Donuts/ Recipes/ Seasonal Recipes

Baked Apple Cider Donuts

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We’re back after an amazing weekend in Portland!

It was my first time visiting the city and we pretty much just ate our way through it. I need another two weeks there to eat at all the places I had on my list but I think I made a sizable dent at least {Ruby Jewels ice cream…drool}. I’ll be talking more about my trip later, but for now I’ll tell you that it involved a super fun project with Barre3, my favorite exercise program. Let’s just say I needed a lot of Barre3 to counteract all the delicious food I ate over the weekend! If you’re not currently signed up for their online workouts, you need to get with the program! I’m addicted.

You want to know what else I am addicted to? Donuts. And I am SO SAD to say that I didn’t get a donut in Portland. I know. I know. It’s like a crime to go there and not visit Voodoo or Blue Star. We were supposed to hit up Blue Star after brunch on our last morning but after a huge plate of migas with chipotle sour cream and hash browns, I literally didn’t think I could fit another bite of food into my body. You know I had to be full to pass up donuts…but that just gives me reason to go back!

Because I didn’t get to eat donuts in Portland, I whipped up these delicious baked apple cider donuts at home…and while I’m sure they can’t compare to fried brown sugar bacon donuts in Portland, they are pretty darn good. And definitely a tad healthier!

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To make these delicious fall treats, you’ll need a donut pan! Here’s the one I have and love. Seriously, the best $10 you’ll spend on a kitchen tool — I promise.

These apple cider donuts are soft, cake-like and covered in cinnamon sugar. And because they are baked, not fried, you can feel a twinge less guilt when you consume one, two or three. I like to have one alongside a big bowl of creamy Greek yogurt that’s been drizzled with honey for breakfast.

Y’all are going to love these! I told you I was on a kick with fall-themed baking. I just can’t be stopped…it’s the very best time of year.

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Baked Apple Cider Donuts

makes 12 donuts

Print this Recipe!

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup apple cider

1/4 cup buttermilk

2 tbsp soft unsalted butter

1 tsp cinnamon

for topping~

2 tbsp butter, melted

1/2 cup sugar

1 tbsp cinnamon (or to taste)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325. Spray two donut pans with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

In another smaller bowl, blend the eggs, buttermilk, apple cider and butter. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until just blended. Batter will be on the thick side.

Spread batter into prepared donut pan. This is easiest using wet fingers. You want to fill each donut mold about 3/4th of the way full.

Place donuts in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes until fluffy and slightly golden. Invert donuts on a large piece of wax paper and let cool while you prepare the cinnamon sugar topping.

Place melted butter in a small dish and cinnamon sugar on a larger dish. Dip each donut quickly in the melted butter then the cinnamon sugar.

Enjoy!

Time:

45 minutes

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  • Live Love Yum
    October 15, 2013 at 3:11 am

    Love your photos. Beautiful!

  • Danielle
    October 15, 2013 at 3:29 am

    This… is fall made edible. I miss the States so much during this season!

  • Averie @ Averie Cooks
    October 15, 2013 at 3:59 am

    Homemade donuts are so fun and yes, I swear by my donut pans. I have all different sizes and it’s fun to whip up a batch whenever. They cook faster than muffins which is a bonus. I love apple cider and bet these would be so good!

  • Alison @ Daily Moves and Grooves
    October 15, 2013 at 4:15 am

    Delicious! I need to make some of these pronto. ๐Ÿ™‚ Thanks for the recipe!

  • Michelle @ A Healthy Mrs
    October 15, 2013 at 4:21 am

    Yum! I seriously cannot wait to try making these! Hurry up work day — I’ve got some baking to do! ๐Ÿ™‚

  • Madison
    October 15, 2013 at 4:35 am

    I NEEEEEED a donut pan and this is the second recipe where I am saying “Yes BUY the donut pan, Madison.” I’m doing it now and that’s because of you and this recipe! Thank you! They look so yummy!

  • Anne @ CandyCrazedrun.wordpress.com
    October 15, 2013 at 4:35 am

    Yummm!
    I want to visit the Pacific Northwest so badly!
    I am loving the Fall themed recipes ๐Ÿ™‚

  • Angela @ Eat Spin Run Repeat
    October 15, 2013 at 4:38 am

    Beautiful! I’m not really a big desserts person (savoury’s more my thing) but I can’t help but swoon at photos of delicious donuts! Gorgeous photos, Jenna!

  • Kelsey @ Ramblings of Change
    October 15, 2013 at 6:12 am

    They sound truly amazing, especially when you described how you eat them. I’d love to pair one with a rainy day spent at home with a homemade chai tea latte.

  • Kinsey
    October 15, 2013 at 6:16 am

    These look absolutely incredible! I can’t wait to make these. I love how light they are for doughnuts, so I won’t mind having these for breakfast or a snack.

  • erin @hooleywithaz
    October 15, 2013 at 7:10 am

    someday i will buy a donut pan…i’m just convinced there are just too many good recipes out there not to!

  • Sara @ Pidge's Pantry
    October 15, 2013 at 7:37 am

    YUM! These looks so good!

