I baked these apple cider donuts and then invited the girls over to taste. The verdict: We gotta spread the word.
This might be strange, but I prefer baked donuts to fried ones. It kind of defeats the whole Chanukah connection thing, but that’s just the way it is. And when I came across this recipe for baked apple cider donuts on the Katie Bird Bakes blog, I knew I had to try it. Apple cider, cinnamon – what’s not to love in this donut?!
First I made the donut just as the recipe was written (minus the cloves because I didn’t have any) and it was just as good as I anticipated.
But then I decided that I needed to try a non-dairy version so it could be served at any Chanukah party, and also so that the dairy-sensitive family members could enjoy them, too.
I played around with a few versions and, while it’s not quite the same taste as the buttery one, it’s *almost* as delicious. And, of course, doubling is necessary because who makes just 8 donuts?? I used donut pan, which comes with two, to bake a dozen at a time.
Baked Apple Cider Donuts
Ingredients
For the Baked Apple Cider Donuts:
- 2 cups apple cider (see instructions below)
- 6 tablespoons Earth Balance or margarine
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 4 tbsp Tofutti sour cream
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- pinch nutmeg
- pinch salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
For the Cinnamon Sugar Topping:
- 3 tbsp Earth Balance or margarine
- remaining reduced cider (see instructions below), about ¼ cup
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 6-cup donut pans (or one, you'll just have to re-use it for the next batch).
- In a small saucepan, heat apple cider over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Bring to a simmer. Let simmer until reduced by about half, around 10 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in margarine until melted and combined. Let cool. Mixture should be a little syrupy in texture. You need 1 cup of this reduced cider for the donuts, and a ¼ cup for the glaze.
- In a large bowl, whisk 1 cup of the cider mixture, sugar, egg, sour cream, and vanilla until well-combined.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Add to wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Do not over mix.
- Spoon or pipe batter into donut pan until ⅔ full (if you only have one pan, you’ll have to bake in batches).
- Bake for 9-11 minutes, until risen and browned on the edges. Let cool for 2-3 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool on a baking sheet or wire rack.
- Prepare the topping. While the donuts are baking, whisk together ¼ cup cider mixture with 3 tablespoons melted margarine in a small bowl. Whisk together sugar and cinnamon in a second bowl.
- Working with one donut at a time, dip one side of the warm donuts into the cider mixture, then into the cinnamon sugar mixture. Coat donuts with as much cinnamon sugar as possible!
Notes
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