Apple Cider Donuts

without the holes

Pastel by Vicki Smith

Hello,

Still life as a genre of painting generally seems to receive less respect than work representing the human figure or a landscape. However, the genre dates all the way back to the Egyptian Tomb of Menna where depictions of fish, fowl, and baskets of crops grace the interior, supposedly to be used in the afterlife. Figs, pears, and pomegranates are represented on frescoes that have been discovered in Pompeii that date back to before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius that destroyed the city in 79AD. The Dutch first coined the term “still life”. They are famous for their 17th century works showcasing lavish tables laden with every manner of food bathed in dim, atmospheric lighting.  Impressionist Paul Cezanne in the 19th century painted apples and bottles of wine with expressive colors atop patterned tablecloths that offer a humbler, less rendered still life than his Dutch predecessors.

American artist Wayne Thiebaud (1920-2021) comes to mind when I think of depictions of donuts, and more frequently pies and cakes. His thick, creamy application of paint almost reminds me of layered frosting. When Thiebaud was trying to find his way, Abstract Expressionist Willem de Kooning gave him the advice to “paint something that you love and try to deal with it-and not expect anything.” (Apollo Magazine, an excellent article) Thiebaud began to combine basic geometric shapes and realized that they resembled slices of pie. He immediately worried that the subject matter would signal his demise as a serious painter, but by 1960 he had found his niche and consequently fame. His compositions were not created by observation, surprisingly as the desserts look ready to be plucked from a bakery case, but from his memory. The paintings offer a fresh perspective on still life. Thiebaud was not limited to still life as he also painted the figure working from models, and landscapes that were recreations of childhood memories.

Growing up in apple country we always picked our own, bringing Cortlands and macs home in a bushel basket. We purchased unpasteurized cider and apple cider donuts at the orchard. I have the same opportunities now but was rather dismayed when my husband brought home donuts from a local farmstand that were packaged in one of those hideous hard plastic containers. It’s bad enough that I am met with a sea of plastic every time I walk into the produce and bakery sections of my supermarket, but what happened to the simple, white bakery bag? Surely, a white paper bag or a box tied with string can be envisioned with Wayne Thiebaud’s desserts. I realize that the donuts quickly become stale without the plastic, but if they are really delicious, they won’t be around long enough to suffer that fate. It was time to make my own!

After a bit of research, I decided to try the baked apple cider donuts at Sally’s Baking Addiction. The recipe makes scrumptious donuts. The only thing that I did differently was that I did not purchase a special donut tin that has a stem in the center of each muffin cavity to create the donut hole. Some people use a regular muffin tin and create the stem with tin foil, but that seemed like a lot of bother to me. Without a hole, are they really a donut? I don’t know, but they taste just like a traditional apple cider donut. They do take a bit longer to bake without the hole, but they are easy to check for doneness. (The donut in the drawing is from the farm stand and the donuts in the photo are what I made.)

Photo by Vicki Smith

Apple Cider Donuts

Ingredients for Donuts

1 1/2 cups apple cider (preferably unpasteurized)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 t. baking soda

3/4 t. baking powder

1 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. ground ginger

1/4 t. nutmeg

1/4 t. salt

2 T. melted butter

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. granulated sugar

1/2 c. milk at room temperature

1 egg, at room temperature

1 t. vanilla

Ingredients for Topping

1 c. granulated sugar

3/4 t. cinnamon

6 T. melted butter

Directions

Simmer cider on top of the stove for about 20 minutes until it has been reduced to 1/2 cup. Allow the cider to cool. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat muffin tins with a non-stick spray. Whisk melted butter, egg, sugars, milk, and vanilla. Sift dry ingredients. Fold dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Add cider. Whisk. Measure 1/3 cup of batter into each cup of your muffin tin. I had only enough batter for nine muffins. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the donut rebounds when you gently press it in the center. Combine sugar and cinnamon. Once your donuts have cooled, dip both sides in melted butter and then the sugar mixture.

Note: The cups in my muffin tins are each 8 ounces. If yours are smaller, you may need to add less batter or bake a bit longer as the donut will be thicker.

Thank you for reading! Let me know if you make donuts.

Thank you, too, to my dear friend Elizabeth T. who checks this newsletter to make sure that I have not omitted the salt or misused a semi-colon.

Vicki