Baked Doughnuts Three Ways

Recipe by PJ Hamel

Old-fashioned cake doughnuts were deep-fried in hot fat; NEW-fashioned cake doughnuts are baked in a hot oven! Use a doughnut pan and this tasty recipe to create your choice of doughnuts.

Prep
15 mins
Bake
10 mins
Total
25 mins
Yield
12 doughnuts
Baked Doughnuts Three Ways

Instructions

Prevent your screen from going dark as you follow along.
  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease two standard doughnut pans.

  2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat together the butter, vegetable oil, and sugars until smooth.

  3. Add the eggs, beating to combine.

  4. Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla.

  5. Stir the flour into the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined. The batter will be fairly thick; when you draw your spatula through the batter, it will leave a furrow.

  6. Spoon the batter into the lightly greased doughnut pans, filling the wells to about 1/4" shy of the rim.

  7. Bake the doughnuts for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove them from the oven, and wait 5 to 7 minutes before turning them out of the pans onto a rack.

  8. For cinnamon doughnuts, shake warm doughnuts in a plastic bag with about 1/4 (50g) to 1/3 cup (68g) cinnamon sugar. For sugar-coated doughnuts, shake doughnuts in a plastic bag with about 1/2 cup (57g) non-melting topping sugar (for best results), or confectioners' sugar.

  9. For frosted doughnuts, see our three easy doughnut glazes. Sprinkle the glazed doughnuts with toasted coconut or chopped nuts, if desired.

Tips from our Bakers

  • For chocolate chip doughnuts, stir in 3/4 cup chocolate chips, mini chips preferred. If you make chocolate chip doughnuts, fill each well of the pan right to the rim with batter.
  • Why use non-melting white sugar instead of confectioners' sugar? Confectioners' sugar will melt and disappear; non-melting white sugar will keep the doughnuts nice and white.
  • Looking for a gluten-free version of this recipe? Find it here: Gluten-Free Baked Doughnuts.