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A plate of cinnamon sugar donuts sits on a wooden board. In the background, small pumpkins, fall leaves, and a lit candle create an autumn-themed scene.
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Apple Cider Donuts (with Cake Mix)

These easy Apple Cider Donuts are made with spice cake mix, baked until soft and cake-like, and coated in buttery cinnamon sugar. Such an easy and delicious fall breakfast or dessert for Halloween, Thanksgiving, or any cozy fall day!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time12 minutes
Total Time27 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: Baking, Dessert
Keyword: apple cider donuts
Servings: 12 Donuts
Author: Melissa Johnson
Cost: $9

Equipment

  • 1 donut pan
  • 1 Large Piping Bag Optional. You can also use a ziplock bag and snip off the corner.

Ingredients

Apple Cider Donuts

  • 13.25 oz box Betty Crocker Spice Cake Mix
  • 1 1/2 cup apple cider You can substitue apple cider with apple juice
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tsp Vanilla

Cinnamon Sugar Topping

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter melted

Instructions

Apple Spice Donuts

  • Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease the wells of a donut pan.
  • In a small saucepan, simmer the 1 1/2 cups of apple cider over medium-low heat until it cooks down to 1 cup. Remove from the heat and cool. 
  • In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, reduced apple cider, melted butter, eggs and vanilla then mix with a hand mixer for 2 minutes.
    A glass bowl filled with light brown batter sits on a blue towel atop an orange plaid tablecloth, with small bowls nearby.
  • Fill a ziploc bag with the batter, snip the tip, and then fill each donut well halfway full of batter.
    A person pipes batter into a donut pan on a wooden board, surrounded by baking ingredients and small pumpkins on a plaid tablecloth.
  • Bake until the edges and tops are browned, about 10-12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool.
    A six-cavity baking pan filled with baked donuts sits on a cooling rack over a plaid cloth. The donuts are light brown and evenly shaped.

Cinnamon Sugar Topping

  • In a small bowl, melt the butter in the microwave.
  • In another bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon.
  • Dip or brush the donuts in the melted butter.
    A person brushes glaze onto baked donuts on a cooling rack. Several donuts are visible, and the person has light pink, polka-dotted nails. A bowl and autumn leaves are in the background.
  • Roll each donut in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
    A hand holds a sugar-coated donut over a bowl of cinnamon sugar. A cooling rack and pumpkins are visible in the background.
  • Serve immediately.
    Pumpkin spice donuts coated in cinnamon sugar rest on a cooling rack, with small pumpkins, a lit candle, and autumn leaves in the background.

Notes

  • Don’t skip reducing the apple cider: Simmer 1 1/2 cups of apple cider until it reduces to 1 cup. This cooks off some of the excess water and concentrates the apple flavor, giving the donuts more apple cider flavor without adding too much liquid to the batter.
  • If you're unable to find apple cider, it's okay to substitute with apple juice.
  • No piping bag needed! Add the batter to a zip-top bag, snip off one corner, and pipe it into the donut pan.
  • Fill each donut well about halfway so the donuts have room to rise.
  • Brush or dip the baked donuts in melted butter before rolling them in cinnamon sugar so the coating sticks.
  • These Apple Cider Donuts are best served fresh, especially while that buttery cinnamon sugar coating is at its best.