These Apple Cider Donuts taste just like they came from the farmstand but can be easily made at home! They have a nice apple flavor with a delicious cinnamon sugar coating and are so moist and delicious!
I know I’ve been on a dueling apple and pumpkin kick, but I just cannot seem to get enough!
Pumpkin is pretty typical this time of year as I think it’s pretty synonymous with fall baking. But I’m not the biggest pumpkin fan and actually find apple flavors to be preferred for my fall baking flavor choice! So you’re going to see both of them on here competing for the best fall recipes.
This may be close to the top!
Last week I posted an Apple Cider Doughnut Bundt Cake and these are the actual donut version of that cake essentially. The cake is definitely more of a cake, but these are formulated to be a cake donut: moist, fluffy, tender and light. They have an awesome apple flavor thanks to a homemade apple cider concentrate and a lovely hint of spice, plus the addictive sparkling cinnamon sugar coating on the exterior.
The Donuts
For these cake donuts, you’ll need a donut pan. You can find these at most places nowadays and can easily buy them online, or try a store like Michael’s or Joann’s. Alternatively, you could bake these in a muffin tin and make donut muffins, too. This recipe has your standard ingredients: butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt – and then the flavor action from spices and the apple cider concentrate.
The Apple Flavor
The apple flavor is derived from apple cider concentrate. Sure, you could add in 1/2 cup of apple cider and call it a day. But why not concentrate the apple cider to really enhance and enrich the flavors more? To do this, we’ll add 1 cup of apple cider to a saucepan and let it reduce by half so you’ll end up with 1/2 cup of apple cider. The result is a richer, more concentrated apple cider flavor that really brings out the apple flavor in the donuts.
All in all, these easy farmstand-inspired Apple Cider Donuts are a must make!!
*adapted from NYT Cooking
Apple Cider Baked Donuts
These Apple Cider Baked Donuts are inspired by the farmstand and are so easy to make at home! Soft, moist, light and fluffy with a lovely apple spice flavor and a sparkling cinnamon sugar coating, they’re sure to satisfy your donut craving in a flash!
Servings: 18 donuts
Ingredients
- 1 cup prepared apple cider
- 10 Tbsp (1 stick plus 2 Tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1¼ tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
For Coating:
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350° degrees F. Liberally grease two 6-cavity donut pans or a 12-cavity muffin pan with cooking spray and set aside.
Add the apple cider to a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. You should now have 1/2 cup of apple cider. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars with the paddle attachment until fluffy and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition, followed by the vanilla extract. Add in the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg and mix in slowly until incorporated. Lastly, slowly stream in the reduced apple cider until batter comes together cohesively.
Spoon the batter into a piping bag and pipe the batter into the donut tins, filling about 2/3 of the way full. Or, spoon into the muffin tin filling about 2/3 of the way full. Bake the donut pans for about 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. If baking muffins, bake for about 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
While the donuts bake, whisk together the remaining granulated white sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Once the donuts are finished baking, allow them to cool in the pan for about 5-10 minutes, then carefully invert them onto a wire rack. Let cool for another 5 or so minutes, then dip into the melted butter and dredge into the cinnamon sugar mixture to coat the donut exterior in cinnamon sugar. Serve immediately. It’s best to dredge the donuts when they’re cooled off some as when you dip and dredge when they’re super hot, they’re really fragile.
I think you guys are going to love these amazing donuts! Making them at home is a game changer!
Have a super sweet day!
xo, Hayley
