Tag: Apple Cider Doughnuts

Quick & Easy Apple Cider Donuts & Pumpkin Donuts

A popular treat around this time of the year is Apple Cider Donuts. If you partake in any type of Fall festival or activity – especially visiting an apple orchard – chances are you will come across them. Not as popular but just as perfect for these crisp autumn days are Pumpkin Donuts. And while I have shared recipes for both donuts before, today’s recipe takes a major short-cut and uses one box of spice cake mix to whip up a batch of both.

To start I made the “base” for each donut. To avoid overbeating and ending up with dense donuts, I opted to mix everything by hand. In a large bowl I stirred the cake mix along with eggs, oil and vanilla extract until just combined. The mixture was quite thick, resembling more of a cookie dough than a batter. I divided it in half, leaving one half in the bowl and placing the other in a medium size bowl. In one I added in apple cider and in the other pumpkin puree. I stirred each until it was the consistency of cake batter and then transferred it to piping bags and filled each donut cavity about halfway. It was easy not to confuse which was which since the pumpkin donuts had an orange hue to them.

After baking I let the pumpkin donuts cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. As for the apple cider donuts, I coated them in cinnamon sugar while they were still warm. Coating them while warm eliminates the need to brush them with melted butter for the cinnamon sugar to adhere to them. If you want to add cinnamon sugar to your pumpkin donuts as well, follow the same steps.  

Now, if you aren’t a fan of either apple cider donuts or pumpkin donuts or just want to make a full batch of one or the other, you can simply double the amount of apple cider or pumpkin puree you add in. The amount for that is in the recipe below.  

Spice Cake Mix Apple Cider Donuts & Pumpkin Donuts

Ingredients:

1 15.25oz box of spice cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)

2 large eggs

1/4 cup oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Pumpkin Donuts:

6 tablespoons pumpkin puree

For the Apple Cider Donuts:

6 tablespoons apple cider

Cinnamon Sugar Topping:

3/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

*If you want to make a full batch of apple cider donuts add in 3/4 cup of apple cider to the batter and similarly, if you want to make a full batch of pumpkin donuts add in 3/4 cup of pumpkin puree.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray 2 donuts pans with baking spray.

In a large bowl stir together the cake mix, eggs, oil and vanilla extract until just combined. Divide the batter in half (it will be thick) and place one half in another bowl.

In one of the bowls add in the pumpkin puree and in the other the apple cider. Stir each of the batters until the ingredients are well incorporated.

Transfer each batter to a piping bag or resealable bag. Snip the end of the bag (or corner if using a resealable bag) and pipe the batters into the prepared pans about half-way.

Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes. You can insert a cake tester into one of the donuts to make sure it comes out clean.

In a shallow bowl stir together the cinnamon and sugar.

Let the pumpkin donuts cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Carefully remove the apple cider donuts from the pan one at a time and coat in the cinnamon sugar topping before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

*If you want to coat the pumpkin donuts with cinnamon sugar as well follow the same steps as the Apple Cider Donuts after removing from the oven.

Store in an airtight container.

Apple Cider Doughnut Cake

I’ve mentioned it quite a few times before that one of my favorite things about going apple picking is getting freshly made apple cider doughnuts. I posted about a baked version last year. And while those were good, there is something about a fried doughnut that just can’t be topped. If you are not sure about frying doughnuts (I tried once and it was a fail) check out my post for Apple Cider Fritters. They’re bite size and so good you may end up guilty of eating one too many. So, when I came across a recipe for a twist on my favorite doughnuts in a cake form (including a cinnamon sugar topping) I knew I had to try it. Well, at first I was going to pass on it. I try to stick with recipes that require ingredients that I have on hand or that I know I will use again. So, when I saw that this recipe included wheat flour as one of the ingredients I was a tad bit skeptical. I know, wheat flour isn’t something that is all that odd, but, there aren’t many recipes I come across that require it so I was a bit concerned that it would end up just sitting in my cabinet or refrigerator indefinitely. I also wondered why both? Which of course required a Google search. And what I learned is that using a combination of all-purpose and whole wheat flour produces a cake that is lighter in texture and rises better. And by mixing the two you also get the added benefits of more fiber and nutrients thanks to the whole wheat.

