I came across apple cider donut/doughnut recipes a while ago. They sounded perfect and easy to make. Where I live apple cider is not really a thing and I didn’t want to bother to make my own this time. Next time, Gadget. So I made baked cinnamon donuts/doughnuts with apple juice. These baked cinnamon donuts/doughnuts were super soft, delicious, and easy to make. I am very happy I decided to try baked donuts/doughnuts.
These cinnamon baked donuts are soft, they have a cakey texture. They have distinct apple and cinnamon flavors. No fancy equipment is required, simply add the batter to a donut pan. If you only have 1 pan, just bake a batch at a time or you can use a muffin tin. They are very quick to make, you can make these in about 30 minutes.
I wouldn’t necessarily say these donuts/doughnuts could be categorized as healthy donuts because they contain a fair amount of sugar. But once in a while, that’s okay. I don’t eat sweets every day, but I enjoy having a sweet treat once in a while. Balance is key.

Happy baking/cooking! Jó étvágyat!
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Ingredients & Substitutions
Apple juice: I choose apple juice because in my town there was no apple cider in the stores. Next time perhaps I will make homemade apple cider for the donuts.
Oat flour: It is optional, you can use solely all-purpose flour. I like adding additional fiber to my recipes.
If you don’t have a donut pan you can bake them in a muffin tin or bake a batch at a time.
You can also coat them with icing or dip the donuts into melted butter then into the sugar-spice mixture.
Ingredients /For 8-10 donuts/
- 180 ml apple juice (3/4 cups)
- 60 ml milk (1/4 cup)
- 1 egg
- 15 g (1 tbsp.) unsalted melted butter
- 125 g all-purpose flour (1 cup)
- 50 g oat flour (1/4 cup and 1 tbsp.)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon gingerbread or apple pie spice
- pinch of vanilla bean powder or dash of vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 50 g brown sugar (1/4 cup)
- 50 g granulated sugar (1/4 cup)
For coating:
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon gingerbread or apple pie spice
- 100 g granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Spray donut pan with non-stick spray. I didn’t spray mine because it is a non-stick pan. The donuts came out perfectly fine.
- Set aside.
- Make the donut batter: Whisk the flour, salt, oat flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, gingerbread spice or apple pie spice, and vanilla bean powder together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Whisk the melted butter, egg, brown sugar, granulated sugar, milk, and apple juice together. Whisk everything together until smooth and combined. The batter will be slightly thick. Spoon the batter into the donut cavities—for ease, I recommend using a measuring cup with a spout or a large zipped-top bag. Cut a corner off the bottom of the bag and pipe the batter into each donut cup, filling about halfway.
- Bake for 11-12 minutes or until the edges and tops are lightly browned. To test, poke your finger into the top of the donut. If the donut bounces back, they’re done. Or insert a toothpick into the donut if it comes out clean, the donuts are ready. Cool donuts for 1-2 minutes then transfer to a wire rack. Re-grease the pan and bake the remaining donut batter.
- Coat the donuts: Combine the granulated sugar, cinnamon, and gingerbread spice/apple pie spice together in a medium bowl. Once cool enough to handle (but still warm), dunk both sides of each donut generously in the apple spice topping.
- Donuts are best served immediately. Leftovers keep well covered tightly at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Nutritional value
One donut provides about 190 calories, 3 grams of fat, 37 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of protein.