Page's Platefuls: Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts With Maple Frosting

There’s no better time to get baking than during the fall apple season! After all, who can resist the aroma of apples and spices in the oven? One of Chef Alex Page’s favourite nostalgic fall recipes is baked apple cider doughnuts using fresh pressed cider from Geissberger Farmhouse Cider, and the “icing-on-the-doughnut”—a deliciously creamy maple frosting using bourbon barrel aged maple syrup from Pefferlaw Creek Farms. Apples + maple + bourbon = hello fall!

Spend the day apple picking and cider tasting at one of the many family-run apple orchards in Durham Region, head home and throw this simple recipe together to enjoy with family and friends. A word of caution, these won’t last long!

Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts with Maple Frosting

Ingredients (per dozen):

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1 cup Geissberger Apple Cider
• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ¼ tsp baking powder
• ¾ tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• 10 tbsp + 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided  
• ¾ cup light brown sugar
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup Pefferlaw Creek Bourbon Barrel Aged Maple Syrup
• 4 cups icing sugar

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
2. In a small saucepan, add the cider and cook over high heat until the cider has reduced by half to exactly ½ cup. Allow to cool completely.
3. In a mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg and whisk to combine. Using a hand mixer, cream together 10 tbsp butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar for 3-4 minutes, or until light and fluffy. With the hand mixer running, add in the eggs one at a time along with the vanilla extract and beat until well combined.
4. With the hand mixer running on low speed, slowly add in the flour mixture just until incorporated. With the hand mixer still running, add the reduced cider and mix just until combined, being sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl if necessary.
5. Divide the batter into the muffin tin and bake for 15 to 20 minutes (rotating halfway through), or until doughnuts are golden and a toothpick inserted into the middle of the doughnuts comes out clean. Remove and cool completely.
6. While the doughnuts are cooling, use a hand mixer to combine 1 cup butter and maple syrup. While the hand mixer is running, gradually add in icing sugar until a thick and creamy frosting has formed.
7. Using a piping bag or an offset spatula, frost doughnuts and serve!

Notes:

• For a more classic take on cider doughnuts, this batter can be baked in doughnut pans. Once removed from the oven, brush with melted butter and toss with cinnamon sugar. Enjoy warm!

Where to buy your ingredients:

Geissberger Farmhouse Cider: Since 1970, the Geissberger family has been making apple cider at their cider house in Clarington. Visit the cider house to see how the cider is made, shop their products and ciders, and more. Along with various apple cider products, the farm does custom pressing with their mobile apple cider mills.

Pefferlaw Creek Farms: Crafting the finest quality organic 100 per cent pure maple syrup on their farm in Uxbridge, this family-owned business is run by four brothers with a true passion and love for producing and consuming maple syrup and bringing it to your tables. Find PC Farms products at farm markets and stores across Durham Region, or visit the farm during maple season to experience the process yourself.

This recipe was created in partnership with Chef Alex Page as part of a series focusing on field-to-fork meals using local ingredients from local businesses in Durham Region.