These should really be called mini baked apple cider doughnut muffin doughnuts, because I took a doughnut muffin recipe and adapted it to make doughnuts. But that sounded like too much of a tongue twister, so mini baked apple cider doughnuts it is.
I am swayed by things like baking equipment, especially baking equipment that produces miniature baked goods. And that is how I came to have a mini doughnut pan in my possession. After trying a couple of baked doughnut recipes, I started to think that the pan may have been a useless purchase. Baked doughnuts just didn't impress me. They all came out rubbery and not very doughnut-like. And I have no problem with deep frying and making the real thing -- I just fried up apple cider doughnuts a few weekends ago after an apple picking excursion -- though I do admit it is a bit more work.
But then I made these cider doughnut muffins, and as I was enjoying one, I thought that if the batter could produce so much deliciousness in a muffin pan, it should be able to do the same in a doughnut pan. So I gave baked doughnuts another shot. And this time I was happy with the results: soft, but not rubbery, light, cake-y rings full of cinnamon and apple flavor.
And because the doughnuts are mini, you get a really nice ratio of cinnamon-sugar coating to doughnut.
While it may have been snowing when I whipped up these mini apple cider doughnuts, it is still fall. And there's plenty of time left for all sorts of apple (and pumpkin) baked goods. I suggest making these whenever you need to ward off winter.
You'll hardly miss the fried version when you try these mini baked apple cider doughnuts.
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Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 36 mini doughnuts
Ingredients
Doughnuts
2 cups apple cider
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (preferably Penzeys Vietnamese Extra Fancy)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Topping
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon (preferably Penzeys Vietnamese Extra Fancy)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Preparation
Doughnuts
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and set rack to middle position. Lightly spray mini doughnut pan with baking spray.
Bring apple cider to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat slightly and simmer until cider is reduced to 1 cup. Set aside to cool.
Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, cream butter and sugar at medium speed until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping down bowl after each addition. Add vanilla and beat to incorporate.
In medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with cider in 2 additions, beating after each addition, and scraping down bowl as needed.
Pipe or spoon batter into doughnut cavities and transfer to oven. Bake until firm and toothpick inserted in doughnut comes out clean, 7 to 10 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Transfer to wire rack and let cool in pan for about 3 minutes. Turn out onto wire rack. Repeat with remaining batter.
Topping
In shallow dish, combine sugar and cinnamon. Once doughnuts are cool enough to handle, brush them with butter, then roll in cinnamon sugar to coat.
Serve doughnuts warm or at room temperature.
Are you a fan of baked doughnuts?