Baked apple donuts with cinnamon sugar are the best fall recipe for incredibly moist, fluffy, almost cake-like donuts. Wonderfully easy to make, these are apple donuts baked (not fried). There’s no mess, and they’re ready in 30 minutes!
Fresh apple donuts are pillows of goodness; each golden nibble reveals a crunchy cinnamon sugar crust and delicately flavored donut crumb meant to be savored alongside an Americano or Darjeeling.
Comfortingly fragrant with cozy autumn aromas, these apple cinnamon doughnuts (or donuts, depending upon which part of the world you call home) strike the perfect balance of sweetness, making them a delicious fall breakfast indulgence!
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3 Reasons To Try Cinnamon Sugar Apple Donuts
Soft, cakey. Baked, not fried.
These are the ONLY fall donuts you’ll want.
They come together in one bowl AND without a grocery store run (you heard me)!
Recipe Ingredients
Flour: This baked apple donuts recipe uses all-purpose flour, but whole wheat flour makes a good substitute.
Milk: I used regular milk. For vegan apple cinnamon donuts, switch to plant-based milk like my easy homemade almond milk which I used to make these vegan cinnamon baked donuts.
Oil: Coconut oil is a personal preference; any neutral-tasting oil will do here, or even melted butter!
Sugar: Raw, caster, cane, or brown sugar; any will work in the batter. For the cinnamon sugar-coating, if you don’t love the crunchy texture, use powdered sugar.
Apples: The best choice for this apple donuts recipe is whatever variety is in season and locally available. Wash, peel, and then grate the juicy fruit using the coarsest section of your box grater.
Squeeze the juice out so there is no excess moisture in your apple donuts. Don’t throw the juice! Sip while you wait for the donuts to bake.
How To Make
Step 1: Set your oven to preheat. Grease the cavity of the donut pan, and then start making the apple donut batter.
Step 2: Mix milk, and vinegar in a small bowl. Set aside.
Step 3: In a separate (larger) bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, cinnamon powder, and salt.
Step 4: Add coconut oil, vanilla extract, milk-vinegar mixture, and grated apples to the dry ingredients.
Step 5: Mix until you have a smooth, lump-free cinnamon apple donuts batter with a thick pouring consistency.
Step 6: Transfer the batter into a piping bag, and then pipe it into the donut pan. It’s the mess-free way. Alternatively, you can spoon the batter into the pan.
Step 7: Bake the apple donuts until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. It takes about 10 to 12 minutes.
Step 8: Brush each donut with melted butter. Then toss in cinnamon sugar.
Final step: Serve and enjoy!
Pro Tips
- Whisk the coconut oil into the milk-vinegar mixture after it has curdled. It’ll give you light, springy donuts!
- Add a tablespoon or more of milk if the consistency of the baked apple donuts is too thick. It should pour easily.
- Metal donut pans (like the ones I have) really need to be greased well. For silicon pans, a light coating is enough for these easy apple donuts to pop out after baking.
- Fill only 3/4th of each cavity in the pan, so the donuts have space to rise beautifully.
- After the 10-minute mark, keep an eye on the donuts to avoid overbaking.
FAQs
Most definitely! You'll get delicious muffins instead of baked donuts!
Apple donuts are simply fantastic as-is, but cinnamon sugar gives them a crispy, buttery cinnamon coating, transforming these soft, fluffy donuts into powdery, dreamy bites!
To make cinnamon sugar, just combine cinnamon powder with granulated sugar in a shallow bowl.
These baked apple donuts are best eaten the day they are baked. Any leftovers will keep well for 2-3 days, in an air-tight container. You can also refrigerate them for upto a week. Reheat in the microwave for 15-20 seconds.
More Apple Recipes For Fall
Half the joy of cooking is sharing it with others. That's why I’m always eager to hear from you. So go right ahead and drop a comment or reach out on Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, or Facebook. I hope you love these baked apple donuts with cinnamon sugar as much as we do!
📖 Recipe
Baked Apple Donuts with Cinnamon Sugar
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Milk
- 1 tbsp Vinegar you can use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1.5 cup All-purpose flour
- 1.5 tsp Baking powder
- 1/4 tsp Baking soda
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Cinnamon powder
- 1/2 cup Caster sugar
- 3 tbsp Coconut oil
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 large Apple, grated
Cinnamon Sugar Topping
- 1.5 tsp Cinnamon powder
- 1/4 cup Caster sugar
- 3 tbsp Butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 C. Grease the cavities of a donut pan well.
- Combine the milk and vinegar in a small bowl. Set aside for 5 minutes.
- Place the grated apple in a kitchen towel and squeeze out the juice. You can drink this juice!
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon powder, and sugar,
- Add in the milk-vinegar mixture, coconut oil, vanilla extract, and the grated apple.
- Mix well until a smooth batter, of soft-dropping consistency is formed.
- Spoon or pipe the batter into the prepared pan, filling 3/4 of the way.
- Bake at 180 C for 10-12 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the donuts rest for 5 minutes in the pan before turning them out on a cooling rack.
Cinnamon Sugar Topping
- Combine the sugar and cinnamon powder in a wide bowl.
- Brush each donut with the melted butter and then toss in this cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Serve and enjoy!
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