It’s time to break out our favorite fall flavors, starting with apple. These Apple Cider Cake Donuts start with a cake mix that is then jazzed up to create a flavorful tender donut that is ready in less than 30 minutes.
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These fluffy apple cider cake donuts have the texture of cake in a donut form. Because the base starts with a cake mix, this recipe is super simple to mix up. If you keep the ingredients on hand, you can have apple cider cake donuts in minutes any time the craving strikes.
Ingredients for Apple Cider Cake Donuts
Here’s what you need to grab to make these perfect fall donuts:
Cake mix: The base of this recipe uses a spice cake mix. Sometimes they are hard to come by so I always grab a few to stock up when I’m at the grocery store in the fall. If you can’t find spice cake mix, you can use a white box cake and add an extra tablespoon of apple pie spice to the recipe.
Apple Pie Spice: I love this all in one spice for this recipe. We’ll need it for the batter as well as the sugar mixture that the donuts get tossed in. If you don’t have apple pie spice or don’t want to purchase it, it is easy to make with a few baking spices. I like to use this apple pie spice recipe when I’m mixing it myself.
Cinnamon Applesauce: Applesauce adds more apple flavor and moistness to the donuts. I like to use cinnamon to boost the spice factor but regular will work just fine as well.
Butter: You’ll need butter for both the batter and for the finished donuts.
Egg
Nonstick Spray
Granulated Sugar: This is for finishing the donuts and giving them that signature crunchy sugar coating that we all love.
Donut pan: A donut pan is needed to bake these. This is the donut pan I use and love.
How to Make Apple Cider Donuts
These apple cider cake donuts truly couldn’t get easier. Whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients into the bowl and mix until the batter just comes together. Overmixing will make the finished donuts tough.
Spray your donut pan with nonstick spray then carefully fill each donut mold. Fill them just to the top or even a little below the top as the donuts will rise quite a bit. You’ll be able to make 10 to 12 donuts depending on how much batter you use per donut.
While the donuts are baking, mix together the granulated sugar and more apple pie spice. You will also need melted butter but wait on that until the donuts are out of the oven.
Toss Donuts in Spiced Sugar
Allow the donuts to cool in the donut pan for five minutes then carefully remove them. You may need to gently run a butter knife around the edges of the donut molds to prevent them from breaking.
The next step turns these into true Apple Cider Cake Donuts. Dip the tops of the donuts quickly in the melted butter. Place the donut butter side down into the sugar mixture. Press gently then flip to coat the other side. You may want to sprinkle more on top of the butter dipped side. Set aside and proceed with the remaining donuts. You can enjoy them right away or wait a few minutes and sprinkle them with any remaining sugar for an extra sweet crunch.
More Donut Recipes to Try
So, I have this little cake pop maker that my in-laws gave to me for my birthday a few years ago and I absolutely love using it to make doughnut holes. I can’t believe that I haven’t shared any recipes for it here…but I guess that would mean we couldn’t inhale them immediately, giving me a chance to photograph them.
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Thanks to Rhodes bread dough, these Easy Cinnamon Twists are simple to whip up with just four ingredients. Perfect for breakfast or brunch. This post is sponsored by Rhodes Bake-n-Serv. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. For more information, please read my disclosure policy. Hosting a breakfast or brunch soon? These easy cinnamon
Apple Cider Cake Donuts
Equipment
Ingredients
- 15.25 ounce box spice cake mix
- 1 1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice, divided
- 1/2 cup apple cider
- 1/2 cup cinnamon applesauce If you can't find cinnamon, subbing with plain applesauce is fine
- 1 large egg
- 7 Tablespoons butter, divided
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine spice cake mix and 1 teaspoon of apple pie spice. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and add to the cake mix along with the apple cider, applesauce, and egg to the batter. Stir until just combined.
- Spray donut pan well with nonstick spray. Fill each donut mold with batter just to the top. Bake for 13 to 17 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow donuts to cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
- While the donuts are cooling, mix together granulated sugar and 1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice. In a bowl large enough to fit a donut, melt 5 tablespoons of butter.
- Remove the donuts from the pan. Dip the top of a donut into the butter then transfer to the spiced sugar mixture. Flip in the sugar to coat the other side and sprinkle more sugar over the butter coated side. Continue with remaining donuts. Repeat process of baking until you've used all your donut batter. Enjoy right away.