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.
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:
- 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.
- 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!
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:
- Fry your diced apples in butter and sugar until they're caramelly and delicious.
- Make the batter! Dry ingredients + wet ingredients—you know the drill.
- Fold in the apples, and pour the cake donut batter into a prepped donut pan.
- Whip up the whiskey glaze. If you'd like to keep these booze-free, just use whole milk instead of whiskey.
- 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.
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:
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.
