Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts Recipe with Glaze or Cinnamon Sugar

baked cinnamon apple cider doughnuts recipe featured image

Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts Recipe with Glaze or Cinnamon Sugar

This baked apple doughnuts recipe is made with fresh apple and apple cider for soft cake donuts that are full of warm autumn spices and sweet apple flavor. Enjoy them as-is, topped with apple cider glaze, or coated in butter and cinnamon sugar.

Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Apple Cider Donuts, Apple Cider Doughnuts, Apple Donuts, Apple Donuts Recipe, Apple Doughnuts, Apple Doughnuts Recipe, Baked Apple Donuts

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 10

Servings servings

Calories 115kcal

Author Faith Gorsky

Equipment

Donut pan

Ingredients

Apple Doughnuts:

4 tablespoons light brown sugar lightly packed (or coconut palm sugar)
1 large egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or canola oil, avocado oil, or melted coconut oil
1/2 cup fresh 100% apple cider
1 small apple washed, peeled (if desired), cored, and grated (about 160 grams before peeling and coring)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
150 grams all-purpose flour (slightly scant 1 1/4 cups)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

Apple Cider Glaze Option:

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon fresh 100% apple cider

Cinnamon Sugar Option:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Other:

Butter to grease the donut pans

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the Doughnuts:

Prep. Preheat the oven to 350F. Generously grease 2 doughnut pans with butter. (Or cook the doughnuts in 2 batches if you only have 1 pan.)
Make the batter. Whisk together the brown sugar, egg, oil, apple cider, grated apple, and vanilla in a large bowl. Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger all at once and use a wooden spoon to stir just until combined, being careful not to over-mix.
Bake. Spoon the batter into the prepared doughnut pans (you should get about 10 doughnuts). Bake until a toothpick inserted inside comes out clean or with just a couple crumbs, about 8 to 12 minutes, rotating the trays once halfway through baking.
Cool. Let the doughnuts cool for 10 15 minutes in the tray, then run a paring knife along the outside of each doughnut. Invert the tray onto a wire rack and the doughnuts should come right out. Let the doughnuts finish cooling on a wire rack.

For the Apple Cider Glaze Option:

Once the doughnuts are cool, mix together the glaze ingredients. Dip the top of each doughnut in the glaze and let it set before serving.

For the Cinnamon Sugar Option:

While the doughnuts are still warm, brush them with the melted butter. Stir together the sugar and cinnamon, and roll the buttered donuts in this mixture to coat the outside.

Video

Notes

Recipe Yield and Serving Size: This recipe makes 10 small donuts; each serving is 1 donut. However, note that the amount of donuts will vary based on how big your pan is.
Nutritional Information: The nutrition information for each donut was calculated without the optional apple cider glaze or cinnamon sugar coating.
Apple Pie Spice Mix: You can use 1 1/2 teaspoons of apple pie spice instead of the cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger.
Whole Wheat Flour Substitution: Instead of using 1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, you can use 1 cup whole wheat flour.
Storage: Like most doughnuts, these are best eaten the same day they're made. However, once the glaze is set you can store these in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, in the fridge for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. After the first day (or if they've been refrigerated or frozen), I like to heat these donuts for about 15 seconds in the microwave before eating.

Nutrition