Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts

Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts desserts Fluffy soft and perfectly spiced baked apple cider doughnut baked donuts Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts apples

Updated 30th September 2024

These homemade baked apple cider doughnuts are tender, and super flavourful. Their sugary spiced coating makes them irresistible! They are very simple to make and are the perfect fall treat. No need to make a special trip to the apple orchard for these doughnuts (although I strongly recommend going for the apples - something I have yet to do yet this fall) - these are just as good if not better. The recipe doesn’t require reducing the cider but the option is there - it helps deepen the flavours of the apple cider and doughnuts. Full details about the cider concentrate below if you chose to. I have made with the reduced cider and without reducing it and both are irresistible.

Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts

Why You Will Love These Baked Apple Cider Donuts/Doughnuts:

  • Easy to make cake doughnuts that are fluffy and coated in cinnamon sugar.
  • Made with simple ingredients, readily available in your local grocery store and some you might already have in your pantry.
  • They are baked not fried. No need for any yeast.
  • They are light and fluffy and taste just like old fashioned apple cider donuts.
  • They are infused with delicious apple cider.

Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts

Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts

Flavor and Texture

If you like spice cakes or apple cakes or anything with warm apple spices, then you’ll love this doughnut recipe. These reminded my hubby of a spice cake his mom use to make when he was a kid and he couldn’t stop eating them. They have a denser crumb similar to muffins, but oh so tender. That sugar cinnamon coating adds extra flavour but even more crunch.

Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts

Apple Cider Doughnut Recipe Ingredients

  • SPICES: I like to use a blend of cinnamon and apple pie spice. Apple Pie Spice is a pretty standard item sold here in Canada. Instead of using Apple Pie spice you can use an extra bit of ground cinnamon and add ¼ teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger and ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves- more or less of each to taste. Adjust amounts to taste.
  • APPLE CIDER: Fresh apple cider is best. Do NOT use apple cider vinegar as it is NOT the same thing as apple cider. If you have a little extra time you can reduce the apple cider for more depth of cider flavors - details about that in recipe notes.
  • FLOUR: All-purpose flour
  • SUGAR: I use light brown sugar and granulated sugar for the cake for sweetness and granulated white sugar for the cinnamon sugar topping.
  • BUTTER: I use unsalted butter. Make sure it is room temperature
  • EGGS: Make sure they are room temperature
  • VANILLA EXTRACT: Adds that classic warming flavor to any baked goods.
  • BAKING SODA & SALT: For leavening and flavor

Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts

How to make Apple Cider Doughnuts

  1. PREPARE PANS: grease pans with cooking spray/baking spray or grease very generously
  2. WHISK the dry ingredients together
  3. CREAM butter and sugar then add in the eggs and vanilla.
  4. COMBINE and add the dry ingredients to wet and mix until well blended. Drizzle in the cider and mix until combined.
  5. SPOON out batter or use a pastry bag or a ziploc bag with the end snipped off to fill each doughnut cup/cavity
  6. BAKE until golden
  7. BRUSH & SPRINKLE: Mix together sugar, and cinnamon a shallow bowl. Brush each donut with melted butter and then toss in the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts

Baking tools

  • Donut Pan: You will need a 12 hole donut/doughnut pan. You can also use two 6 cavity doughnut pans. You can also make these in a muffin pan or even a Madeleine pan too. Full details in recipe notes.
  • Pastry Bag: This is not necessary, but it helps for piping the donuts into the donut pan. You cold also use a ziploc bag with corner end trimmed.

Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts

More delicious Apple recipes you will love:

Recipe

Servings: 12-14 doughnuts (standard size)
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 12-15 mins

Ingredients

For the batter

  • 1¾ (225 grams) cup All Purpose Flour
  • 1¼ teaspoon of baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon apple pie spice blend
  • 10 tablespoons of unsalted butter, room temperature
  • ¾ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ½ cup/120 ml Apple cider (or 1 cup reduced to half for more depth of flavour *)

For the topping

  • 6 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ cup granulated sugar

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly grease 2 (6-cavity) doughnut pans (or a 12-cup muffin tin) with nonstick spray or baking spray.
  2. In a medium bowl whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking power, salt and spices
  3. In a separate bowl add the butter and the sugars and using a mixer mix until light and fluffy, approx 3-4 min.
  4. Add the eggs one at a time mixing until incorporated then mix in the vanilla
  5. Gradually mix in flour mixture to the butter mixture until incorporated.
  6. Then drizzle in the apple cider while mixing until combined.
  7. Spoon the batter or pipe the batter into the pans with a piping bag. You should have just enough batter to make 12 doughnuts, so fill them about 3/4 full. (Note: if you only have one pan just do this in 2 batches, allow pan to cool between batches and grease well again.)
  8. Transfer to preheated oven and bake 12-15 min until golden and tester comes out clean.
  9. Remove from oven. Let cool in the pans for 2-3 minutes, then gently loosen the edges and flip out of the pan on to a wire rack. Give the edge of the pan a rap if necessary. If the doughnuts don’t fall out, let them cool a minute or two more and try again. (Note: don’t worry if your ‘holes’ have filled in, you can just poke through with a small knife, or your finger, to open them up.)
  10. Make the topping: In a medium bowl mix together the sugar, and cinnamon and in a separate bowl melt the butter. Once doughnuts are cool enough to handle, brush doughnuts all over with melted butter and then generously dip into the sugar mixture until fully covered.
  11. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

  • Tip: Make sure to grease your doughnut pan well - I find even the nonstick pans lose a lot of their non stick coating after initial use so it’s super important to grease them well. I like to use baking spray and use a pastry brush to get into the nooks of the pans plus around the top edges of the centre part as well to prevent them from sticking.
  • Storage: Doughnuts are best served immediately and eaten the day they were baked. Leftovers will keep though covered tightly at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
  • To make the apple cider concentrate for more apple cider flavor: Double the amount of apple cider. Simmer apple cider in a small saucepan over med-low heat until you’re left with about ½ cup. If there are any spices or solids on top of your reduced apple cider, leave them. Set aside to cool to room temp before adding to batter.
  • Make these into muffins: Use a standard 12-cup muffin pan, fill each ¾ full, then bake at 350°F for approx 18-20 minutes or until tester comes out clean. Makes about 10-12 apple cider donut muffins.
  • Make mini doughnuts: Add batter to mini doughnut pan or mini muffin pan only about ¾ of the way full. Bake at 350°F for about 8-9 minutes. They can also be made in a Madeleine pan - makes approx 24 Madeleines
  • Make ahead and freeze: Bake as recipe states then allow the doughnuts to cool completely out of the pan. Place on a sheet pan or back in the doughnut pan and into the freezer to flash freeze, 30-60 mins. Once completely frozen remove doughnuts from pan and place in a sealed container or ziploc bag - freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat in microwave or oven then proceed with the butter and cinnamon sugar coating

Adapted from NYT Cooking

Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts