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Baked Apple Cider Donuts

Baked apple cider donuts with a tender crumb and a deep apple flavor from reduced apple cider. Oven-baked in a donut pan, then brushed with butter and coated in cinnamon sugar.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 32 minutes
Servings: 12 donuts
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Calories: 210
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

all-purpose flour
  • 2 cup all-purpose flour
baking powder
  • 1.5 tsp baking powder
cinnamon
  • 1.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tsp cinnamon For coating
nutmeg
  • 0.5 tsp nutmeg
allspice
  • 0.25 tsp allspice
salt
  • 0.25 tsp salt
apple cider
  • 0.5 cup apple cider Reduce to 1/2 cup
brown sugar
  • 0.5 cup brown sugar Packed
granulated sugar
  • 0.25 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.33 cup granulated sugar For coating
eggs
  • 2 eggs
unsalted butter
  • 0.33 cup unsalted butter Melted
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter For coating
sour cream
  • 0.33 cup sour cream
vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Reduce the apple cider
  1. Simmer apple cider over medium heat until reduced to 1/2 cup, then set aside to cool completely. You should see it thicken and the volume decrease noticeably.
Prep and mix the batter
  1. Preheat oven to 375F and grease a donut pan. Make sure every cavity is well coated so the donuts release cleanly.
  2. Whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt in a mixing bowl until evenly combined. The spice blend should look uniform with no clumps.
  3. Whisk both sugars, eggs, melted butter, sour cream, reduced cider, and vanilla until smooth. The mixture should be glossy and fully incorporated.
  4. Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until just combined. The batter should be thick enough to spoon or pipe.
Bake and coat
  1. Spoon or pipe batter into the donut pan cavities, filling each about 3/4 full. Tap the pan lightly to settle the batter.
  2. Bake at 375F for 10-12 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. The donuts should look set and lightly golden at the edges.
  3. Brush warm donuts with melted butter, then roll in cinnamon sugar to coat. The coating should cling while the donuts are still warm.

Notes

Pro tip: cool the reduced cider completely before mixing so the eggs don’t cook and the batter stays smooth. Store baked donuts in an airtight container for up to 2 days; freeze up to 2 months (freeze uncoated or recoat after thawing for best texture). For a lighter option, use full-fat Greek yogurt in place of sour cream for a similar tang and moisture.