Donut fans, please step forward. I got a big batch of Baked Apple Cider Donuts fresh from the oven today. Delicious little cake donuts coated with a sweet layer of sugar and cinnamon. If I did not have to keep an eye on my blood sugar I would make these donuts every week and eat them all at once. Alone. That’s how delicious these fellas are ;P
Jokes aside. These donuts are really good. Of course, not like “real” donuts, you would fry in a large pot of fat or oil. That’s something completely different. These donuts are more like small cakes in the shape of rings. Especially when it comes to texture there is a big difference. That’s why they’re called “baked donuts” or “cake donuts”. Doesn’t make them any less donut-ty, though. But different. Did I mention the word “donut” often enough in one paragraph? ;P
Anyway. Fall is the time for everything “pumpkin spiced” and “apple cider flavored” – especially in the US. The big coffee shop chain with the mermaid is the best example here. Also, all the shops that sell scented candles ;P I am not really complaining. I like the flavors and if you go into a German supermarket at the end of August, you will find Christmas sweets already like gingerbread or speculoos cookies… similar weird “tradition” ;P
Well. I don’t mind either. I’m not a bit fan of flavored coffee drinks you can get in many coffee shops. Not because I don’t like the flavors, but all of them use flavored sugar syrup to get the “pumpkin spice”, “apple pie spice” or whatever into the drinks and that is a no-go for me. Luckily, you can make those drinks at home without sugar and just the natural spices ;) I got a recipe for Pumpkin Pie Spice here on the blog that can be used for stuff like that… or in bakes. Basically everywhere ;P
About that “evil” sugar… unfortunately, I could not make the donuts completely without sugar. I would have loved to skip sugar completely, but that is a bit difficult when you make stuff like this here. The donuts themselves can be baked without regular white sugar. Just use a sugar replacement like xylitol instead. Easy peasy. The donuts will not be completely sugar-free because apple cider normally has sugar in it, but at least they would be free of added sugar (from you) and at pretty much sugar-reduced if you use the replacement. The coating, on the other hand, only works with “real” sugar in my opinion. I’ve tried a mixture of xylitol (or erythritol) with cinnamon several times already in recipes to sprinkle stuff, but the result is just not good. It’s sweet but the mix does something weird on your tongue. Xylitol and erythritol both give you a weird cooling sensation if they touch your tongue directly. Used in a bake is completely fine, but directly on the tongue in a coating or glaze – weird and not nice at all! So no sugar-free donuts today. Sorry ;)
Well… just enjoy these delicious donuts which melt in your mouth and do not think about the sugar too much. Limit yourself to one maybe and don’t eat all of them alone. That’s what I did ;P
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
For the batter:
5 oz. (140g) butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup (100g) brown sugar
1/4 cup (50g) sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups (230g) spelt flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
3/4 cup (180ml) apple cider
For the coating:
3.2 oz. (90g) butter, melted
1/2 cup (100g) sugar
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Für den Teig:
140g weiche Butter
100g brauner Zucker
50g Zucker
2 Eier (L)
1 TL Vanille Extrakt
230g Dinkelmehl (Type 630)
1 1/2 TL Backpulver
1/4 TL Salz
2 TL gemahlener Zimt
1/2 TL gemahlene Muskatnuss
1/2 TL gemahlener Kardamom
180ml Apfelsaft (naturtrüb)
Für die Ummantelung:
90g Butter, geschmolzen
100g Zucker
1 1/2 TL gemahlener Zimt
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
2. Add the butter and both sugars to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on high speed for about 4-5 minutes until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs one after another and mix well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and mix in. Mix the spelt flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom, then add together with the apple cider to the bowl and mix until just combined. Transfer the batter to a piping bag and fill the donut pans about 3/4 full – you can also use a spoon, but with the piping bag, It’s much easier. Bake the donuts for about 14-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a donut comes out clean. Take out of the oven and let cool down for about 5 minutes. Remove the donuts from the pan (works best with a soft rubber spatula) and place on a wire rack.
3. Melt the butter for the coating. Mix the sugar with the ground cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Brush the still warm donuts with the melted butter and then roll in the cinnamon-sugar mix until coated completely. Let cool down on the wire rack. The donuts can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.
2. Butter und beide Zuckersorten in die Schüssel einer Küchenmaschine geben und etwa 4-5 Minuten lang auf höchster Stufe aufschlagen, bis alles sehr hell und luftig aussieht. Die Eier nacheinander dazugeben und jeweils gut unterrühren. Den Vanille Extrakt dazugeben und unterrühren. Dinkelmehl, Backpulver, Salz, Zimt, Muskatnuss und Kardamom mischen und zusammen mit dem Apfelsaft in die Schüssel geben und nur kurz verrühren. Den Teig in einen Spritzbeutel füllen und die Donut Formen zu etwa zu 3/4 befüllen. Funktioniert auch mit einem Löffel, aber der Spritzbeutel ist einfacher. Die Donuts etwa 14-15 Minuten backen. Mit einem Zahnstocher testen, ob noch Teig kleben bleibt und die Donuts erst herausholen, wenn dieser sauber herauskommt. Donuts aus dem Ofen nehmen und etwa 5 Minuten abkühlen lassen, dann vorsichtig aus der Form lösen – das geht am besten mit einem weichen Teigschaber aus Gummi – und auf ein Kuchengitter setzen.
3. Die Butter für die Ummantelung schmelzen. Zucker und Zimt in einer flachen Schüssel vermischen. Die noch warmen Donuts mit der geschmolzenen Butter bepinseln und dann in der Zimt-Zucker-Mischung wälzen, bis sie vollständig bedeckt sind. Erneut auf das Kuchengitter setzen und abkühlen lassen. Die Donuts können bei Zimmertemperatur bis zu 3 Tage aufbewahrt werden.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
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Baked Apple Cider Donuts
- Prep Time: 00:20
- Cook Time: 00:15
- Total Time: 00:45
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Donuts
- Cuisine: America
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These Baked Apple Cider Donuts are a classic bake in fall everybody loves. So delicious and easy to prepare.
Ingredients
For the batter:
5 oz. (140g) butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup (100g) brown sugar
1/4 cup (50g) sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups (230g) spelt flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
3/4 cup (180ml) apple cider
For the coating:
3.2 oz. (90g) butter, melted
1/2 cup (100g) sugar
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease two donut pans* (6-cavity) lightly and set aside.
2. Add the butter and both sugars to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on high speed for about 4-5 minutes until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs one after another and mix well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and mix in. Mix the spelt flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom, then add together with the apple cider to the bowl and mix until just combined. Transfer the batter to a piping bag and fill the donut pans about 3/4 full – you can also use a spoon, but with the piping bag, It’s much easier. Bake the donuts for about 14-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a donut comes out clean. Take out of the oven and let cool down for about 5 minutes. Remove the donuts from the pan (works best with a soft rubber spatula) and place on a wire rack.
3. Melt the butter for the coating. Mix the sugar with the ground cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Brush the still warm donuts with the melted butter and then roll in the cinnamon-sugar mix until coated completely. Let cool down on the wire rack. The donuts can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
Enjoy baking!
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I love my job, but in between I love to bake and try new things in the kitchen. A lot of my friends and colleagues encourage me to bake - for a very simple reason: they get the leftovers - and it seems they like it most of the time ;) 
