These baked apple cider donuts with caramel drizzle are so delicious: soft, rolled in cinnamon sugar and classically sweet. My last donut recipe, Baked Pumpkin Donuts with Cinnamon Sugar, was pretty popular, so I decided to whip these up. Each donut has real apple cider and a homemade, buttery and salty caramel drizzle. They are just like the ones you get at the store or the orchard, just smaller!
Equipment needed to make baked apple cider donuts
Don’t panic but there are a few things you need. This recipe includes homemade caramel so we need more stuff than usual, but you probably have most of it:
- A 6 well donut pan – I have this mini one from Williams Sonoma. The recipe makes 20+ donuts so I had to work in several batches….but how often am I making donuts? Not enough to buy two.
- An electric mixer or hand mixer – I used a handheld (I think mine is Hamilton Beach). You can also use a stand mixer like a Kitchen Aid.
- A spatula – helpful for mixing our batter once we add the dry ingredients.
- A piping bag – this is optional but helpful. You can spoon the batter into your donut wells, or you could put the batter in a piping bag and pipe them into the pan, which helps them keep a nice shape. I have this Ateco piping bag set which is multifunctional.
- A large bowl – to mix our ingredients for the batter.
- measuring cups – helpful!
- cooling rack – a wire cooling rack is convenient to fully cool the donuts once you remove them from the pan.
- 2 small bowls – for the cinnamon sugar coating.
- A pastry brush – optional but helpful to coat the donuts with just a little butter wash before dipping in the cinnamon sugar. That way you don’t over soak them.
- A small saucepan – if you want to make the caramel.
Ingredients for baked apple donuts
- unsalted butter – important for the batter, cinnamon sugar and caramel.
- granulated sugar and brown sugar – we need both!
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- all purpose flour – wheat flour would work as well as gluten free 1:1 flour.
- baking powder
- salt
- ground cinnamon and nutmeg – or double up on cinnamon!
- apple cider – I bought 100% apple cider from Trader Joe’s. They stock it around October.
- bourbon – I love adding just a little bit. You can omit though if you don’t have it.
- heavy cream – important for our caramel.
- a pinch of sea salt
Tips for making baked apple donuts
Don’t over bake them – keep an eye on the pan. After 10 minutes, the batter will be just about set, but it may need a couple more minutes. Look for a slightly golden color on top but the other side is going to darken much more (the part you cannot see). So don’t be alarmed if they are kind of pale.
Don’t drench the donuts with butter – it’s better to be light handed here. Brush just a little of the melted butter/cider on each finished donut before dipping them into the cinnamon sugar. Do not pour on the butter – it will make them soggy.
Let the caramel cool and set before drizzling – if it’s hot and runny, it will melt the sugar on the donuts. I chilled the caramel for a few hours.
How to make baked apple cider donuts
Let’s make them together!
Step 1
Start with caramel sauce. In a saucepan, heat the granulated sugar over high heat. It will begin to melt and bubble – stir frequently to prevent burning. Once the sugar is liquid and amber in color, remove it from the heat and drop the butter in. Stir until melted. Add in the cream and salt and stir until homogenous. Pour it into a separate container to cool. It will thicken as the temperature lowers. Chill it in the fridge for an hour or until the donuts are done and cooled.
Step 2
Start the donut batter. In a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed for about one minute until creamy. Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar and beat together for an additional minute. Add the eggs and the vanilla and beat together until well combined, about another minute. The batter will have lightened in color a bit and appear creamy.
Step 3
Then add the flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg to the bowl. Switch to a rubber spatula and fold the batter together until well incorporated.
Step 4
Slowly add the the cider to the batter in three incremements, mixing the batter until combined each time. Then add the bourbon last and mix one more time until just incorporated.
Step 5
Preheat the oven to 350℉. If you have a piping bag, fill it with the batter (no tip needed). Grease the donut pan with some butter or oil before piping each well about ¾ths full with batter. If you don’t have a piping bag, carefully spoon the batter into each well.
