These baked donuts are made with toasty brown butter, an apple cider reduction, and then tossed in cinnamon sugar. They're light, fluffy and taste like fall with every bite!
Growing up in western NC, we were surrounded by apple orchards and there was an "apple festival" every fall right near my house. I loved going to get fresh apples and homemade apple cider; it's the best! So to me, nothing says autumn has arrived quite like these brown butter apple cider donuts! Unlike my sourdough donuts, these cake donuts are baked in the oven and super easy to make!
You might also like this apple cider bundt cake!
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Ingredient Notes
You just need a few simple ingredients to make these cake donuts!
Brown Butter - My favorite ingredient of all time is brown butter!! Brown butter is just unsalted butter that has been melted and gently cooked to bring out a toasty, nutty flavor. If you've never made brown butter before, you can check out this post with all my tips for how to make brown butter!
Apple Cider - We're going to take apple cider and reduce it down so that we can super concentrate the flavor! You of course can skip this step, if you prefer. Just be sure to only add ½ cup of liquid!!
The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.
How to Make Cake Donuts
In a small saucepan over medium heat, simmer the apple cider until it reduces down to about ½ cup (be sure to stir occasionally). This usually takes about 15 minutes. Set aside and let cool slightly.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray donut pan with non-stick spray and set aside.
Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk the brown butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla together. Pour in half of the dry ingredients and stir until combined.
Then add in ½ cup of the apple cider reduction and the remaining dry ingredients Mix until fully combined and smooth.
Transfer the batter to a piping bag, then cut of the tip and pipe into the donut pan, filling about halfway. You can also just spoon the batter into the pan if desired.
Bake at 350°F for 10-11 minutes or until the edges and tops are lightly browned and a cake tester comes out clean. Invert the donut pan on a cooling rack, and the donuts should slide right out!
Combine the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. While the donuts are still warm, brush the donuts with the melted brown butter then toss in the cinnamon sugar.
The brown butter apple cider donuts are best served warm! I like to reheat the leftovers in the microwave for about 15 seconds!
Tips for the Best Baked Goods
Use room temperature ingredients! Always make sure ingredients like butter, eggs, milk, yogurt, etc. are at room temperature before baking (unless the recipe indicates otherwise)! This ensures they'll incorporate into the batter more easily and leads to overall better texture. Remove all ingredients from the fridge 30 minutes to an hour before baking for best results.
Measure your flour correctly! It's most accurate to use a kitchen scale, but if you're measuring by volume you want to spoon and level! Fluff up the flour a bit with a spoon, and then spoon flour into the measuring cup. Once it's overflowing, use the back of a knife to level it off. Don't ever pack flour into the measuring cup or you'll end up with way too much! Improperly measured flour can lead to dry, dense baked goods. [Measure cocoa powder the same way!]
Use an oven thermometer! Just because your oven says it's 350, doesn't mean it is! If you oven hasn't been calibrated recently, it can be as much as 30 degrees off, which will negatively affect all baked goods from cakes to macarons! An oven thermometer is the easiest/cheapest way to ensure your oven is always at the proper temperature.
Make sure you baking powder is fresh! Baking powder is important for helping baked goods rise properly, but it has a relatively short shelf life once opened, so it's one of the few items I never buy in bulk! To test if your baking powder is still fresh, add a small amount to boiling water. If it bubbles it's still good to use, but if not it's time to toss it!
Tips for Baked Donuts
I use this Nordic Ware donut pan and a little bit of Bakers Joy pan spray and the donuts slide out perfectly every time!! I also find it’s easiest to fill the donut pan by using a piping bag with the tip cut off. However, you can just as easily spoon the batter into your donut pan.
Recipe FAQ's
No. This recipe is specifically designed for baked donuts, so if you prefer fried donuts I recommend this recipe!
These donuts are best eaten the same day, but will last in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
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Recipe Card
Brown Butter Apple Cider Baked Donuts
Ingredients
Donuts
- 1 ½ cups apple cider, reduced down to ½ cup
- ½ cup unsalted brown butter, melted
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups cake flour, substitute all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Topping
- ¼ cup unsalted brown butter, melted
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Make the apple cider reduction: In a small saucepan over medium heat, simmer the apple cider until it reduces down to about ½ cup (be sure to stir occasionally). This usually takes about 15 minutes. Set aside and let cool slightly.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray donut pan with non-stick spray and set aside.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the brown butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla together. Pour in half of the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Then add in ½ cup of the apple cider reduction and the remaining dry ingredients Mix until fully combined and smooth.
- Transfer the batter to a piping bag, then cut of the tip and pipe into the donut pan, filling about halfway. You can also just spoon the batter into the pan if desired.
- Bake at 350°F for 10-11 minutes or until the edges and tops are lightly browned and a cake tester comes out clean. Invert the donut pan on a cooling rack, and the donuts should slide right out!
- Combine the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. While the donuts are still warm, brush the donuts with the melted brown butter then toss in the cinnamon sugar.
- The donuts are best served warm! I like to reheat the leftovers in the microwave for about 15 seconds!
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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