So, a slightly funny story while making this cake. One of the ingredients is unsweetened applesauce. I had a jar of it in my refrigerator from another recipe but I never actually checked it until it was time to add it to the batter. So, I had all of my wet ingredients in a bowl and was about to add in the applesauce when I saw there was mold on top of it. Okay, not so funny. I didn’t bother to check it since it wasn’t set to expire until next year. But, this will definitely be a lesson to me to check those odd ball ingredients just in case. This is a good example of what I was saying before, buying ingredients that will sit without being used for a while. I ended up covering the ingredients with a piece of plastic wrap and ran out to the store to buy a new jar of applesauce. Hopefully the same thing won’t happen to this one. I guess I better come up with recipes for whole wheat flour and applesauce ASAP.

Letting the ingredients sit for a bit of time didn’t have any affect on the final cake. It did somehow separate while baking, but, I doubt it was because of the time my ingredients were left sitting. If you are having trouble seeing it in the picture below it’s on the right-hand side.

After adding a cinnamon sugar coating to the cake and letting it cool completely it was time to slice in to the cake and enjoy a piece. It didn’t taste exactly like my favorite apple cider doughnuts, but, it was just as good.

Apple Cider Doughnut Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoons kosher salt

1 3/4 cups sugar

1 cup apple cider

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 large eggs, at room temperature

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees. Spray a Bundt pan with baking spray or coat with butter and flour.

In a large bowl whisk together both flours along with the baking powder, 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon, baking soda and salt.

In another bowl whisk together 1 1/2 cups of the sugar, apple cider, olive oil, applesauce, vanilla and eggs. Once well blended add to the flour mixture and whisk both mixtures together until well combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack set over a large bowl or rimmed baking sheet to cool for 15 minutes. While the cake is cooling mix together the remaining sugar and cinnamon and melt the butter.

Invert the cake onto the wire rack. Brush sections of the cake with melted butter and the sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Continue doing this until the entire cake is coated with the butter and cinnamon sugar. Let the cake cool completely before serving.

Recipe from Martha Stewart

Baked Apple Cider Donuts

I remember that the only time I was able to get Apple Cider Donuts was when I would go apple picking in upstate NY. I used to look forward to that 2-hour car trip, not only for the apples, but because I knew on the 2+ – hour (thanks to the inevitable traffic) car ride home I would be enjoying some freshly made warm donuts. Nowadays, it seems like you can get Apple Cider Donuts just about anywhere. Practically every apple orchard and farm I have visited sells them. Thankfully there are two places not terribly far from me that sell them year-round and both are quite delicious. There are some other places that sell them and they are, well, to be kind, I will say not so delicious.

While the Apple Cider Donuts I have had are deep-fried, I have attempted to make my own baked Apple Cider Donuts at home and until recently haven’t been that successful. The recipes I tried usually involved reducing the apple cider and I am not sure if I wasn’t reducing it enough or what, but, they were always a fail. Recently though I came across a recipe that didn’t involve reducing the apple cider and included olive oil that produced a delicious donut that actually stayed fresh & moist for a few days – thanks to said olive oil. I wouldn’t say that these are a perfect substitution to the delicious ones I get upstate, but, they are pretty close.

If you are looking for something bite-sized so you don’t feel as guilty (granted, they are fried though!), check out these Apple Cider Fritters I posted last year.

Baked Apple Cider Donuts

  • Servings: 18-21 Donuts
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Ingredients:

3 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon*

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg*

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice*

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup apple cider

3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

 

Topping:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup sugar**

2 tablespoons cinnamon**

 

*If you have apple spice, use 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon & 1 teaspoon of apple pie spice and omit the nutmeg & allspice.

**If you have cinnamon sugar you can use that in place of mixing together cinnamon & sugar

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray donut pans with baking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a second large bowl whisk together the sugar, apple cider, olive oil, applesauce, vanilla and eggs. Once well combined, add in the flour mixture and stir to combine.

Transfer the batter to the prepared donut pan, filling each cavity three-quarters full.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a cake tester inserted comes out clean.

Let the donuts cool for a few minutes in the pan and then invert onto a wire rack.

In a small bowl whisk together the sugar & cinnamon. Brush each donut with the melted butter and the sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on to the donut.

Store the donuts in an air tight container.

Recipe from Inspired By Charm