This past weekend, I took the family on a trip to go apple picking at one of our favorite places in Virginia, Carter’s Mountain Apple Orchard. While I forgot that there was a much-diminished hurricane system hovering over the Blue Ridge Mountains, much fun was had by all. In addition to getting thoroughly soaked and picking a whole heap of apples, I got to introduce my toddler to one of my great loves, APPLE CIDER DONUTS!
I love apple cider donuts. Cake doughnuts in general are a longtime favorite of mine. I remember being thoroughly roasted by my cousins on a vacation, around my 8th-grade year, for saying how much I loved original style doughnuts. I was overweight and the idea of lifting doughnuts instead of weights was infinitely amusing to our adolescent selves. For the longest, while my brother referred to my love of cake donuts as “lifting originals”. Needless to say, my love for a cake style donuts, seasoned with apple pie spice and tossed in sugar with a touch of cinnamon has endured.
While yeast-risen doughnuts may be the standard-bearer for fried dough breakfast indulgences, the cake style donut is just as delicious and far easier to make in a hurry. While a yeast-risen recipe takes some forethought and planning, cake-style “old fashioned” doughnuts can be ready in less than an hour as long as you have the necessary ingredients around.
I love using self-rising flour for quick-breads and cake recipes. Often, as is the case here, I don’t have to add any additional leavener to get the job done. If you don’t have self-rising flour on hand, go ahead and use regular old, all-purpose flour and add 1 teaspoon of baking powder and 1/4 tsp baking soda to the recipe.
Try topping these with different syrups or candy accompaniments. One of my favorite vacation treats is Sandy Pony Doughnuts in Bethany Beach, DE. They specialize in dousing freshly fried, cake-style donuts, in everything from bacon and caramel to maple syrup, chocolate chips, and colored candy sugar. These doughnuts will keep for a day in an airtight container, but good luck keeping them around that long!