  • Colleen
    October 15, 2013 at 7:52 am

    Glad you had a great time! I’m not a donut fan, but the Barre3 stuff is fun to hear about.

  • Caroline L.
    October 15, 2013 at 8:29 am

    Stop stop stop, I was talking all weekend about how I was craving an apple cider donut & then I couldn’t find one anywhere! You mind-reader and wish-fulfiller ๐Ÿ™‚

  • Kim
    October 15, 2013 at 8:31 am

    I’m not a big baker but these look like something I could maybe handle – they look and sound delicious!!!

  • shelly@ohshellsbells
    October 15, 2013 at 8:55 am

    i need to make these and then i need to have a party so i dont eat them all myself.

  • Heather
    October 15, 2013 at 9:01 am

    Apple cider donuts are one of my favorite things about autumn! I have never thought to make a baked apple cider donut – love this idea, can’t wait to try your recipe. Thank you!!

  • Dana
    October 15, 2013 at 9:11 am

    yummy!! Love these donuts!!

  • Laura @ Lauras Baking Talent
    October 15, 2013 at 9:15 am

    This is the second post about donuts this week that has made me NEED a donut pan. I think its a sign ๐Ÿ™‚ Must order one! These look great and yummy. Glad you enjoyed your trip to portland.

  • Dishing up the dirt
    October 15, 2013 at 9:30 am

    Lovely donut recipe!

  • Nicole
    October 15, 2013 at 9:52 am

    Oh my gosh, yum. I need to make these.

  • LizW
    October 15, 2013 at 10:06 am

    Where did you have that amazing migas breakfast?? I’m from Portland and need that this weekend ๐Ÿ™‚ ๐Ÿ™‚ ๐Ÿ™‚
    (The doughnuts look amazing, too!)

    • jenna
      October 15, 2013 at 10:23 am

      Mothers! so, so, so good ๐Ÿ™‚

  • Rosey Rebecca
    October 15, 2013 at 10:09 am

    I almost ate my computer when I saw this on feedly. I know what I’m doing this weekend–making and eating 500 apple donuts. Thanks a lot.

  • Leah
    October 15, 2013 at 10:26 am

    These are in the oven now and smell awesome ๐Ÿ™‚ I have some leftover honey butter that I think I will use for the dipping. Also, I filled the donut pans by piping with a plastic bag with the corner cut off. Super fast and no wet or messy hands.

    • jenna
      October 15, 2013 at 10:32 am

      smart move!! Hope you love them!

  • joelle (on a pink typewriter)
    October 15, 2013 at 10:26 am

    These look delicious!!

  • Dana @ Conscious Kitchen Blog
    October 15, 2013 at 10:59 am

    Now I need to get a doughnut pan! These sounds absolutely delicious. There’s a bakery at our local farmers market who makes fresh doughnuts every Saturday morning and I’m going to miss them over the winter. Guess it’s time to start making my own!

  • Kammie @ Sensual Appeal
    October 15, 2013 at 3:10 pm

    OMG a hundred times yes! The true flavor of Fall! I love!

  • Debbie@Happyhealthyfitandfine
    October 15, 2013 at 3:27 pm

    These look delicious. I’m going to try them in my mini donut maker!

  • Emm
    October 15, 2013 at 4:37 pm

    You caught us on a great weather weekend!

  • candice @ candy's daily dish
    October 15, 2013 at 5:21 pm

    Those look incredible! I’ll be buying that donut pan ๐Ÿ˜‰

  • Coty and Mariah
    October 15, 2013 at 6:54 pm

    We’ve seriously have been waiting for a recipe like this! In love.

  • Angela
    October 15, 2013 at 6:59 pm

    I love donuts!! This time of the year is so hard to not pig out on apple cider and donuts. I’ll have to try these!!

  • Alanna
    October 15, 2013 at 7:21 pm

    YUM. Baking apple cider donuts have been on my fall bucket list! I WILL get to them soon!

  • LLY
    October 16, 2013 at 5:40 am

    Hi Jenna,

    Wondering if you could give some honest feedback/opinion on Barre3 vs. Yoga Online. I’m looking to join one of these online programs and am conflicted. Barre3 seems different, but YogaOnline seems to provide a vast array of videos, etc.

    If anyone else cares to chime in, please do!

    • jenna
      October 16, 2013 at 9:44 am

      I prefer Barre3 personally – I don’t even remember the last time I did a Yoga Online video…it’s been years. I love Barre3 because it’s fast paced and holds my attention for 30-40 minutes while I get a good workout at home.

  • Annalisa
    October 16, 2013 at 9:58 am

    I just left Portland, I’m on the train to Seattle. We also ate our way through Portland, the food there is incredible. I hate to say, but I did go to Blue Star and the blueberry bourbon basil donut was nuts! I’m drooling just thinking of it! I’m sure your cider donuts are just as good, they look amazing!

  • Blakely
    October 16, 2013 at 10:37 am

    Yum! These sounds delicious. Miss you Jenna! Glad to see you’re doing so great! Congrats on everything.

  • Bekah @ She.Walks.In.Freedom
    October 16, 2013 at 5:51 pm

    These look AMAZING! Gonna make them when I go home for fall break from College!

