Baked Cider Donuts

My friend Anne is responsible for my new obsession with baked donuts. She had bought a pan a few months ago and one morning sent her children to my door bearing the most delicious just baked donuts ever! I put on a pot of coffee and enjoyed. They made my whole morning better! I immediately bought my own pan and have been experimenting ever since.

Cider donuts are our favorite. They remind me of an orchard that I used to take the kids to when they were little. We have great memories of them feeding the animals, walking through the orchard and before heading home, the day was always topped off with cider donuts from the orchard store. I had to try to recreate that donut! After a few attempts, I think these are delicious. And the best part is that you'll feel much less guilt over eating these than the fried version!

Baked Cider Donuts

1 1/2 C. apple cider

3/4 C. whole wheat flour
3/4 C. cake flour
1/2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
14 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon (I use Saigon Cinnamon)
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/8 t. cloves
1 egg
2 T. butter, melted
2 T. canola oil
2 t. pure vanilla extract
1/4 C. granulated sugar
1/8 C. dark brown sugar
cinnamon sugar for dipping

Special equipment:  donut pan

In a small saucepan over high heat, boil the cider to reduce to 1/2 cup. This will take approximately 12 minutes on fairly high heat. I keep a heat resistant glass measuring cup near the stove to keep pouring into to check the progress. Once you are at a half cup, pour the cider into the measuring cup and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Spray or brush your donut pan with canola oil.

In a small bowl, whisk the whole wheat flour, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat the egg. Add the butter, canola oil, cider reduction, vanilla and sugars. Whisk to combine, then add the flour mixture and whisk a bit more, but not too much.

With a gallon size zipper bag, turn its top down a bit and stand the bag in a bowl or a 4 cup measuring cup. This just makes it easy to fill the bag, unless you've got 4 extra hands around. Spoon the mixture into the bag, then close it up, getting the air out.  Snip one of the bottom corners of the bag and pipe the mixture into the donut pan. I  fill them up about 2/3 full.

Place the donuts into the oven and bake for 6 minutes.

Once they are out of the oven, let them sit in the pan for about 2 minutes, then using a small fork, lift them out and roll them into the cinnamon sugar while hot.

Notes:

• When measuring flours, I like to use my whisk and give the flour a stir to fluff it up. That gives you a more accurate measurement. Then I use the back side of a knife to level it off.  It's important in recipes like this to measure accurately (says the girl who never follows a recipe!)
• I keep a plastic container (those small soup size ones from takeout) of cinnamon sugar on hand for all sorts of things. It's great to have around for dipping the tops of your muffins or cookies, sprinkling on cinnamon toast or for these donuts! The proportions are about 1/2 C. of granulated sugar to about 2 heaping teaspoons of cinnamon. 
• These babies will be dry if you over-bake them. I've played around with different baking times and six minutes seems to be magically perfect!