How to bake donuts at home

Question

I want to bake donuts at home instead of frying them to keep things a bit lighter tbh. Does anyone have a simple recipe that turned out fine for you?

Answer 1

Hello Liam,

Baking donuts at home is a fantastic option if you are looking for a lighter alternative to traditional deep frying. It is helpful to know that baked donuts have a texture more similar to a tender cake rather than a chewy yeast-raised donut. To achieve the classic ring shape, you will want to use a standard metal or silicone donut pan.

Here is a simple and reliable recipe for baked vanilla cake donuts that turns out wonderfully:

Dry Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg or cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup milk, room temperature
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius). Lightly grease the cavities of your donut pan with non-stick cooking spray or melted butter.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt until evenly combined.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract.

4. Add the wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Mix with a spatula just until combined and no dry flour remains. Take care not to overmix, as overworking the batter can lead to tough donuts.

5. For easy filling, spoon the batter into a piping bag or a large resealable plastic bag with the corner snipped off. Pipe the batter into each donut cavity, filling each about three-quarters full.

6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. The donuts are done when the tops spring back gently when touched. Allow them to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.

7. While warm, you can brush them lightly with melted butter and roll them in cinnamon sugar, or dip them into a simple glaze made by whisking 1 cup of powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons of milk and a splash of vanilla extract.

I hope this helps you get started. Please let me know if you run into any questions during the process!

Answer 2

i do meal prep every sunday and make a batch of baked donuts for breakfast during the week because they freeze pretty well. i tried a few yeast recipes at first but cake donuts are way easier and turned out fine.

for a quick recipe, whisk 2 cups flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, and a pinch of salt. in another bowl mix 3/4 cup milk, 1 egg, and 2 tbsp melted butter. mix wet and dry together until just combined, dont overmix or they get tough. pipe into a greased donut pan and bake at 350f for about 10 mins. let them cool on a rack before glazeing. they stay good in an airtight container for 3 days or you can freeze them :)

Answer 3

Use a standard boxed cake mix for a fast method.

1. Combine one box of yellow cake mix with one egg, one-third cup of vegetable oil, and one cup of water in a bowl.
2. Whisk until the batter is smooth.
3. Transfer the batter to a piping bag.
4. Fill each cavity of a greased donut pan completely to the top rim. Filling them to the very top is essential so the center hole remains open while rising.
5. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 to 14 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
6. Cool for 5 minutes before removing.

This produces light donuts quickly using basic grocery store ingredients.