Back to recipe

Baked Doughnuts

Soft, cake-style doughnuts baked in a ring pan instead of fried, then dipped in a simple vanilla glaze. They need no yeast, no rising time and no pan of hot oil.

Prep 20 minCook 12 minTotal 32 minServes 6

Ingredients

  • 160 g plain flour (maida)
  • 80 g caster sugar
  • 1½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp freshly grated or ground nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp fine salt
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 120 ml milk, at room temperature
  • 60 g plain yogurt, whisked smooth
  • 45 g unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence
  • 1 tbsp soft butter, for greasing the pan
  • 100 g icing sugar, sifted
  • 2 tbsp milk, for the glaze, plus more if needed
  • ½ tsp vanilla essence, for the glaze
  • 2 tbsp colourful sprinkles, optional

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan) with a rack in the middle. Brush the doughnut pan cavities and the central posts generously with the soft butter.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, caster sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt until evenly mixed.
  3. In a jug, whisk the egg, milk, yogurt, melted butter and vanilla until smooth. Make sure the butter has cooled so it does not cook the egg.
  4. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Fold with a spatula just until no dry flour remains. The batter will be thick and slightly lumpy; stop mixing there to keep the doughnuts tender.
  5. Spoon the batter into a piping bag or zip-top bag and snip off a corner. Pipe it into each cavity, filling about three-quarters full and leaving the centre post clear.
  6. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the doughnuts are lightly golden, spring back when pressed and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  7. Rest the pan on a rack for 5 minutes, then ease the doughnuts out with a small knife and cool them on the rack until just warm.
  8. Whisk the icing sugar, 2 tbsp milk and the vanilla into a thick but pourable glaze. Add milk a few drops at a time if it is too stiff.
  9. Dip the top of each warm doughnut into the glaze, let the excess drip off, and set it back on the rack. Add sprinkles straight away, then leave 10 minutes for the glaze to set.

Tips

  • Do not overmix the batter. Overmixing develops gluten and makes the doughnuts tough and bready.
  • Grease the central posts as well as the cavities, or the rings may tear when you remove them.
  • Glaze the doughnuts while they are warm, not hot. Hot doughnuts melt the glaze and it runs off; cold ones give a thick, patchy coat.
  • Check at 10 minutes. Small pans bake quickly, and overbaked doughnuts turn dry.
recipenkitchen.com/recipes/baked-doughnuts · RecipenKitchen