Baked Apple Cider Donuts
Autumn brings many calm moments and flavors as the summer rush dwindles and fall’s slower pace settles in much like a dried leaf slowly falling to the ground. Here in the Hudson Valley the flavors of fall intertwine with season; creating nostalgic moments. Apple cider doughnuts can be found year-round at local farm stands, but the cinnamon sugar coated sweets taste that much more special in the fall. I’ve been working on this recipe for Baked Apple Cider Donuts for several seasons perfecting the sugar cinnamon spice mix and of course the addition of apple cider. These baked doughnuts bake up fluffy and fill your kitchen with the scent of cozy, warming spices, with a hint of apple. If you’re deep into apple season at the moment, try my recipe for Air-Fryer Apple Chips.
Why Baked Instead of Fried?
This cider doughnut recipe is baked, instead of the farm stand staple fried versions. Not only is my version of baked apple cider donuts much more accessible, (not many of us have a deep fryer on hand!) it’s also healthier. This recipe uses a standard oven and apple cider doughnut muffin tin, and the donuts are just as cider flavored and sugar coated as the classic apple orchard treat.
Ingredients
This apple cider doughnut recipe is filled with seasonal comfort flavors and most of the ingredients are most likely already in your kitchen. As the fall season sets in and the days cool and leaves drop around Kingston, NY I always have a jug of apple cider in my fridge. Apples are one of the main staples of fall baking and cooking, making this recipe a mainstay in my kitchen throughout the cooler, harvest season months. If you have a gallon of freshly pressed apple cider on hand, use a cup of it in my Apple Cider Spiced Jam recipe.
- Apple cider reduction; reduced apple cider adds a deep, caramel apple flavor to these easy apple cider doughnuts.
- Fresh apple; freshly grated apple adds a hint of bright, fresh flavor and deepens the flavor of the donuts.
- Flour; use all purpose flour, sifted, ensuring there are no lumps.
- Brown sugar; I used brown sugar in this recipe, it creates a thicker texture in the final bake and keeps the baked doughnuts from becoming too light, airy and cake like.
- Spice blend; this is as important as the apples and apple cider reduction in this recipe. These donuts fill your home with a cozy scent of toasted spices as the doughnuts bake, perfect for weekend breakfasts upstate.
- Eggs, a perfect binder for this baked good.
- Sour cream, the creaminess of the sour cream keeps the dough heavy, decadent and adds a hint of tang, balancing the cinnamon sugar coating.
Recipe Steps
- Make the cider reduction. Boil the cider down, until thick and concentrated and set aside.
- Mix the dry ingredients, adding in the spice mix.
- In a separate bowl mix the wet ingredients (eggs, sour cream).
- Lightly grease the doughnut pan.
- Pipe into the doughnut pan and bake.
- Dip in melted butter and coat in cinnamon sugar, serve hot.
The Cinnamon Sugar
There is not a smell I associated more with cold autumn mornings in the Northeast than a freshly made cinnamon sugar coated apple cider donut. My donut coating is full cinnamon, and after dip in melted butter, the sugar coating adheres perfectly to the cider donuts. If you want less butter, you can brush the doughnuts with the melted butter; but I prefer to dip mine, the butter adds that little bit of oil in at the top of every bite, creating the same texture as the deep fried cider donuts found throughout the Hudson Valley this time of year.
Recipe Tips
Make sure to reduce the cider down to a thicker consistency; the concentrated flavor is the real star of this recipe.
Don’t’ over mix the batter, it will become thick and the baked cider doughnuts will become dense.
This recipe calls for unsalted butter for the cinnamon sugar coating, do not use salted butter. There is already salt in the doughnuts themselves, and salted butter really takes away from the sweet sugary coating taste.
Don’t’ have a donut pan on hand? Use a muffin pan instead, the flavor stays the same and the recipe tastes just as comforting and spice filled. Make sure to keep an eye on the oven, a the baking time may differ.
Don’t overbake the doughnuts. The doughnuts won’t burn with a little over baking, but the texture of the doughnuts will become tougher.
Can I make these without a donut pan?
Yes, you can use a muffin pan instead.
Can I make them ahead?
Yes, if you make them ahead of time hold off on the cinnamon sugar coating until just before serving. I like to do a re-heat on low in the oven, then proceed with dipping in butter and coating in sugar mixture.
Why are my donuts dense?
This could have happened for several reasons. One; the dough may have been over mixed. Two, the doughnuts may have baked for too long. Read thru my recipe tips above to learn how to avoid this.
Can I freeze baked donuts?
Yes, these doughnuts freeze well. Allow them to cool on a rack, before storing in an airtight container in the freezer. Wait to coat in cinnamon sugar until right before serving, and follow my re-heating instructions above.
Eat With
Double up on the apple cider and serve these doughnuts after dinner warmed, as a seasonal fall ice cream sandwich stuffed with vanilla ice cream and drizzled with caramel with a glass of my Cranberry Spice and Apple Cider Spice Punch or a glass of my Spiced Apple Wine.
Still deep in apple orchard season and ready to cozy up your kitchen with fresh fall recipes? Check out my Cozy Harvest Season Recipes, a full guide to all things autumn across my blog.
Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts
Ingredients
- 2 cups apple cider
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 1 cup dark brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup apple peeled and grated
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 4 tbsp 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, bring apple cider to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about ½ cup, 15–20 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter two standard doughnut pans (or one, working in batches).
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
- In a large bowl, whisk melted butter with brown sugar until smooth. Whisk in eggs one at a time, then vanilla, the reduced cider, and sour cream. Fold in the grated apple.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and fold just until no streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix; batter will be thick.
- Spoon batter into a piping bag or zip-top bag with the corner snipped off, and pipe into doughnut wells, filling each about two-thirds full.
- Bake until doughnuts spring back when lightly pressed and a toothpick comes out clean, 9–11 minutes.
- Let cool in the pan 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.
- Melt butter for coating; stir together sugar and cinnamon for coating in a shallow bowl. While doughnuts are still warm, dip each side into melted butter, then dredge in cinnamon sugar to coat completely.