Baked Cider Donuts
Capture the cozy spirit of the season with the ultimate baked apple cider donut recipe! Featuring a delightful combination of Honeycrisp apples, fresh cider, warming spices and a glossy glaze, these cider donuts are delicious moist, perfectly tender, and ideally spiced. Best of all, you'll need just 25 minutes to make them.
Equipment
- 1 Small Saucepan - for reducing apple cider
- 2 Mixing Bowls - for making the donut batter
- 1 donut pan - for baking apple donuts
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Apple Cider (SEE NOTES)
- 1 Cup All Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Cinnamon
- ½ tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 Large Egg
- 1/3 Cup Light Brown Sugar
- 2 TBS Unsalted Butter - melted & cooled
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 whole Honeycrisp Apple – peeled, grated & gently squeezed dry (about 1/2 cup) (SEE NOTES)
Apple Cider Glaze:
- 1 Cup Powdered Sugar
- 1-2 TBS Heavy Cream (SEE NOTES)
- Optional Garnishes: Gold Sprinkles, Ground Cinnamon, Crushed Toasted Walnuts
Instructions
- Reduce the Apple cider: Add the apple cider to a small saucepan and place on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Bring the cider to a boil and then immediately reduce the heat to maintain a rapid simmer.Cook the apple cider until until it's been reduced by half (to about half a cup), about 6-10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool completely to room temperature. (NOTE 1: You will be using 1/3 cup of reduced cider in the donuts and 2 tablespoons of reduced cider in the glaze)(NOTE 2: You can reduce the cider ahead of time! Simply transfer the reduced cider to a storage container, let it cool, and then store in the refrigerator.)
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Donut Pan: Arrange the oven rack to the middle position and then preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a donut pan with nonstick cooking spray or lightly grease with butter.
- Start the Donut Batter – Mix DryIngredients: In a large bowl with whisk, or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a separate medium mixing bowl, combine the egg, brown sugar, melted butter, vanilla extract, and 1/3 cup of reduced cider. Whisk until smooth.
- Add the Wet Ingredients to the Dry, Add Apples: Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and mix until the batter is JUST combined. Add the grated apples to the batter and then use a spatula to gently fold the ingredients until they're JUST combined. (Note: The batter should be thick)
- Transfer the Donut Batter to a Bag: Spoon the batter into a large piping bag, or zip-closure bag with the tip snipped off. (SEE NOTES)Pipe the donut batter into the pan cavities, filling each about ¾ of the way full (the batter will expand and rise).
- Bake In Preheated Oven: Transfer the apple cider donuts to the preheated oven and bake for 14-18 minutes, or until the donuts are lightly golden brown around the edges and the top of donut springs back to touch. Remove from the oven and let the donuts cool in the pan for 5 minutes before using a thin spatula to remove the donuts from the pan. Transfer the donuts to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes before glazing.
- While the Donuts are Baking, Make the Glaze: To a small, shallow bowl (you want to be able to dip the donuts), add the sugar, 2 tablespoons of reduced apple cider, and heavy cream. Use a whisk and stir the ingredients together until thoroughly combined. (SEE NOTES)
- Glaze and Serve Baked Apple Cider Donuts: Dip the cooled donut tops into the glaze and transfer to a wire rack. Sprinkle with crushed walnuts, sprinkles and cinnamon. Allow to dry or serve immediately. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Apples: I used a Honeycrisp apple, but feel free to substitute whatever variety of apple is your favorite. If you are looking for a donut with a touch of tart flavor, Granny Smith would taste great! Or, if you are looking for a mix of the sweetness of a Honeycrisp and the tartness of a Granny Smith, I highly recommend using Pink Lady!
- Grating apples: When grating the apple, make sure you use the large holes on a box grater. If you do not have a box grater you can finely dice the apple. Make sure you paper towels or a tea towel to gently squeeze out excess moisture from the grated apple.
- Reducing cider: You can reduce the apple cider (step one of the recipe) up to three days in advance. Just make sure to keep it stored in a container with a tight fitted lid in the refrigerator. The reduced apple cider is used in both the donut batter and the glaze, so make sure you read the directions carefully!! Do NOT just add all the reduced cider to the donut batter.
- Mixing batter: Make sure you only mix the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients until everything is JUST combined. The batter should be thick and wet.
- Piping batter: Transferring the donut batter into a disposable piping bag, or zip-closure bag, isn’t necessary but it does make things easier! However, you can definitely just spoon it into the donut molds. If you are using a bag, make sure you snip off the corner of the bag large enough to allow the grated apple to pass through.
- For donut muffins: To use a muffin pan instead, divide the batter evenly between the greased muffin tins. Bake for 16 to 22 minutes, rotating halfway through baking.
- Glaze: The amount of heavy cream in the glaze depends on personal preference and desired thickness. Start with one tablespoon and add more cream, one teaspoon at a time, until you reach your preferred consistency. I used 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon.
- Serving & Storage: Donuts are always best served fresh on the day they are made, but the donuts will keep, stored in an airtight container, overnight. Just be sure NOT to glaze them until right before serving!
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Need to Scale the Recipe? Hover your mouse over the number of servings in the recipe card. You'll see a sliding scale pop up, you can use that to scale the recipe up or down as needed.
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Got questions? I've got answers! If you ever run into an issue, have a question, or need any clarification - please feel free to drop them in the comments section. I'm happy to help when I can!
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and the nutrition facts are an estimate based upon 6 servings. Exact information will depend upon the brands of ingredients and precise measurements used.
Nutrition
Calories: 275kcal Carbohydrates: 53g Protein: 3g Fat: 6g Saturated Fat: 3g Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g Monounsaturated Fat: 2g Trans Fat: 0.2g Cholesterol: 44mg Sodium: 213mg Potassium: 163mg Fiber: 1g Sugar: 35g Vitamin A: 199IU Vitamin C: 0.4mg Calcium: 55mg Iron: 1mg