Step 6
Bake the pan in the center rack for 10-12 minutes, until the batter looks just set and appears slightly darker, golden brown. Let the pan cool for 5 minutes before removing each donut and placing them on a cooling rack. Gently wiggle them out with a knife if they get stuck. Repeat the baking process until you run out of batter.
Step 7
In the meantime, make the cinnamon sugar. In one small bowl add 1 tbsp unsalted butter and 2 tbsp apple cider. Place it in the microwave for 20 seconds the butter will be melted. Give it a stir. In the other bowl, add the granulated sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir together.
Step 8
Once the donuts have cooled completely, brush each one with the butter/cider mixture and dip it into the cinnamon sugar so each one is well coated. Drizzle the caramel on the donuts. Or just dip some in there! Enjoy.
Storage Instructions
Keep these baked apple donuts in an airtight container. Bonus points if you can avoid stacking them, since they will be a bit sticky! Consume within 3-4 days.
Other recipes to try
If you liked these baked apple donuts, definitely try those baked pumpkin donuts I mentioned earlier. I’d also recommend:
Apple Pork Ragu with Pappardelle
Banana Bread Blondies with Caramel Frosting
Pumpkin Cake with Brown Butter Buttercream
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Baked Apple Cider Donuts with Caramel Drizzle
Equipment
- 1 6 well donut pan
- 1 electric mixer or hand mixer
- 1 spatula
- 1 piping bag optional
- 1 large bowl to mix our ingredients
- measuring cups
- cooling rack
- 2 small bowls for the cinnamon sugar
- 1 pastry brush
- 1 small saucepan if you want to make the caramel
Ingredients
For the donuts
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1¾ cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- ½ cup apple cider
- 2 tbsp bourbon
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 2 tbsp apple cider
Caramel Sauce
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- a pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- Start with the caramel sauce (if you are making it). In a saucepan, heat the granulated sugar over high heat. It will begin to melt and bubble – stir frequently to prevent burning. Once the sugar is liquid and amber in color, remove it from the heat and drop the butter in. Stir until melted. Add in the cream and salt and stir until homogenous. Pour it into a separate container to cool. It will thicken as the temperature lowers. Put it in the fridge to chill for at least an hour.⅓ cup granulated sugar, 5 tbsp unsalted butter, ⅓ cup heavy cream, a pinch of sea salt
- In a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed for about one minute until creamy. Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar and beat together for an additional minute. Add the eggs and the vanilla and beat together until well combined, about another minute. The batter will have lightened in color a bit and appear creamy.1 cup unsalted butter, ¼ cup granulated sugar, ¾ cup brown sugar, 2 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Then add the flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg to the bowl. Switch to a rubber spatula and fold the batter together until well incorporated.1¾ cup all purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 2 tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp nutmeg, ½ tsp salt
- Slowly add the the cider to the batter in three incremements, mixing the batter until combined each time. Then add the bourbon last and mix one more time until just incorporated.½ cup apple cider, 2 tbsp bourbon
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. If you have a piping bag, fill it with the batter (no tip needed). Grease the donut pan with some butter or oil before piping each well about ¾ths full with batter.If you don't have a piping bag, carefully spoon the batter into each well.
- Bake the pan in the center rack for 10-12 minutes, until the batter looks just set and appears slightly darker, golden brown. Let the pan cool for 5 minutes before removing each donut and placing them on a cooling rack. Gently wiggle them out with a knife if they get stuck.Repeat the baking process until you run out of batter.
- In the meantime, make the cinnamon sugar. In one small bowl add 1 tbsp unsalted butter and 2 tbsp apple cider. Place it in the microwave for 20 seconds the butter will be melted. Give it a stir.In the other bowl, add the granulated sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir together.¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tbsp unsalted butter, 2 tbsp apple cider, ½ tsp nutmeg
- Once the donuts have cooled completely, brush each one with the butter/cider mixture and dip into the cinnamon sugar so each one is well coated.
- Drizzle the caramel on the donuts. Or just dip some in there! Enjoy.
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