
Baked Apple Cider Donuts
Recipe from Sally McKenney · original post · full recipe on sallysbakingaddiction.com
Soft, cakey baked donuts flavored with reduced apple cider and rolled in apple-spiced sugar, no fryer required.
Ingredients
- apple cider360 ml
- all-purpose flour250 g
- baking soda — 1 tsp4.5 g
- baking powder — ¾ tsp3.4 g
- ground cinnamon — 1 tsp2.5 g
- apple pie spice1 tsp
- salt — ¼ tsp1.5 g
- unsalted butter — melted28 g
- large egg — at room temperature1 ea
- brown sugar100 g
- granulated sugar100 g
- milk — at room temperature120 ml
- vanilla extract — 1 tsp5 ml
- granulated sugar — for the topping200 g
- ground cinnamon — ¾ tsp; for the topping1.9 g
- apple pie spice — for the topping0.75 tsp
- unsalted butter — melted, for the topping85 g
Method
- Reduce the apple cider: Simmer the apple cider in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 120 ml (1/2 cup), about 20 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray a donut pan with nonstick spray.
- Make the donuts: Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, apple pie spice, and salt together in a large bowl.
- Whisk the melted butter, egg, brown sugar, granulated sugar, milk, and vanilla together. Pour into the dry ingredients, add the reduced apple cider, and whisk until smooth. The batter will be slightly thick.
- Pipe the batter into the donut cavities using a zipped-top bag with a corner cut off, filling each about halfway.
- Bake for 10–11 minutes, until the edges and tops are lightly browned and spring back when gently pressed. Cool in the pan for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Re-grease the pan and bake the remaining batter.
- Coat the donuts: Combine the topping sugar, cinnamon, and apple pie spice. Once cool enough to handle, dip both sides of each donut in the melted butter, then generously in the spiced sugar. Best served immediately; store covered at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Cooking for a different diet?
Swaps that keep this dish what it is. The prices on this page are for the recipe as written.
Vegan
- 113 g Dairy-free butter instead of unsalted butter
- 60 g Unsweetened apple sauce instead of large egg
- 120 ml Oat milk instead of milk
Whisk the melted dairy-free butter, apple sauce and oat milk with the sugars as the wet mix; bake the same 10–11 minutes but let them cool a minute longer before unmoulding.
Dairy-free
- 113 g Dairy-free butter instead of unsalted butter
- 120 ml Oat milk instead of milk
Use the melted dairy-free butter and oat milk exactly as written; baking time is unchanged.
Swaps are suggestions — check labels if you are cooking for an allergy.
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What it costs, and where to buy it
Each item at whichever of your shops sells it cheapest.
Shops to compare
List price at each shop
Missing items
These totals leave part of the list out, so a lower one isn't a cheaper shop.
Aldi UKyou pay £11.67 · 80% spare
£2.36
missing 3 items
Sainsbury'syou pay £9.49 · 74% spare
£2.44
missing 6 items
Tescoyou pay £17.09 · 43% spare
£9.70
missing 6 items
Asdayou pay £8.34 · 75% spare
£2.05
missing 7 items
Morrisonsyou pay £8.03 · 82% spare
£1.47
missing 9 items
£0.20a serve
from £0.20 a serve at Aldi UK · 10 of 13 ingredients priced
About £2.36 of ingredients used for 12 serves.
