Traditional Baked Apple Cider Donuts!

Here's a fact you may not know about me. For a few years of my childhood, I lived in the United States; more specifically, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

I can certainly think that living in New England sparked my everlasting love for multiple American traditions, but most notoriously, a long-established crave for the sugar and spice autumnal treat that are Apple Cider Donuts! It just isn't proper autumn without them! I simply love the crisp buttery sweetness of the apple concentrate paired with that wonderfully assorted spice!

​If you happen to be in Massachusetts during the fall, make a stop for the best apple cider donuts at Atkins Farms in Amherst!

First off, my number one tip would be that you use concentrated apple cider for making this recipe. You can make it by placing some apple cider on a pot over the hob for 20 minutes, and let it cool down for about 30 more minutes before use.  It really does make a world of difference!

Here's a story from the time I first made them a few years back. I had ignorantly used a mix of apple cider vinegar and regular vinegar for the recipe, thinking it would be the same 🙉 Silly me, right? As you can imagine, they came out incredibly sour!! So do make sure you're using the right stuff 😂

Ok I'll stop babbling now and get to the recipe!

Ingredients 

• 75 grams of room temperature butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• Juice from 1/2 lemon
• 1/3 cup apple cider concentrate
• A pinch of Salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp  grated nutmeg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

For the coating 

• Mix 1 cup of sugar with 3 tbsp of cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg. 
• 1/2 cup of melted butter

Method 

• With a large bowl stand mixer, mix together the butter and sugar until well incorporated. 
• Continue by mixing in the eggs one at a time. 
• Now add the milk, lemon juice, cider concentrate, and vanilla into the mixture. 
• On a separate bowl, mix your dry ingredients, being the flour, baking powder, salt and your spices. 
• Add this flour mixture into the wet ingredients bowl and stir gently until no lumps are seen. 
• The mixture should be only a bit ticker than that of cake batter, so if it's too thick, add just a little more milk. 

Once you're done mixing, grease a small donut bakeware tin and fill with the batter to about 3/4 (donuts will expand!). 

I personally used this flower ring tin to give it a nicer texture!

Bake for 12 minutes, at 180 degrees Celsius, and insert a tooth pick to ensure they're ready!
Remove from the oven and let the donuts cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then remove them. 

Now for the finishing touch, 
Melt you butter in a small bowl and dip each donut individually and coat in your sugar/cinnamon mixture. 

Now serve them up nicely (I like to put them in a basket for that added rustic feel), and enjoy!

Xx,

Tatiana