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  • Kritina
    October 18, 2013 at 1:39 pm

    Hi!
    This is one great recipe you have here! Thanks a lot for sharing it. I love eating doughnuts! Especially jam and chocolate ones! My mum would bake these a lot when I was a kid. I have never tried doughnuts before but your recipe is very tempting and I want to try it out. It seems so easy the way you have done it. The doughnuts recipe that my mum uses has another technique and in that recipe, you have to fry the doughnuts. Your recipe is way healthier and I am definitely going to try that baking method. How ingenious to add apple cider to the dough, I would never have thought of that. One question though, if I donโ€™t have baking soda, canโ€™t I use baking powder instead? Or self-rising flour in case I donโ€™t happen to have neither the baking soda nor baking powder on hand.
    I have a blog on cooking for a Web module and I am happy to have commented on your blog. Please do reply to this comment. I find your work amazing and I am definitely bookmarking your blog as inspiration. : ) Thanks a lot and continue this wonderful work of yours.

    -Kritina
    http://boucheessalersucrer.wordpress.com/

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  • Kate
    October 19, 2013 at 5:11 pm

    I just made these donuts for my husband and my younger brother, and we all agreed that these may be the best things that I have EVER cooked. So delicious! Thank you for such a wonderful recipe!

  • N
    October 20, 2013 at 12:24 pm

    I’m sorry I don’t mean to be rude but I don’t like the word “guilt”. Putting that word in context with feeling guilty for EATINGNsomething is very triggering. People should never feel guilt for eating a freaking donut

  • kelsey from {psheart}
    October 21, 2013 at 12:51 pm

    I just made these and they are so heavenly!! Exactly what I was looking for in an apple cider donut =) so thank you!!

    (One thing I did find was that my donuts cooked in 10 minutes instead of 25! Maybe it’s just my oven?)

  • Hillary
    October 23, 2013 at 10:23 am

    I don’t have a donut pan, and don’t really want to run and buy one. Do you think these would work as muffins?

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  • Maureen
    October 27, 2013 at 9:51 am

    These were really good. Much easier than I expected, and such a nice treat to bring into school!

  • nancy
    November 1, 2013 at 5:26 pm

    Wow, a perfect recipe, my son has been wanting these all week and store bought just won’t do. I’m going to bake them in his baby cakes donut maker. I think I may do half in there, and the other half in my mini whoopee pie pan. Filled with a thick filling of cream cheese/cider/powdered sugar, they aught to make us say “Whoopie!” for sure! Oh yum, I love to get in the kitchen with my children and see what we can create. Another fun weekend beckons…

  • Christine
    November 5, 2013 at 7:11 am

    Amazing recipe and so easy to make too! I’ve had this one bookmarked for a few weeks and finally got to making them last night. Yum!! Thanks for posting!

    And congrats on your wonderful baby news! We’re two weeks from d-day for our first – it’s a wonderful experience being pregnant and food has never tasted so good!!

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  • Margarita
    November 10, 2013 at 7:28 pm

    This was delicious! I baked a batch this morning and my husband was in love. We don’t have a donut pan but a mini muffin tin worked just as well. Baked it at 350 for 15 minutes.

    I had some initial problems with the wet ingredients. As soon as I added the butter, it hardened due to the other cold ingredients. So I scooped out the butter solids and melted it. Meanwhile, I mixed the wet mix with the dry and then whisked in the melted butter.

    It turned out ok in the end and the result was still delicious! Thank you for this awesome recipe.

  • Araya
    November 26, 2013 at 9:43 pm

    I made these today and sadly I’m not very pleased. The cider flavor in them is hardly noticeable. I know that it does vary depending on the actual cider, time of year, etc. but the cider was good drank plain but it’s just.. not noticeable in these; it’s more of a sugar-cinnamon doughnut. And also, they raised a LOT I mean they + doubled in size. And they’re a chewy-thick type doughnut. It wasn’t really doughnut consistency to me.

  • Laura
    November 5, 2014 at 4:25 pm

    Just made these tonight! They rose well and taste good, but I agree–the taste of cider is not very strong at all. They taste more just plain sweet to me. I also ran into the problem another commenter had about the butter solidifying when mixed into the cold ingredients, so I did the same thing she had done… Melting it and then mixing it into the batter after I had combined the other wet ingredients with the dry.

    A good recipe, but I wish there was a stronger cider flavor!

  • deborah
    February 3, 2015 at 9:39 am

    I am NOT a sweet eater. With that said, I tried these for the first time a few months back. I plan on making these with modifications. I use einkorn flour which is 100% healthier than white flour. I also use piloncillo sugar instead of white sugar.
    Health first is my moto.

  • Dianne Seward
    June 8, 2020 at 2:10 am

    Everyone is familiar with the old adage, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away,” but some interesting new research credits even stronger healing benefits from eating apples on a daily basis.

    Apple can be use for different item of recipe in different way. I appreciate your tips and writings. Thanks

  • Stacey
    October 17, 2020 at 3:08 pm

    I have been following and using this donut recipe for years. I felt it was finally time I left a comment. Itโ€™s a tried and true! Love following your family on Instagram!