I’ve realized that apples really aren’t as scary as asparagus, drinking milk or Justin Bieber’s hair if the apples are inside of a cake covered in a massive amount of cream cheese frosting or inside of a pie with tons of buttery crumbs on top. But you know what’s even better than apple cake or apple pie? Apple doughnuts dipped in melted butter and covered in cinnamon and sugar. I think it’s the whole melted butter part that puts me at ease, doesn’t make to hyperventilate and actually makes me want to eat something with apples in it. Butter can work miracles people, serious miracles.
Ok confession time: I like making baked doughnuts mainly because of the doughnut contraption…uh doughnut pan. Using this pan brings me way too much joy. Like so much joy, it’s scary.
First sift 2 cups cake flour, 3/4 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon into a large bowl. Mix mix mix it up with your blue spatula.
Pour in 3/4 cup buttermilk (at room temperature), 2 lightly beaten eggs (also at room temperature), 2 Tablespoons melted unsalted butter and 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract.
Mix everything together but for the love of light and tasty doughnuts, do not over mix the doughnut batter. Unless of course you’re into doughnuts that you could use as weapons. I totally am not into that by the way.
Chop up a large apple into small pieces. You should have 1 cup chopped apple. And throw it it! Oh how I hate fruit. But fruit in doughnuts…yeah so much better. And apple doughnuts dipped in melted butter? Uh yeah so there. Then covered in sugar and cinnamon? Oh just give me the entire batch.
Gently fold in the chopped apple.
Apple doughnut batter = love. Well sort of.
Lightly grease a doughnut pan (uh doughnut contraption…) and using a spoon, fill the pan with the doughnut batter. I scoop three spoonfuls for each doughnut.
Bake the doughnuts at 425 degrees F for 9 minutes.
Once they’re done baking, cool them in the pan for 5 minutes and then flip the pan upside down. Take the doughnuts out.
Melt 1/2 cup unsalted butter. Yes we’re using a whole stick of butter. Makes up for the whole baked thing which totally goes against everything I believe it. Deep fried is the way people.
On a plate or in a bowl mix together 1 cup sugar and 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon.
Very lightly dip the doughnut into the melted butter. Dip both sides!
Then dip both sides into the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Eat, devour, whatever…just enjoy!
Baked Cinnamon Sugar Apple Doughnuts
(adapted from Wilton)
(makes 15 doughnuts)
2 cups cake flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tablespoons melted unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chopped apple (chop the apple into small pieces)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Sift together the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, kosher salt and ground cinnamon into a large bowl. Mix together.
Add in the buttermilk, lightly beaten eggs, melted butter and vanilla extract. Gently mix everything together.
Chop a large apple and add 1 cup chopped apple to the batter. Gently fold the chopped apple into the batter.
Lightly grease a doughnut pan. Using a spoon, fill the doughnut pan with the batter.
Bake the doughnuts at 425 degrees F for 9 minutes.
While the doughnuts are baking:
Melt 1/2 cup unsalted butter in a shallow bowl.
Combine 1 cup sugar and 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon in a shallow bowl or on a plate.
Set the melted butter and cinnamon sugar aside.
Let the doughnuts cool in the pan for about 5 minutes and then flip the pan over to take the doughnuts out.
Lightly dip each doughnut on both sides in the melted butter.
Then lightly dip each doughnut on both sides in the cinnamon sugar.
Enjoy!
