Baked Cinnamon Apple Mini Doughnuts

As you ramble on through life, Brother,
Whatever be your goal,
Keep your eye upon the doughnut,
And not upon the hole
~ Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assassin

Hello everyone!

Very sorry it has been such a long time between posts. I'd taken my eye off the doughnut for a little while, concentrating on getting through my last year of medical school, but am hopefully getting my baking mojo back!

I thought I'd come back with a bang with these Baked Cinnamon Apple Mini Doughnuts (a.k.a. doughnut holes or cake doughnuts).  I am a doughnut fiend and these wee delights are actually one of my favourite recipes I have ever baked.

Big call I know, but they just hit the spot. There is really nothing like the smell of cinnamon sugar doughnuts at a rugby game or fair.  It's like a siren's call.  And now you can recreate it at home and as a healthyish baked version too! Baking dream fulfilled.

The addition of the apple is non-traditional but it really adds a special something to this recipe. The little bursts of apple with the warming cinnamon sugar is a match made in doughnut heaven.

The dry-wet-dry method (explained in the recipe) gives you a wonderful fluffy tenderness to these doughnuts that make you forget these are baked cake doughnuts rather than the real deal.

This is a dangerously addictive recipe. A perfect ball game recipe just in time for the Rugby World Cup 2015!

So go on and make the whole batch, you will not regret it!

Baked Cinnamon Apple Mini Doughnuts | bakingequalslove.com

adapted from Bromberg Bros. Blue Ribbon Cookbook

makes 60-70 mini doughnuts

Doughnuts

6 cups (1kg)  flour
5 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup plain unsweetened yoghurt
3/4 cup milk
300g butter, softened
1 3/4 (410g) white sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
4 cups finely diced cooking apple (braeburn, granny smith), cut to ~0.5cm dice (small is good!)

Coating

2 1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
300g unsalted butter, melted (in batches)

1. Preheat the oven to 190oC. Make sure the oven rack is in the centre of the oven. Grease well 2 x 24 cup mini muffin tins.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a small separate bowl mix together milk and yoghurt.
3. In a large bowl or using a mixer, cream butter and sugar together. Then beat eggs in one at a time, around 30 seconds per egg, until very pale and fluffy.
4. Using the dry-wet-dry method, add 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the butter/egg mixture and fold gently. Then fold in 1/2 the milk/yoghurt wet mix. Fold in second 1/3 of the dry, followed by remaining wet mixture. Add chopped apple to the last of the dry mixture and coat the apple well, and fold into the main butter/egg mixture. Be careful not to overmix, the dough will be stiff-ish.
5. Scoop heaped tablespoons balls of dough into each cup of the prepared pans. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
6. Coating: Mix sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Melt half the butter to begin with in a small bowl. Brush each muffin with the melted butter (be generous!) and dip into the cinnamon sugar to coat. Melt more of the butter as required. Best on the day but good the next day too!