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You won’t need a deep fryer for this one. Get homemade flavor with this baked apple cider donuts recipe: I stir spice cake mix, applesauce and apple cider (not juice) into one bowl and the batter comes out thick. You’ll see rounded tops dome and set in just 15 mins, with the edges pulling back from the mold. Dunk each donut into a bowl of cinnamon sugar so it comes out looking sandy. These baked apple cider donuts are best served same day.
The only special equipment you’ll need is a donut mold. or two. I do love the flavor of cardamom in my baked goods so I’ve included it as an optional spice.
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Steps + Photos to make Apple Cider Donuts
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease the donut molds liberally with fat like butter or shortening, or nonstick spray.
Step 2: Add the spice cake mix and the applesauce to a medium bowl.
Step 3: Pour in the apple cider and crack in the eggs.
Step 4: Stir gently until the batter is smooth and thick like pancake batter.
Step 6: Fill 12 donut mold cavities not quite to the top. A piping bag, or a zip top bag with the corner snipped off, makes this faster and keeps the batter off the mold rims.
Step 7: Set the molds on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Cool in the mold until you can handle them, then turn them out.
Step 8: Stir the cinnamon and sugar together (and the ground cardamom, if using) in a small bowl. Add the donuts one at a time and spoon the mixture over until each one is coated.
Tools and Equipment
- Silicone donut mold. The one we recommend one with a tall center so the hole goes all the way through. Recipe makes 12 so you can reuse one or buy two.
- Medium mixing bowl
- Rubber spatula
- Piping bag or a zipper bag, optional
- Baking sheet
- Small bowl or high sided plate for the cinnamon sugar
- Measuring cups & spoons
- Wire cooling rack
Tips for Success
- Use apple cider, not apple juice. The cider has a MUCH deeper, tangier apple flavor, which needs to come through.
- Fill the cavities no more than three quarters full. You want to keep the hole; more than that and the batter will spill over the top.
- Add the cinnamon sugar while they are still warm, the warmer the better so the coating sticks well.
- Set the molds on the baking sheet before you fill them. Because silicone is flexible, it can twist and dump the batter before you make it to the baking sheet.
- Don’t overbake. Check the thickest part of one or two donuts; it should come out with a few damp crumbs.
- Use a yellow or white cake mix, if you don’t have a spice cake on hand, and add 2 teaspoons of apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice to the dry mix.
- Storing. These are best the day you make them but they will keep covered for a couple of days.
- Freezing. For up to two months, freeze the uncoated donuts in a zip top bag, then thaw, warm them for a few seconds, then coat in cinnamon sugar.
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Baked Apple Cider Donuts
Equipment
Ingredients
- 13.25 oz box spice cake mix
- 1/2 c applesauce
- 1/2 c apple cider
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 c sugar for coating
- 2 t cinnamon for coating
- 1/2 t ground cardamom optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease the donut molds.
- Stir the cake mix, applesauce, apple cider and eggs together in a medium bowl until smooth.
- Fill 12 donut mold cavities not quite to the top with the batter. Adding the batter to a piping bag makes this easier.
- Put the donut molds on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool, then remove from the mold.
- Mix the cinnamon and sugar together (and cardamom, if using). Add a donut one at a time to the bowl and use a spoon to coat each donut in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Notes
- Be sure to use apple cider, not apple juice. Cider has a deeper, tangier flavor that the recipe needs.
- Coat the donuts while they are still warm so the cinnamon sugar sticks.
- A standard silicone donut mold holds 6 cavities, so bake in two rounds or use two molds.
- No spice cake mix? Use a yellow cake mix plus 2 teaspoons of apple pie or pumpkin pie spice.
Nutrition
The bottom line
Apple cider donuts don’t have to be yeast-proofed all-day tasks that require a deep fryer. This cheat code for this fall easy apple cider donut recipe puts them in your oven instead, using a spice cake mix as the shortcut and real cider and applesauce to do the actual work. The only special equipment you need is a metal or silicone donut mold.
