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Baked Cake Doughnuts

4.5

(12)

Image may contain Food Bread Dessert Pastry Donut Confectionery and Sweets
Baked Cake DoughnutsLara Ferroni

Cake doughnuts are fried, not baked, at your local doughnut shop. But this recipe bakes up just as delicious, and cleanup is far easier, not to mention a bit less guilt-inducing. This batter also bakes up beautifully in an electric doughnut maker.

Note: To get the proper doughnut shape when baking cake doughnuts, you do need a doughnut pan with a rounded bottom to each cup and a post through the middle. Baking them on a flat baking sheet will result in flat-bottomed half-doughnuts. If you don't have a doughnut pan, you can make the same batter and bake it in a muffin tin for doughnut-flavored muffins. The batter also works great with a mini-muffin pan for bite-size treats.

Recipe information

  • Total Time

    30 minutes

  • Yield

    Makes 6 to 12 doughnuts

Ingredients

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon (120 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (30 grams) whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup (75 grams) superfine sugar
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) unsalted butter or vegetable shortening
1/4 cup whole milk, scalded
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg, beaten

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a doughnut pan.

    Step 2

    2. Sift the flours and baking powder together into a large bowl or the bowl of a mixer. Whisk in the sugar, nutmeg, and salt. Add the butter and use your fingers to rub it into the dry ingredients as you would in making a pastry crust, until evenly distributed. Add the milk, yogurt, vanilla, and egg and stir until just combined. Do not overmix or your doughnuts may be rubbery.

    Step 3

    3. Use a piping bag or a spoon to fill each doughnut cup about three-quarters full, making sure the center post is clear. Bake until doughnuts are a light golden brown and spring back when touched, 6 to 10 minutes. Let cool slightly before removing from pan. Glaze as desired.

Cover of the cookbook Doughnuts by Lara Ferroni, featuring several varieties of homemade doughnuts.
Reprinted with permission from Doughnuts: 90 Simple and Delicious Recipes to Make at Home by Lara Ferroni, © 2010 Sasquatch Books. Buy the full book at Amazon or ThriftBooks.
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