisking until a thick, slightly foamy batter comes together, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Step Three: Scoop the batter into a large piping bag with the end cut off to about 1/2-inch (1-cm) wide opening. Pipe the batter into the prepared donut pan, only filling about 1/2 way up. Bake the donuts for 10 minutes or until golden brown and fully cooked through. Leave the donuts in the pan to rest for a further 5 to 10 minutes before moving them to a wire cooling rack. Wash, grease, and flour your donut pan again and continue baking the donuts until all of the batter has been used, about 16 to 18 donuts total.
Step Four: Take one of the donuts and dip it into some melted butter, coating both sides. Shake the donut gently to let any extra butter drip back into the dish. Then, dip the butter-coated donut into the cinnamon sugar mix, fully coating both sides. Enjoy the finished donuts at room temperature!
storing baked apple cider donuts:
These donuts taste the best on the first and second day after baking, though they tend to last for several days as they are baked and not fried!
To store these donuts for later, you can simply place them into an airtight container and leave them at room temperature for about 5 to 6 days. After that, they lose their texture.
For longer storage, you can keep the donuts in the refrigerator, or freeze them. Simply wrap the donuts in plastic wrap and place into a freezer bag. They should keep for about 6 months for the best quality.
serving suggestions:
There are so many delicious things that can be served with these easy homemade apple cider donuts! They make a wonderful sweet breakfast treat on chilly fall mornings, though I personally prefer to enjoy them during my afternoon cup of coffee. Here are some of my favorite recipes to enjoy with baked apple cider donuts:
final thoughts:
Is there anything better than an apple cider donut in the fall? These are my favorite treat come September, when the apples are ripe and ready to pick in my little orchard. You are going to absolutely love this delicious and easy recipe for homemade baked apple cider cake donuts.
xoxo Kayla
Baked Apple Cider Donuts
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) apple cider
- 1/3 cup (67 g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (67 g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) melted salted butter
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) buttermilk or sour milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) melted salted butter
Instructions
- Begin by making your apple cider reduction. To a medium saucepan, add the apple cider and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and continue to cook until the cider is reduced to about 1/3 cup (80 ml) and is a dark amber color, thick, and syrupy. Let the reduction cool to room temperature before using.
- Preheat your oven to 350° F (177° C). Grease and flour a donut pan and set this aside for now.
- To a large bowl, whisk together the apple cider reduction, granulated sugar, brown sugar, egg, melted butter, buttermilk, and vanilla until well combined, about 3 minutes.
- To a separate large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice until well combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, whisking until a thick, slightly foamy batter comes together, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Scoop the batter into a large piping bag with the end cut off to about 1/2-inch (1-cm) wide opening. Pipe the batter into the prepared donut pan, only filling about 1/2 way up.
- Bake the donuts for 10 minutes or until golden brown and fully cooked through. Leave the donuts in the pan to rest for a further 5 to 10 minutes before moving them to a wire cooling rack. Wash, grease, and flour your donut pan again and continue baking the donuts until all of the batter has been used, about 16 to 18 donuts total.
- In a medium dish, whisk together the sugar and cinnamon until well combined. Place the melted butter in a dish wide enough to fit one of the donuts in.
- Take one of the donuts and dip it into the butter, coating both sides. Shake the donut gently to let any extra butter drip back into the dish. Then, dip the butter-coated donut into the cinnamon sugar mix, fully coating both sides.
- Lay the sugared donut onto a wire cooling rack or piece of parchment paper to dry. Repeat with the remaining donuts until they have all been coated.
- Serve the donuts at room temperature. The donuts can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for about 5 to 7 days. They can also be stored in the fridge or frozen to enjoy later!
Nutrition Facts
Calories
204Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
