13 Apple Cider Bakes That Taste Like a Crisp Morning at the Orchard

There is a moment every fall when you bite into a warm cider donut at the orchard, sugar on your fingers and cold air on your cheeks, and everything feels right. You do not need a hot pot of oil or a long drive to get that feeling back. These apple cider bakes bring the orchard into your own kitchen, and most of them go straight into the oven..

Baked Apple Cider Donuts With No Frying

These are the ones everyone is searching for right now, and for good reason. Soft, cakey apple cider donuts baked in a donut pan, then brushed with butter and rolled in cinnamon sugar. No oil, no splatter, no smell in the house for days. The secret is boiling the cider down first so the flavor is strong. Do you eat yours (A) warm, (B) cold the next day or (C) dunked in coffee?

You will need: 1 1/2 cups apple cider, 2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 eggs, 1/3 cup melted butter, 1/3 cup milk. Coating: 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, 3 tablespoons melted butter.

How to make it: Simmer the cider until it reduces to about 1/2 cup, then cool. Heat oven to 350 F and grease a donut pan. Whisk the dry ingredients. In another bowl, whisk sugar, eggs, butter, milk and reduced cider. Mix together just until combined. Pipe into the pan and bake 10 to 12 minutes. Brush with butter and roll in cinnamon sugar.

3 Ingredient Shortcut Apple Cider Donuts

Busy night but still craving that orchard taste? This shortcut uses a boxed spice cake mix, apple cider and eggs. That is it. The batter goes in a donut pan, bakes in minutes, and nobody will guess it came from a box. It is a great first baking job for kids, too.

You will need: 1 box spice cake mix, 1 cup apple cider, 2 eggs. Coating: 1/2 cup sugar mixed with 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 3 tablespoons melted butter.

How to make it: Heat oven to 350 F and grease two donut pans. Whisk cake mix, cider and eggs until smooth. Spoon or pipe into the pans about 3/4 full. Bake 10 to 12 minutes. Cool 5 minutes, brush with butter and dip in cinnamon sugar.

Apple Cider Donut Cake in a Bundt Pan

Why make a dozen small donuts when you can make one giant one? This apple cider donut cake bakes in a bundt pan and gets a thick cinnamon sugar crust. Slice it for breakfast, bring it to a potluck, or just stand in the kitchen and pick at it. Nobody is judging.

You will need: 1 cup reduced apple cider (from 2 cups), 3 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1 cup soft butter, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 3 eggs, 1/2 cup sour cream. Coating: cinnamon sugar and melted butter.

How to make it: Heat oven to 350 F and grease a bundt pan well. Beat butter and sugar until fluffy, then add eggs one at a time. Mix in sour cream and cider. Stir in the dry ingredients. Bake 45 to 50 minutes. Cool 10 minutes, turn out, brush with butter and pat on cinnamon sugar.

Apple Cider Donut Muffins for Busy Mornings

All the flavor of a cider donut, in a muffin you can grab on the way out the door. They are tender inside with a crunchy sugar top. Make a batch on Sunday and breakfast is done for days. Want another version? Try our warm apple cider muffins for the perfect fall breakfast.

You will need: 1 cup reduced apple cider, 2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup oil, 1 egg, 1/2 cup milk. Topping: melted butter and cinnamon sugar.

How to make it: Heat oven to 375 F and line a 12 cup muffin tin. Whisk the dry ingredients. Whisk cider, sugar, oil, egg and milk. Combine gently. Fill cups 3/4 full and bake 16 to 18 minutes. Dip the warm tops in butter, then in cinnamon sugar.

Baked Cider Donut Holes Everyone Grabs First

Little bites, big smiles. Donut holes are the first thing to vanish from any plate, and these bake in a mini muffin pan. Roll them in sugar while warm and pile them in a bowl. Which do you grab first at a bakery: (A) donut holes, (B) full donuts or (C) the muffin?

You will need: 1 batch baked apple cider donut batter (see the cover slide), 4 tablespoons melted butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons cinnamon.

How to make it: Heat oven to 350 F and grease a mini muffin pan. Fill each cup about 3/4 full. Bake 8 to 10 minutes until they spring back. Cool 2 minutes. Dip each one in melted butter and roll in cinnamon sugar. Serve warm.

Apple Cider Quick Bread With a Cinnamon Sugar Crust

This loaf tastes like a cider donut in bread form. You sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top before baking and it bakes into a crackly crust. Toast a slice and spread a little butter on it. It also makes amazing French toast the next day, if any is left.

You will need: 1 cup reduced apple cider, 2 cups flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/2 cup soft butter, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 2 eggs, 1 chopped apple, 2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar for the top.

How to make it: Heat oven to 350 F and line a loaf pan. Beat butter and sugar, then add eggs and cider. Stir in the dry ingredients and chopped apple. Pour into the pan and sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool before slicing.

