A Spiced Apple and Cider Doughnut with Cinnamon Sugar Coating
The first cool morning of autumn arrives, and the kitchen suddenly smells like it should be doing something more ambitious than toasting bread. Apples are at their sweetest, cider is on every shelf, and a doughnut pan or a heavy pot of oil is waiting to be put to work. This spiced apple and cider doughnut borrows the soft, cake-like texture of an old-fashioned cider doughnut and dresses it in warm spice, brown butter, and a thick cinnamon sugar coating that crackles when you bite into it.
The recipe leans on pantry staples, the kind of ingredients an Aussie home cook keeps on hand without a second thought. Flour, sugar, eggs, butter, and a few apples are all it takes to turn a quiet weekend into something a bit more memorable. Whether you fry them in a heavy pot or bake them in a doughnut pan, the result is the same: a tender doughnut with a soft crumb, ribbons of cooked apple inside, and the kind of spiced sugar crust that makes everyone in the house wander over to the kitchen to see what is happening.
Apples Worth Picking for This Doughnut
Apple choice matters here because the fruit gets folded into the batter as small dice, where it contributes both moisture and pockets of jammy sweetness. Pink Lady apples, which were bred in Western Australia back in the 1970s and now grow all over the country, hold their shape when cooked and bring a balanced sweet-tart flavour. They are the sort of apple you can pick up at any Coles or Woolworths and feel confident about. Granny Smith, that famous Australian-born apple with the bright green skin and sharp bite, works beautifully too, especially if you want the doughnut to lean a touch more tart rather than sweet.
For the best texture, peel and dice the apples quite small, about the size of a pea, so they soften quickly in the batter without sinking to the bottom. Toss the dice with a pinch of cinnamon and a spoonful of the dark muscovado sugar before folding them in. This step alone will change the way you think about apple in baked goods forever, because the sugar draws out the juices and turns each piece into something almost caramelised by the time it hits the hot oil or the oven.
If you happen to be near a farmers' market in March or April, when the new-season apples are coming in, keep an eye out for small, locally grown varieties like Fuji, Jazz, or the humble but lovely Royal Gala. Each will give a slightly different personality to the finished doughnut, and part of the pleasure of cooking in Australia is being able to watch the seasons shift through what is on offer at the market stalls.
The Cider That Does the Heavy Lifting
Cider is not just a drink in this doughnut; it is part of the liquid that brings the batter together. The alcohol burns off during cooking, leaving behind the apple tang, a gentle sweetness, and a faint tannic backbone that makes the spice taste more like itself. A dry, traditional-style cider is what you want, because the sweet, syrupy ones will throw off the sugar balance. Somersby Pressed Apple, 5 Seeds, or a bottle from one of the smaller Tasmanian or Yarra Valley producers will all do the job without needing anything else added.
Measure the cider into the batter at room temperature, or even slightly warm, because cold liquid straight from the fridge can cause the melted butter to seize and leave you with a lumpy mixture. Around 180 ml is the right amount for a batch that makes about a dozen doughnuts, and that same amount in the saucepan makes a quick warm drink later while the doughnuts cool.
If you would rather skip alcohol entirely, an unfiltered cloudy apple juice works as a stand-in. The flavour will be a little rounder and less complex, but the doughnuts will still have that lovely apple backbone. Just make sure the juice is the unsweetened, pressed kind rather than the brightly packaged kids' juice, which is mostly sugar and water.
Building the Dough: Spice, Brown Butter, and Patience
The batter comes together like a quick bread, which means it is forgiving and easy to handle. Start by browning the butter in a small saucepan until the milk solids turn golden and the kitchen smells like toasted nuts. This step takes about five minutes over medium heat and rewards you with a deeper, almost butterscotch-like flavour that regular melted butter simply cannot match. Pour the browned butter into a large bowl and let it cool for a few minutes before whisking in the eggs, the cider, and a splash of vanilla.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: plain flour, baking powder, a generous pinch of salt, ground cinnamon, fresh nutmeg, and a small amount of ground ginger or allspice if you like a slightly bolder spice profile. Fold the dry mixture into the wet one in two or three additions, stirring only until the flour disappears. Overmixing is the surest way to end up with tough, bouncy doughnuts instead of tender ones, so take it easy and trust the batter to come together on its own.
