As soon as the calendar flips to September I'm all about hot chocolate, pumpkins and cosy food like apple crumble! Autumn is my favourite season for basically everything - food, weather, holidays... My love of autumn food has inspired me to make these yummy Apple Crumble Baked Donuts! They're baked donuts which are ring shaped cakes and are baked in a donut pan. I've flavoured them with cinnamon and they're full of juicy apple pieces. Then there's a cinnamon icing drizzled over the crunchy crumble topping. Anyone else drooling yet?!

Ingredient Tips & Equipment Information

I used Pink Lady apples but any sweet eating apples will be suitable for this recipe.
Mixed spice is a British spice blend containing Cinnamon, Coriander Seed, Nutmeg, Clove, Pimento, Ginger. If you can't get hold of it, use a Pumpkin Spice mix instead. Or try 1 tsp cinnamon, ½ ground ginger, ¼ ground nutmeg, ¼ ground cloves.
I used caster sugar, but light brown soft sugar would also be amazing in these donuts.
You can use a different type of oil besides vegetable oil. I'd recommend one that doesn't have a strong flavour, canola and sunflower oil would both work well
Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.

For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.

How to make Apple Crumble Baked Donuts

Make the crumble topping first by putting all of the ingredients into a bowl and rubbing the butter into the flour, sugar and cinnamon with your fingers until it resembles breadcrumbs. To make the donuts, stir together the flour, spices and sugar in a mixing bowl. In another bowl, whisk up the milk with the eggs and oil.

Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and whisk them together. Then gently mix in the chopped apple. Put the batter into a piping bag and divide it between the donut tins

Then sprinkle the crumble topping over the top. Bake for 15 minutes, until risen and golden, then remove them from the tins and leave to cool. Once they're fully cool, make the cinnamon icing and drizzle it over the donuts.

What kind of apples should you use?

I used Pink Lady apples but any sweet eating apples will be suitable for this recipe.

Do you need a donut pan to make this recipe?

The simple answer is yes! I highly recommend investing in a donut pan* (or two!), they are not expensive and they’re easy to obtain from Amazon, plus there are so many yummy baked donut recipes on my blog that you’ll be able to make with them!

Can you make the donuts with plain/all purpose flour?

Self raising flour, which is very commonly used in the UK where I am based, already contains a raising agent and a little salt too. Therefore if you want to swap it for plain or all purpose flour, you will need to add some additional baking powder and also a little salt if you like. Some people like to add salt to cake recipes and some don't, so I'll leave that up to you as it won't affect the bake. The general advice is to add 2 teaspoons baking powder (a measuring teaspoon, not the kind you stir your coffee with) per every 200g plain or all purpose flour. So for this recipe you'd need to add 2 + ¼ teaspoons baking powder. Please note, I have not tested this recipe using plain or all purpose flour.

How long do baked donuts last for and can they be frozen?

Although baked donuts will last for a few days if stored in an airtight container in a cool place, they are best the day they're made. You can freeze the donuts too. Wrap them up well, with a small square of baking paper between each donut so they don't stick together, and freeze for up to 3 months.

Can the donuts be made gluten or dairy free?

Yes! For gluten free you can replace the self raising flour with a gluten free self raising flour blend. If you only have a gluten free plain flour blend, you will need to add baking powder. The general advice is to add 2 tsp baking powder per 200g flour, so for this recipe you'd need to add 2 + ¼ teaspoons baking powder. You may also like to add ¼ tsp Xantham Gum for better texture. For the crumble topping, you can replace the plain flour with a gluten free plain flour blend. They can also be made dairy free by using a plant based milk for the donuts, a dairy free spread for the crumble toppping, and also make sure to grease the donut tins with a dairy free spread.

Troubleshooting

If you have any questions about this recipe, or if something went wrong and you need help, please use the comment form below and I will get back to you.

You can also get in touch with me on my Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. I'd love to hear from you!

Recommended equipment & ingredients*

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