Apple Cider Snickerdoodle Cookies

Snickerdoodles are already a fall favorite. Add a drink mix packet of apple cider to the dough and they get a soft, tangy apple flavor that people cannot quite name. They stay chewy for days in a jar. These are perfect for cookie swaps.

You will need: 1 cup soft butter, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 eggs, 2 packets instant apple cider drink mix, 2 3/4 cups flour, 2 teaspoons cream of tartar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon salt. Roll: 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon.

How to make it: Beat butter and sugars, then add eggs and drink mix. Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Chill 30 minutes. Roll into balls and coat in cinnamon sugar. Bake at 350 F for 9 to 11 minutes. Let them sit on the tray 5 minutes.

Cider Glazed Sheet Cake for a Crowd

Feeding a crowd this fall? A sheet cake is the easy answer. This one is soft and spiced, and you pour a warm apple cider glaze over the top while the cake is still hot so it soaks in. Cut it into squares and watch the plate empty.

You will need: 1 cup reduced apple cider, 2 cups flour, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup oil, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup buttermilk. Glaze: 2 cups powdered sugar, 4 tablespoons reduced cider, 2 tablespoons melted butter.

How to make it: Heat oven to 350 F and grease a half sheet pan. Bring butter, oil and cider to a boil, then pour over the flour, sugar, soda, cinnamon and salt. Whisk in eggs and buttermilk. Bake 20 to 22 minutes. Whisk the glaze and pour over the warm cake.

Soft Homemade Cider Caramels

These little chewy candies taste like a cup of hot cider with a spoon of caramel stirred in. You boil a big pot of cider down to a thick syrup, then cook it with butter, sugar and cream. Wrap them in wax paper and tie them in a bag. They make the sweetest small gift.

You will need: 4 cups apple cider, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon salt.

How to make it: Boil the cider until only about 1/3 cup is left, 25 to 30 minutes. Add sugars, butter and cream and cook, stirring, to 250 F. Stir in cinnamon and salt. Pour into an 8 inch pan lined with buttered parchment. Cool 2 hours, cut and wrap.

Old Fashioned Cider Pound Cake

Grandma would approve of this one. A rich, tight crumb pound cake with apple cider in the batter and a thin cider glaze on top. It is the kind of cake that gets better on day two. Slice it thick and serve with a hot cup of coffee or tea.

You will need: 1 cup soft butter, 2 cups sugar, 4 eggs, 3 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 3/4 cup apple cider, 1 teaspoon vanilla. Glaze: 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons cider.

How to make it: Heat oven to 325 F and grease a tube or bundt pan. Cream butter and sugar for 5 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add the dry ingredients in parts, switching with the cider. Add vanilla. Bake 60 to 70 minutes. Cool, then drizzle the glaze.

Cider Cinnamon Rolls for Slow Saturday Mornings

Saturday morning just got better. Soft cinnamon rolls with a spiced apple filling and an apple cider cream cheese icing on top. Use store bought dough if you want an easy start, or your favorite homemade dough. Who in your house always steals the middle roll?

You will need: 1 can or batch cinnamon roll dough, 1 diced apple, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 cup apple cider. Icing: 4 oz cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons reduced cider.

How to make it: Heat oven as the dough package says, or 350 F. Toss the apple with sugar and cinnamon. Place rolls in a greased pan and tuck apple pieces between them. Pour cider into the pan. Bake 22 to 28 minutes. Beat the icing and spread over the warm rolls.

The Reduced Apple Cider Trick for Big Flavor

Here is the secret behind every great apple cider bake. Plain cider is mostly water, so the flavor gets lost in the oven. Boil it down to a third or even a quarter and you get a sweet, tangy syrup with real apple punch. Use it in batter, glazes and icings. Did you know this trick before today?

You will need: 4 cups fresh apple cider, a wide pot, a heat safe measuring cup.

How to make it: Pour the cider into a wide pot and bring to a boil. Let it bubble over medium high heat, stirring now and then, until it reduces to 1 cup, about 20 to 25 minutes. Pour into a measuring cup to check. Cool and keep in the fridge up to 1 week.

Hot Mulled Apple Cider to Serve Alongside

Every bake on this list tastes even better with a warm mug next to it. Mulled cider is just cider simmered with orange slices and whole spices. Make it in a slow cooker and your home will smell like fall for hours. This version has no alcohol, so the whole family can enjoy it.

You will need: 8 cups apple cider, 1 orange sliced, 3 cinnamon sticks, 6 whole cloves, 3 star anise, 2 tablespoons maple syrup (optional).

How to make it: Put everything in a pot or slow cooker. Warm on low heat for 30 minutes on the stove, or 2 hours in the slow cooker. Do not let it boil hard. Strain out the spices if you like. Ladle into mugs and add a cinnamon stick.