Best Easy Baked Apple Cider Donuts (Uses Cake Mix!)

Do I like donuts? Yes, yes I do. Do I like the smell of food deep frying in hot oil? Gross. Absolutely not – it stinks up the whole house for days. Solution?

BAKE THEM!

I like any shortcut that doesn’t involve frying things in massive amounts of hot oil, so baking these apple cider donuts was the next natural thing to do… and guess what? These little beauties were ready to go in about 15 minutes!

These cider donuts are so ridiculously soft, completely drenched in melted butter and cinnamon sugar, and to be honest? Can completely become major obsession territory. Grab your iced coffee (or treat yourself to a glass of my red hot apple cider or my super chic fireball apple cider), and I’ll show you how to make them!

Why this recipe is perfect for tired humans

I like to think this donut recipe is great for tired people because

1. We use a cake mix shortcut which negates dragging a bunch of extra ingredients out or making sure we have them on hand.
2. Making them at home not only costs pennies on the dollar, but there’s no turning the steering wheel just to get a comforting treat in our bellies. I don’t know about you but when I’m ‘in’ for the night, I hate stepping out for some thing else!
3. No hot oil heating, no temperature testing the oil, no worries about splashing oil, disposing of dirty oil, etc.
4. Who doesn’t deserve a nice, warm, apple spiced donut with their cuppa when we just need a little comfort food treat?

🌟 Ingredient Notes

Most baked donut recipes have you simply adding raw cider into your batter, but I thought we could do better. Here are some ideas on how get that flavor turned all the way up:

• ✅ Reduced Apple Cider – Similar to the idea when I make stock that has too much water, simmering apple cider evaporates a lot of that extra water, concentrating the flavor and helps it punch right through the warm spices.
• ✅ Spice Cake Mix – My favorite shortcut ever! It has all the cinnamon and nutmeg already mixed in so I don’t have to mess around with ten different spice jars.
• ✅ Oil & Eggs – Gives me that light, pillow-soft crumb instead of a dense, heavy muffin texture.
• ✅ Vanilla Extract – I add a splash because, hello??  it makes the whole house smell like a high-end Beverly Hills bakery. If your pantry is totally empty of vanilla, I put all my secret tricks into this guide on substitutes for vanilla extract.
• ✅ Cinnamon Sugar Coat – Brushing them with warm melted butter helps that cinnamon and sugar for that crunchy, iconic finish that looks totally droolworthy.

Baking, not frying cider donuts

1. First, simmer your cider in a small pan until it shrinks down to 1 cup, then set it aside so it cools off completely.
2. Mix the cooled cider syrup with the spice cake mix, oil, eggs, and vanilla for about two minutes. 
3. Scoop the batter into a piping bag and fill the sprayed donut pans halfway so they do not spill over.
4. Bake them until they bounce right back and reach the perfect temperature. Once they cool for a minute, brush both sides with melted butter and roll them the big bowl of cinnamon sugar until they are completely covered!
5. All the exact recipe amounts, times and directions are in the recipe card down below.

SaltyPot Tip – Reducing the apple cider ahead of time (a day or two) helps us have the cider completely cooled for when we need it. This make ahead step goes a long way in breaking up the steps, making this recipe even easier.

 Fun Flavor Upgrades & Fall Pairings

• Sometimes I like to swap the cinnamon sugar for a delicious ‘drizzle’ by whisking 1 cup of powdered sugar with 1-2 tablespoons of real maple syrup and a splash of milk.
• If you want to be a little extra, fold ½ cup of finely diced, sautéed honeycrisp apples into the batter right before piping. (Give them a quick shake in a tiny bit of extra cake mix or flour to keep them from sinking to the bottom of the donut).

No donut pan? No problem

If you don’t own a donut pan yet, it’s all good. Allow me to offer a few alternative ideas that maybe won’t form donut shapes, but are scrumptious all the same.

• Muffin tin with foil centres: Roll small pieces of aluminum foil into tight balls, place one in the centre of each greased muffin cup, and pipe the batter around them to create donut shapes. Grease the foil too!
• Mini muffin tin: Make adorable little donut bites instead. Perfect for tossing in cinnamon sugar.
• Mini Bundt pan: Creates pretty little ring-shaped cakes, although baking times may differ.
• Forget donuts and make cake instead: When I’m in the mood for baking but don’t want to deal with extra work to make things pretty, I make my famous cinnamon roll apple cake and it’s still a winner!

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Storage & Freshness

• On the Counter: Just keep baked donuts in a loosely covered dish at room temp for up to 3 days. Don’t seal them completely until they are fully cooled. Any extra heat and/or moisture could melt the cinnamon sugar into a sticky coating which isn’t fun.
• In the Freezer: Freeze plain baked donuts in an airtight, freezer safe bag or container for up to 2 months. Let it thaw and then warm it for 5 seconds in the microwave, brush with melted butter, and toss it in freshly made cinnamon sugar like it was just baked.

Who wants to go pay good money for apple cider donuts at a bakery when I can make them in my cozy pj’s at home!

Are you team Cinnamon Sugar or team Maple Glaze? Drop a comment below and tell me how your batch turned out!

Thanks so much for stopping by The Salty Pot today, and I’ll see you in the next recipe!