Mulled Apple Cider + Apple Cider Baked Cake Donuts (GF)
Ingredients - Mulled Apple Cider
1 whole nutmeg
10 allspice berries
10 cloves
2 star anise
2-3 cinnamon sticks
1/2 gallon apple cider
cranberries for garnish
1/2 cup rum (optional)
In a large pot, toast spices, occasionally tossing around, about 2 minutes.
Pour in apple cider. Simmer for one hour. Serve hot! (you can add 1/2 rum or spirit of your choice if you want a boozy cider)
Ingredients - Apple Cider Donuts
1 3/4 cup Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 Gluten Free Flour (270g)
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
10 tbsp softened, unsalted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup apple cider
Sugar coating
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Set oven to 350°F. Prepare a donut baking sheet with plenty of cooking spray. Set aside.
Pour apple cider into a small pot and simmer on the stove. After about 30 minutes, the cider should have cooked down to about 1/2 cup. Let cool.
In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together. Set aside.
In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream butter and brown and white sugar together until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix well. Add vanilla extract and mix.
From here, add the previously mixed dry ingredients to your mixer bowl and stir with the paddle attachment on the slowest speed. Once the batter comes together, slowly add the cooked down apple cider while the machine still runs. Mix will become smooth and fragrant.
Fill each donut cavity about 2/3 filled with batter. You can scoop batter in with a spoon, or, fill a pastry bag with batter to pipe in.
Bake donuts at 350°F for 12-15 minutes.
While donuts are baking, mix together the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl, big enough to toss donuts in.
Allow donuts to cool at least 5 minutes before removing them from the tray, otherwise they will break apart. While still warm, toss donuts in bowl of sugar and cinnamon to coat. Completely cool donuts won’t pick up the sugar as easily, but you can brush the donut in some melted butter and toss in sugar if you prefer.
I’ve never been that interested in apple cider. It just sounded like glorified apple juice. Now I know, it is, and that’s great.
One October evening this fall, it was cold and rainy outside. It was one of the first gloomy evenings of the season. So, I had the natural response of wanting some warm beverage. Apple cider wasn’t something I had ever considered before, but the thought that I could add all sorts of warm spices sounded wonderful. This is one of those drinks that is great boozy and not boozy both. I like to make a full batch of cider and add a shot of rum or gin to my individual drink if that’s how I’m feeling. That way, I don’t have to commit to it always being alcoholic, or have a set strength, or even a set spirit. My husband likes to put in whiskey.
I’m making this drink all the time now. I love having a warm drink in the evening and this is just the right combination of light and complex taste.
In addition to not previously being big into apple cider, I’ve always kind of had a grudge against cake donuts. I think it mostly comes from being gluten intolerant. It seemed for a long time to be the only option for gluten free donuts. I didn’t consider cake donuts to be true donuts. I’m not sure if that’s changed exactly, but I stand behind these donuts as being yummy, easy to make, and a great companion to my morning coffee.
These really are simple. It’s pretty much what you do with every baked recipe. Dry ingredients, wet ingredients, mix, bake. Cooking down the apple cider is the only step that takes a little more time, and this is optional even. You can just use 1/2 cup of apple cider, but I recommend cooking down to 1/2 instead for more flavor.
Sometimes I toss the donuts in sugar, and sometimes I don’t. Both are great! Do half of them with sugar and half without, then everyone is happy. Your gluten free friends and family will appreciate these at the dessert table at thanksgiving this year for sure!