£22.76 across 4 shops · all 13 items priced · £0.69 more for bigger packs, 54% spare for later
£2.36
missing 3 items
you'll pay £11.67 · 80% of it spare
£2.44
missing 6 items
you'll pay £9.49 · 74% of it spare
£9.70
missing 6 items
you'll pay £17.09 · 43% of it spare
£2.05
missing 7 items
you'll pay £8.34 · 75% of it spare
£1.47
missing 9 items
you'll pay £8.03 · 82% of it spare
Buy at
Aldi UK£11.67
apple cider
£2.13/1L
need 360 mlIsland's Premium Apple Cider 4 Pack 1.76L£3.75
Aldi UK£2.13/1L£3.75·
Asda£2.05/1L£9.00·
TescoN/A·
Sainsbury'sN/A·
MorrisonsN/A·
OcadoN/A
all-purpose flour
£0.47/1kg
need 250 gThe Pantry Plain Flour 1.5kg£0.70closest match
Aldi UK£0.47/1kg£0.70·
Sainsbury's£0.90/1kg£0.45·
Morrisons£0.53·
Tesco£0.53/1kg£0.80·
AsdaN/A·
OcadoN/A
baking soda
£3.25/1kg
need 4.5 gThe Pantry Bicarbonate Of Soda 0.2kg£0.65
Aldi UK£3.25/1kg£0.65·
TescoN/A·
Sainsbury'sN/A·
AsdaN/A·
MorrisonsN/A·
OcadoN/A
baking powder
£3.25/1kg
need 3.4 gThe Pantry Baking Powder 0.2kg£0.65
Aldi UK£3.25/1kg£0.65·
TescoN/A·
Sainsbury'sN/A·
AsdaN/A·
MorrisonsN/A·
OcadoN/A
ground cinnamon
£0.22/10g
need 4.4 gReady, Set…cook! Ground Cinnamon 40g£0.89closest match
Aldi UK£0.22/10g£0.89·
Sainsbury's£25.00/1kg£0.95·
TescoN/A·
AsdaN/A·
MorrisonsN/A·
OcadoN/A
salt
£0.01/10g
need 1.5 gReady, Set…cook! British Table Salt 750g£0.65closest match
Aldi UK£0.01/10g£0.65·
Asda£4.00/1kg£0.80·
Tesco£19.13/1kg£2.20·
Sainsbury'sN/A·
MorrisonsN/A·
OcadoN/A
unsalted butter
£7.40/1kg
need 113 gCowbelle British Unsalted Butter 0.25kg£1.85
Aldi UK£7.40/1kg£1.85·
Sainsbury's£7.50/1kg£1.50·
Asda£8.25/1kg£1.65·
Tesco£7.40/1kg£1.85·
Morrisons£1.85·
OcadoN/A
granulated sugar
£1.09/1kg
need 300 gThe Pantry Granulated Sugar 1kg£1.09closest match
Aldi UK£1.09/1kg£1.09·
Tesco£2.00/1kg£1.00·
Sainsbury's£1.09/1kg£1.09·
Asda£1.09/1kg£1.09·
MorrisonsN/A·
OcadoN/A
milk
£0.65/1L
need 120 mlEveryday Essentials Skimmed UHT Milk 1L£0.65closest match
Aldi UK£0.65/1L£0.65·
Asda£1.06/1L£1.20·
Morrisons£1.20·
Sainsbury's£1.35/1L£1.35·
Tesco£1.75/1L£1.75·
OcadoN/A
vanilla extract
£2.08/100ml
need 5 mlThe Pantry Madagascan Vanilla Extract 38ml£0.79
Aldi UK£2.08/100ml£0.79·
Morrisons£4.45·
TescoN/A·
Sainsbury'sN/A·
AsdaN/A·
OcadoN/A
Buy at
Asda£1.50
brown sugar
£3.00/1kg
need 100 gGem Soft Dark Brown Sugar 500g£1.50closest match
Asda£3.00/1kg£1.50·
Tesco£4.00/1kg£2.00·
Sainsbury's£4.10/1kg£2.05·
Aldi UKN/A·
MorrisonsN/A·
OcadoN/A
Buy at
Sainsbury's£2.10

large egg
£0.35/1 ea
need 1 itemSainsbury's Standard£2.10closest match
Sainsbury's£0.35/1 ea£2.10·
Aldi UK£0.28/1 ea£1.69·
Asda£0.35/1 ea£2.10·
Tesco£0.48/1 ea£2.90·
MorrisonsN/A·
OcadoN/A
Buy at
Tesco£7.49

apple pie spice
£7.49/1 ea
need 1.75 tspStandard£7.49
Tesco£7.49/1 ea£7.49·
Aldi UKN/A·
Sainsbury'sN/A·
AsdaN/A·
MorrisonsN/A·
OcadoN/A