Baked Apple Cider Donuts

Hello and welcome! For a sweet treat today, I have Baked Apple Cider Donuts. Fall’s favorite hand-held confection, Baked Apple Cider Donuts are cakey and soft. They are best enjoyed warm, preferably with a hot cup of coffee on a cool, crisp morning. I did buy a donut pan specifically for this recipe, but you can make these in muffin tins. Even though the muffin tin version is missing the characteristic donut hole, they come out like muffin tops. Let’s get right to it!

Cake Donut Batter

These are so simple to make! I am a little intimidated by donuts, but since these are baked, they are very easy. We start with a straight-forward cake batter. But first, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly spray two (six donut) donut pans, or muffin tins with cooking spray.

In a large measuring cup, or batter bowl whisk together the dry ingredients. We have flour, baking powder, sea salt, nutmeg and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together the brown sugar, 10 tablespoons of room temperature unsalted butter and 1/4 cup white sugar on medium speed, until light and fluffy.

To the creamed butter mixture, add one egg at a time, mixing between each egg. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to fully incorporate the eggs into the mix. Then beat in the vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients on low speed and mix until dry mixture is fully incorporated. With the mixer running on low, in a slow and steady stream, pour in the apple cider.

Continue mixing until the apple cider is fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides and give it a few mixes by hand to ensure you have a smooth, well-mixed batter.

Prepare the Donuts

You can spoon the batter into the tins, or you can use a gallon freezer bag, or pastry bag to pipe the batter into the tins. I opted for the pastry bag because the batter is pretty loose. Spoon the batter into a pastry bag set in a tall cup and cut a 1/2-inch opening in a bottom corner of the bag.

The original recipe, from New York Times Cooking, says to fill the tins 2/3 of the way up. Well, once I got going, I was going to have about 2 donuts-worth of batter leftover – after filling the 12 donut cavities 2/3 of the way up. So, I went for broke and basically filled them nearly to the top. 🙂 Lol. What could go wrong?

Place the two tins on a single sheet tray and pop the tray in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, until the tops are puffed and golden – and a toothpick comes out clean.

While the donuts are baking, whisk together the remaining 1/4 cup white sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Melt the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter in the microwave.

Baked Apple Cider Donuts!

Since I filled mine so much, I lost some of the definition in the center, so they aren’t perfect-looking, but otherwise, they’re fine. When the donuts come out, Let them sit for a couple minutes.

Get a sheet pan to turn the buttered donuts out and set that nearby. Then, while the donuts are still in the pan, brush the tops with butter (you can do one one tin of donuts at a time), then flip the pan over onto that other sheet tray and brush the bottoms with the melted butter.

Dredge the buttered donuts in the cinnamon sugar mixture until well-coated. Set on a tray and repeat the buttering and dredging process with remaining donuts.

So easy! And it only took about 30 minutes from start to finish. Wouldn’t it be a great surprise to your family over the holidays, for them wake up to Baked Apple Cider Donuts? They feel so much more impressive than the easy-bake that they are! Soft, moist and cakey; flecked with cinnamon and warming nutmeg, they are perfectly spiced with just the right amount of apple cider flavor. Despite being dredged in sugar, they are not cloyingly sweet.

So, Happy Fall, y’all – bake these Apple Cider Donuts and celebrate the season! Thanks so much for stopping by today. Check out my Fall Baking Round Up for more Fall baking ideas. Take care and be well, xo Kelly

Key Equipment

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Baked Apple Cider Donuts

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Breakfast, Dessert, Sweets – American

By Original Recipe from NYT Cooking – Serves: Makes 12 Donuts

Prep Time: 20 Minutes – Cooking Time: 12-15 Minutes – Total Time: ~35 Minutes

Soft, moist and cakey; flecked with cinnamon and warming nutmeg, they are perfectly spiced with just the right amount of apple cider flavor.

Ingredients

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1 3/4 cup All-purpose Flour
• 1 1/4 tsp. Baking Powder
• 3/4 tsp. Fine Sea Salt
• 2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon, divided
• 1/2 tsp. Grated Nutmeg
• 1 cup Unsalted Butter (2 sticks), at room temperature, divided
• 3/4 cup Light Brown Sugar
• 3/4 cup Granulated Sugar, divided
• 2 Large Eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 cup Apple Cider

Instructions

1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly spray two (six donut) donut pans, or muffin tins with cooking spray.

2

In a large measuring cup, or batter bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, sea salt, nutmeg and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.

3

In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together the brown sugar, 10 tablespoons of room temperature butter and 1/4 cup white sugar on medium speed, until light and fluffy.

4

To the creamed butter mixture, add one egg at a time, mixing between each egg. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to fully incorporate the eggs.

5

Then beat in the vanilla extract.

6

Add the dry ingredients on low speed and mix until dry mixture is fully incorporated. With the mixer running on low, pour in the apple cider, in a slow and steady stream.

7

Continue mixing until the apple cider is fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides and give it a few mixes by hand to ensure you have a smooth, well-mixed batter.

8

You can spoon the batter into the tins, or you can use a gallon freezer bag, or pastry bag to pipe the batter into the tins. Spoon the batter into a pastry bag set in a tall cup and cut a 1/2-inch opening in a bottom corner of the bag.

9

Fill the tins 2/3 of the way up.

10

Place the two tins on a single sheet tray and pop the tray in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, until the tops are puffed and golden – and a toothpick comes out clean.

11

While the donuts are baking, whisk together remaining 1/2 cup white sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Melt the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter in the microwave.

12

Get a sheet pan to turn the buttered donuts out and set that nearby. Then, while the donuts are still in the pan, brush the tops with butter (you can do one one tin of donuts at a time), then flip the pan over onto that other sheet tray and brush the bottoms with the melted butter.

13

Dredge the buttered donuts in the cinnamon sugar mixture until well-coated. Set on a tray and repeat the buttering and dredging process with remaining donuts.

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