Apple Cider Cake Doughnuts

It may very well be winter but fall recipes are my favorite anytime of the year. Besides, no one ever said it was taboo to enjoy fall recipes in the dead of winter!

Sunflower Fields Colby Farms Newbury Mass

I love New England in the fall for its many gifts; the colors of the leaves, the bright cheerful sunflowers and apple cider doughnuts. When my son was younger and we lived in New England every fall meant a trip to one of the farms to pick out pumpkins, cornstalks and to grab a bag of warm, delicious apple cider doughnuts.

I've been thinking about the cider doughnuts my son and I had during our travels in the fall to Boston. While visiting, we got it in our heads that we wanted to do a cider doughnut taste off. So we stopped by two of our favorite farms, Cider Hill Farms in Amesbury, MA and Apple Crest Farm Orchards in North Hampton, New Hampshire to sample their handmade cider doughnuts.

The doughnuts were equally tasty but different in their own ways. One was light and fluffy the other cakey and dense. We both agreed that you have to have these doughnuts while they are fresh and warm for the optimal cider doughnut experience. So good!

Michele Sweeney & Becky Wortman — Food Network Alums

I couldn't shake these delicious treats from my mind, so when my fellow Food Network Cake Wars competitor and sweet friend Becky Wortman of Cream Jewel came to visit we set out to create our own version of this yummy cake doughnut. Our delicious apple cider cake doughnuts are moist with a nice tartness from the Granny Smith apples yet balanced by the sweetness from the cinnamon and sugar. I must say these taste almost identical to those tasty treats my son and I enjoyed in New England!

The process is simple and the full recipe along with a few process shots and fun video are included for your enjoyment. I hope you will give these a try!

Enjoy Y'all!

Apple Cider Cake Doughnuts

1 cup sugar (more for coating doughnuts)
4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon saigon cinnamon (more for coating doughnuts)
2 eggs
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
7 ounces of milk
1 ounce apple cider vinegar
1 tsp LorAnn vanilla bean paste
1 chopped Granny Smith apple
4 cups flour (plus more if dough is sticky)

Whisk together milk, sugar and vinegar. Once combined add eggs and whisk. In separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Slowly combine with your wet ingredients. Once all combined fold in your chopped apples.

Roll dough out and using a biscuit cutter cut out circles. Using a smaller biscuit cutter cut out center to create a ring. Save centers to fry up as doughnut holes!

Fry doughnuts in oil until golden brown. Move to a rack to drain excess oil and while hot still toss in a bowl of cinnamon and sugar.