Baked Apple Cider Donuts

A cozy twist on a classic, these baked apple cider donuts are light, perfectly spiced, and finished with a sweet cinnamon sugar coating.

Course Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine American

Keyword apple cider baked donuts, apple cider donut recipe, apple cider donuts, apple cider donuts recipe baked, baked apple cider donuts, cider doughnuts

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 11

Resting Time 10

Total Time 41

Servings donuts

Calories 191kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

Equipment

1 6-cavity donut pan

Ingredients

FOR THE DONUTS

2 tablespoons salted butter, softened at room temperature
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
¼ cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
¾ teaspoon baking powder
⅛ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ⅓ cups (160 grams) all-purpose flour
¼ cup apple cider
¼ cup milk

FOR THE TOPPING

½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, melted
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

MIX THE BATTER

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a 6-cavity donut pan with nonstick spray. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, vegetable oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Add the egg, beating to combine. Mix in the baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, salt, and vanilla. On low speed, mix the flour into the butter mixture alternately with the apple cider and milk, beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined. (So start with ⅓ of the flour, then all of the cider, then another ⅓ of the flour, then all of the milk, and finally the rest of the flour.)

BAKE THE DONUTS

Spoon the batter into the donut cavities, filling ⅔ to ¾ full. It helps to put the batter in a large zip-top bag, cut a corner off the bottom of the bag, and pipe the batter into each donut cavity. Bake the donuts for about 10-11 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. Let the donuts cool in the pan for about 2 minutes, and then flip them out onto a wire rack. Bake the remaining donut batter (there is usually enough batter for 1-2 more donuts). Allow the donuts to cool for about 10 minutes before coating in cinnamon-sugar.

COAT THE DONUTS IN CINNAMON-SUGAR

When the donuts are cool enough to handle (but still warm), prepare the topping. Place the melted butter in a small bowl. In a separate small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon. Dip the donuts in the melted butter, and then dunk them into the cinnamon sugar to coat on all sides.
The donuts are best served immediately. Leftovers will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Video

Notes

This recipe yields about 7-8 donuts. You'll need at least one 6-cavity donut pan. If you have two doughnut pans, you can bake all of the donuts at once. If you only have one pan, add the remaining batter to the pan to bake a second batch once your first batch is done.
You probably will not use all of the melted butter and cinnamon sugar mixture. As a result, the nutrition information for the amount used on each donut will vary, and is hard to calculate. Nutrition facts provided are estimated for the plain baked donuts without any coating.

Nutrition