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Irish Apple Cake Donuts with Whiskey Glaze

August 23, 2024

Baked apple cake donuts with a tender, melt-in-your-mouth crumb are drizzled with a whiskey glaze for an autumnal treat that’s the best kind of over-the-top.

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Irish Apple Cake baked Donuts with Whiskey Glaze on a plate with a linen

Baked Apple Donuts: An Ode to Autumn

Once the leaves turn from green to golden, apple season has officially begun—what better way to celebrate than with apple-studded baked donuts? Tart Granny Smith apples are cooked over the stovetop with brown sugar and butter, then tossed into a vanilla-scented batter. Prepared in a donut baking pan—which you can find at any Kroger store—apple cake donuts are the perfect morning or mid-afternoon treat, especially when drizzled with an Irish whiskey glaze.

a bowl of granny smith apples
green granny smith apples cut in half and peeled
ingredients for Irish Apple Cake Donuts with Whiskey Glaze legs, vanilla

What Makes a Cake Donut A Cake Donut?

In the world of pastry lovers, there has been a war raging for centuries—cake donuts vs. yeast donuts. Die-hard yeasted donut lovers will argue that their beloved yeast donuts are lighter, airier, fluffier and therefore better, while cake donut devotees love the dense, dunkable texture of their pastry of choice. We’re not here to settle any debates, BUT when it comes to making donuts at home, we prefer a baked cake donut recipe for two reasons:

  1. No hot oil to contend with. This is always a major plus! Not only does it mean less mess, it also means that it’s safe to involve the kiddos in the whole donut-making process.
  2. Made with what is essentially a classic cake batter, you don’t need to wait for the batter to rise as you would with a yeasted donut. Oven-baked apple donuts that are ready in under thirty minutes? Yes, please!
chopped apples sautéed in a pan with a wooden spoon
flower sugar, salt and spices
batter for Irish Apple Cake Donuts in a pan

How to Make Cake Donuts

If you have made a cake before, this cake donut recipe will be a breeze. Actually, even if you’ve never made a cake before, this recipe shouldn’t scare you. We promise it’s a cinch. Here’s how to make these whiskey icing-topped, appley treats:

  1. Fry your diced apples in butter and sugar until they're caramelly and delicious.
  2. Make the batter! Dry ingredients + wet ingredients—you know the drill.
  3. Fold in the apples, and pour the cake donut batter into a prepped donut pan.
  4. Whip up the whiskey glaze. If you'd like to keep these booze-free, just use whole milk instead of whiskey.
  5. When the donuts are still warm, but cooled enough so you can handle them, pop them out of that pan and dip them in the glaze.
batter for Irish Apple Cake Donuts in a pan
Whiskey Glaze in a bowl with a spoon
baked donuts on a cooling rack

Tools You’ll Need:

Other Apple Recipes to Try!

Knowing that the end of summer marks the beginning of apple season definitely makes it easier to say goodbye to those warm, breezy days. Here are four of our favorite apple recipes:

Irish Apple Cake Donuts with Whiskey Glaze
Irish Apple Cake Donuts with Whiskey Glaze with a glass of milk and a glass of whiskey

The Sweet Smell of Apple Donuts

We hope you love these homemade baked donuts as much as we do. Snap a photo of your finished apple donuts, and maybe even a video of the beautiful people you feed them to. Tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper. Happy eating!

This is a sponsored post written by TMP on behalf of Kroger/Fred Meyer. The opinions and text are all ours.

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Irish Apple Cake Donuts with Whiskey Glaze

  • Serves:  12
  • Yields:  12 donuts
  • Prep Time:  20 min
  • Cook Time:  20 min

Ingredients

Donuts

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 pound Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled, and chopped into ½-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for serving
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Cooking spray

Whiskey Glaze

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons Irish whiskey
  • 2 tablespoons whole milk

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 425° F with a rack in the center position.

  2. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter to a large skillet over medium heat. Add the apples and brown sugar. Cook stirring, until the apples are tender, 7-10 minutes.

  3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt.

  4. In a medium bowl, combine the eggs with the sugar. Stir in the milk, the remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter and vanilla. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and stir until just combined and there are no more dry bits. Stir the apples into the batter.

  5. Spray a donut pan or 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray and fill ⅔ of the way full with the batter. Bake the donuts for 10 minutes or until they bounce back when poked with your finger.

  6. Meanwhile, make the whiskey glaze. In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar, whiskey and milk. Dip the warm donuts into the glaze and allow to cool. Sprinkle with cinnamon and serve.



Nutrition Info

  • Per Serving
  • Amount
  • Calories 246
  • Protein 4 g
  • Carbohydrates 45 g
  • Total Fat 5 g
  • Dietary Fiber 2 g
  • Cholesterol 41 mg
  • sodium 288 mg
  • Total Sugars 29 g

Irish Apple Cake Donuts with Whiskey Glaze

Questions & Reviews

Join the discussion below.

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  • Dana

    Hello,-
    Will there be a noticeable flavor difference if I use Canadian Whiskey instead of Irish whiskey. It's what I have at home right now.
    Thank you,
    Dana

    We think it will be just fine! Hope you enjoy Dana!

  • Jenn

    Yep, these were very tasty!

    Thank you!