Stir in the spiced apple dice at the very end, and let the batter rest on the bench for ten minutes while you heat the oil or preheat the oven. This short rest lets the flour absorb the liquid fully and gives you a thicker, easier-to-handle batter. It is the kind of small pause that separates a good doughnut from a really memorable one, and it is one of those kitchen habits that pays off in almost every recipe you make.
Frying, Rolling, and the Cinnamon Sugar Finish
Frying is the traditional route for a cider doughnut, and the texture it produces is worth the small mess. Heat about five centimetres of a neutral oil like sunflower or canola in a heavy pot until it reaches 170 to 175 degrees Celsius. Drop generous tablespoons of batter into the oil, no more than three or four at a time so the temperature does not drop too low, and let them cook for about two minutes per side until they are deep golden and puffed. The doughnuts should float most of the way through the oil, which is a good sign that the inside is cooking through evenly.
While the doughnuts fry, prepare the cinnamon sugar. Combine caster sugar with a generous amount of ground cinnamon in a wide bowl, and add a tiny pinch of salt to sharpen the flavour. The moment a doughnut comes out of the oil, let it drain on a piece of paper towel for ten seconds, then drop it into the cinnamon sugar and turn it to coat. The heat from the oil helps the sugar stick, so work quickly and do not skip the brief drain or you will end up with sugar that melts into a paste rather than forming a proper crust.
If frying feels like too much, the batter bakes well in a greased doughnut pan at 180 degrees Celsius for about twelve minutes. Baked doughnuts will not have the same crackly exterior as their fried cousins, but the crumb will be lighter, and the cinnamon sugar coating still clings beautifully. Either way, serve them warm, ideally within an hour of cooking, when the sugar is still crisp and the apple bits inside are still a little jammy.
What to Drink Alongside It
A warm doughnut like this one calls for a drink that can stand up to the spice without overpowering it. A pot of Earl Grey or a strong black tea is the classic choice, and many an Aussie will pair it with a long black or a flat white, which arrives strong and short the way the locals tend to prefer. For something a little more celebratory, pour a small glass of the same cider you used in the batter; the apple flavour echoes through both, and a chilled dry cider against a warm spiced doughnut is a quietly excellent combination.
If cocktails are more your style, an apple brandy old fashioned works beautifully, especially as the arvo stretches into evening and you want something a bit slower to sip. Muddle a small piece of fresh apple with a sugar cube, add a dash of bitters and a measure of apple brandy, stir with ice, and serve over a large cube with a thin apple slice on top. For more ideas on what to pour alongside sweet bakes like this one, have a look through the refreshments section of the kitchen, where drinks and small bites tend to live together.
For a non-alcoholic option, warm some of the leftover cider on the stovetop with a cinnamon stick, a slice of fresh ginger, and a strip of orange peel. Strain it into mugs and serve the doughnuts alongside. It is the sort of thing you would happily serve to friends who drop by unannounced on a Sunday morning, which in Australia happens more often than you might think.
Storing, Sharing, and Making Them Your Own
Doughnuts are at their best within a couple of hours of cooking, but if you need to make them ahead, keep them in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a day. The cinnamon sugar will soften slightly as they sit, which is honestly not a bad thing. For longer storage, freeze the un-coated doughnuts once they have cooled completely, then reheat them in a 160 degree Celsius oven for about six minutes and toss them in fresh cinnamon sugar just before serving. The reheat brings back much of that just-fried texture.
This doughnut is endlessly adaptable, which is part of why it has earned a permanent place in the rotation. Swap the apple for finely diced pear in late autumn, or stir through a handful of toasted pecans for a bit of crunch. A pinch of cardamom alongside the cinnamon makes the spice profile a little more aromatic, and a tablespoon of treacle in place of some of the sugar deepens the colour and the flavour in a way that feels distinctly old-fashioned.
Cooking like this is really the heart of what Rich and Sweet by Bia Rich is about: real food, made with care, served to people you like. Recipes do not need to be complicated to feel generous, and a warm plate of doughnuts passed around the kitchen bench at the end of a long afternoon is one of the most honest pleasures there is. Make a batch, share it widely, and save a couple for yourself while the sugar is still warm and the apples are still soft inside.