June 2nd was apparently National Donut Day, and I can’t believe I missed it. I never pass up a chance to enjoy a doughnut! So make up for it, here’s my favorite recipe for baked pumpkin doughnuts from King Arthur Flour. All the doughnut goodness, without the mess of frying. My in-laws gifted me a doughnut pan and pancake pen last year for my birthday, which are both helpful to have when making doughnuts at home. But if you don’t have doughnut accessories, never fear. You can use a regular or mini muffin pan instead. Your doughnut muffins will still be delicious, though you won’t have quite the same ratio of soft inside to baked, crunchy outside.
I’ve tried many varieties of toppings on these doughnuts — dusted with powdered sugar, tossed in a Ziploc bag with cinnamon/sugar, and glazed with a simple sugar coating. My personal preference is cinnamon/sugar, but I would encourage you to try all three to see what you think. Of course, these are also delicious plain if you don’t want to go to the trouble of coating them.
From King Arthur Flour, Pumpkin Cake Doughnuts Recipe:
Ingredients
1/2 c. vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. canned pumpkin
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 3/4 c. flour
Recipe
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease whichever pans you’re using.
- Beat together everything but the flour until smooth. Add the flour, stirring just until combined and smooth.
- Fill the doughnut or muffin tin wells about 3/4 of the way full.
- Bake the doughnuts for 15-18 minutes or until they’re slightly golden on the outside and a toothpick comes out clean. Muffins will bake for 23-25 minutes.
- Take the doughnuts out of the oven and let sit for just a minute or two. They will cool quickly.
- If coating with cinnamon/sugar, toss the doughnuts before they cool down or the sugar won’t stick. If coating with powdered sugar, however, wait until the doughnuts are completely cooled before dusting, or the sugar will melt.
- Cool completely and store, lightly wrapped, at room temperature. They will keep for a few days.
Notes
- Pancake pens are great accessories for making pancakes and distributing doughnut batter into doughnut pans. If I don’t feel like baking a whole batch of doughnuts in one day, I often store the leftover batter in my pancake pen in the fridge for a day or two. Simply shake the pen before you bake up the next batch.
- I use Pam Coconut Oil spray to grease my baking pans. It works well and doesn’t add any off flavor to the finished product.
