Easy Baked Pumpkin Donuts
These easy and tasty baked pumpkin donuts are full of pumpkin puree and warming spices for a great fall breakfast or dessert. Either top them with a maple butterscotch glaze or roll them in cinnamon sugar.
Servings 12 donuts
Ingredients
Pumpkin Donuts
- 2 cups (8.5 oz) cake flour or all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1 tsp table salt
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 2-3 tbsp heavy cream, if needed
Brown Sugar Topping
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp allspice
- 1/8 tsp ground ginger
- 3 tbsp butter, melted
Maple Butterscotch Icing
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, plus up to 1/2 cup more if needed
Instructions
Pumpkin Donuts
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease two 6 well donuts pans.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, brown sugar, eggs, and butter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and use a large silicone spatula to mix them together. If the batter seems too stiff, add heavy cream, one tablespoon at a time until the batter is thick but not stiff.
- Scoop the batter into a gallon sized resealable bag. Lay the bottom of the bag flat on counter and scoop the batter directly to the bottom. Close the bag and cut a 3/4 inch piece of off the bottom corner. Pipe the batter into each well, filling the cavities 3/4 full. Bake the donuts for 9-11 minutes, testing to see if they are firm to the touch and a skewer comes out clean. Turn out the donuts onto a cooling rack and cool until completely cooled.
- Coat the donuts in either one of the two toppings.
Brown Sugar Topping
- In a shallow bowl, mix together all the topping ingredients except the butter.
- Brush each donut in some of the butter and then roll it in the brown sugar mixture until coated on all sides.
Maple Butterscotch Icing
- In a medium saucepan, mix together the butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat and let bubble for 2 minutes. Take it off the heat and let cool for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the butter mixture, vanilla, and 1 1/2 cups of confectioners' sugar to a large bowl. With a hand mixture, beat the icing until smooth. The icing should flow but be able to cover the donuts with thick coating. Dip a spoon in the icing and see if it coats the spoon. Add more confectioners' to the icing if it's not thick enough.
- Dip the top of each donut into the icing, giving it a twist as you pull it out and then set them aside for the icing to harden.
Notes
- If you do the 'scoop and sweep' method of measuring flour, you will have too much. Fluff up the flour and spoon it into the cup. Or use a digital scale. I have a Salter scale which I always use for baking.
- You can used canned pumpkin puree or puree roasted winter squash in the food processor until smooth. Either way your puree should be thick and not watery. If it seems too thin, let it drain in a mesh strainer until thick.
- You will need at least one 6-well donut pan. They are inexpensive and you can buy them online if you don't have a store with a kitchen section nearby.
- Do not forget to grease the donut pans!! You can get the donuts out, but it's annoying and they will stick.
- The donuts are tender and can crumble when they are warm. Let them cool completely before coating them.
- If you go too far with the confectioners' and now the icing is too thick, add cream, 1 tablespoon at a time until the icing is the right consistency. Also, this icing has a short shelf life before it cools. Use it while it is warm, that way it can harden up on the donuts.