Small Batch Baked Apple Cider Donuts
These small batch baked apple cider donuts are made from scratch for one or two, with reduced apple cider in the batter for deep apple flavor. They bake up soft and tender, then get a buttery cinnamon sugar coating.
Servings: 6 donuts
Equipment
Ingredients
For the donuts
- 1¼ cup apple cider
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter -melted
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
For the topping
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
For the apple cider reduction
- Pour 1¼ cups apple cider into a 1-quart saucepan.
- Bring the cider to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cider reduces to ¼ cup.
- Remove the pan from the heat and let the reduced cider cool for 10 minutes. You can make the reduction up to 2 days ahead and keep it in the refrigerator.
Make the donuts
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Lightly spray a 6-cavity donut pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon melted butter, the brown sugar, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, the egg yolk, vanilla, cooled reduced apple cider, and milk until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk just until no streaks of flour remain. Stop there; extra mixing makes the donuts dense.
- Spoon or pipe the batter into the donut cavities, filling each about ⅔ full.
- Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 15 to 17 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned and the tops spring back when gently pressed.
- Let the donuts cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
- Turn the donuts out of the pan.
Make the topping
- Melt 3 tablespoons unsalted butter in a shallow bowl.
- In a second shallow bowl, stir together 3 tablespoons granulated sugar and ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon.
- Dip both sides of each warm donut in the melted butter, then coat it in the cinnamon sugar.
- Serve the donuts warm.
Notes
Apple cider vinegar is a different ingredient: The names look alike on the shelf, and that's where the trouble starts. Apple cider vinegar is sour and sharp and will not bake into a donut you want to eat. You need fresh apple cider, the cloudy kind sold in a jug.
Don't overfill the pan: Two-thirds full is the limit. Any more and the batter rises over the center post and bakes closed, so you get a muffin top with no hole.
Measure the flour by spooning it: Stir the flour, spoon it into the measuring cup, and level the top with a knife. Scooping packs in extra flour, and in a batch this small even a tablespoon too much makes the donuts dry.
Stop mixing when the flour disappears: A few extra strokes won't hurt, but whisking until the batter turns smooth and shiny works the flour too hard and the donuts turn out dense and gummy.
Brush the butter for a lighter coating: Dipping both sides gives you the classic orchard-stand coating. If that's too much butter for you, brush the tops with a pastry brush and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over them instead.
Check your oven temperature: An oven thermometer costs a few dollars and takes the guesswork out of a 15-minute bake. Ten degrees off in either direction shows up in donuts this small.
Nutrition
Serving: 1donut | Calories: 218kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 51mg | Sodium: 138mg | Potassium: 91mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 283IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 1mg
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