Print

Best Easy Baked Salted Caramel Apple Cider Donuts

baked salted caramel apple cider donuts - featured image
Print Recipe

These baked apple cider donuts are tender and cakey, topped with a rich salted caramel glaze. They come together in about 35 minutes with no yeast or deep-frying, making them the perfect cozy fall treat.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup apple cider (reduced to ¼ cup)
  • 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup packed light brown sugar
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup buttermilk
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter (for glaze)
  • ½ cup packed light brown sugar (for glaze)
  • ¼ cup heavy cream (for glaze)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt (for glaze)
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (for glaze)
  • ½ cup powdered sugar, sifted (for glaze)
  • Flaky sea salt for sprinkling

Instructions

  1. Reduce the apple cider: Pour 1 cup apple cider into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until reduced to about ¼ cup, about 8-10 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
  2. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a standard 6-cavity donut pan thoroughly with butter or non-stick spray.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
  4. In a medium bowl, whisk together granulated sugar, brown sugar, melted butter, oil, eggs, vanilla extract, and buttermilk until smooth. Whisk in the reduced apple cider.
  5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Fold gently with a spatula until just combined (a few lumps are fine). Do not overmix.
  6. Transfer batter to a piping bag or zip-top bag. Pipe batter into the prepared donut pan, filling each cavity about ¾ full.
  7. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the thickest part comes out clean. Cool in pan for 2 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
  8. Make the salted caramel glaze: In the same small saucepan, melt ¼ cup butter over medium heat. Add ½ cup brown sugar and ¼ cup heavy cream, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to a gentle boil. Boil for 1 minute without stirring, then remove from heat. Stir in ¼ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract. Let cool for 2 minutes, then whisk in ½ cup powdered sugar until smooth.
  9. Dip tops of warm donuts into the glaze or drizzle over them. While glaze is still wet, sprinkle a tiny pinch of flaky sea salt over each donut. Let glaze set for about 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

For best results, use room temperature eggs and buttermilk. Do not skip reducing the cider—it concentrates the apple flavor. Glaze the donuts while they are still slightly warm for better absorption. If you don’t have a donut pan, you can bake the batter in a mini muffin pan for donut holes (8-10 minutes) or shape into rings on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Nutrition

Keywords: baked donuts, apple cider donuts, salted caramel, fall dessert, easy donut recipe

Find it online: https://daintydine.com/best-easy-baked-salted-caramel-apple-cider-donuts/