by Joan Saunders | photos by Amanda Cribdon Photography –
I am a big fan of both The Great British Baking Show and The Great Canadian Baking Show. My son and I like to watch the series and hurl comments at the television such as: “Why are you using that flavour? The judges never like it!” Or: “That recipe could go terribly wrong.” But I am always impressed with what the contestants can do and their stunning creations. I definitely have baking envy.
Some of the categories, like cookies, cakes and pies, I generally think I could do OK in. But in others, like patisserie, I’m sure I would be left with oozy globs of dough that look nothing like what they’re supposed to. And then there’s doughnuts, which have often shown up on the shows. Baked doughnuts were on my list of recipes to experiment with as I have a great love for these treats but hadn’t explored any options until last fall, when I finally made the attempt. I tried a recipe for pumpkin doughnuts that I combined with a vanilla chai glaze and it had me saying “I would bake doughnuts again.”
For Valentine’s Day, I figure that baking chocolate doughnuts definitely expresses a lot of love. I make the smaller ones, as then if you have two it doesn’t feel excessive. It’s a psychological ploy that works well with doughnuts (and many other goodies). They’re really pretty, taste fabulous and others will be impressed with the fact that you created such a scrumptious Valentine’s treat.
If you make these with kids, you can also have fun decorating them. Everything becomes celebratory if you add sprinkles on top. What I appreciate about baking doughnuts is that they’re not difficult; the only step that caused me some worry the first time I made them was that you need to make sure you don’t put too much in each divot in the pan. Otherwise you won’t end up with a doughnut, but rather a little cupcake-like creation. I’m not saying they won’t taste as good (they will!) but they definitely won’t look like they’re supposed to.
So, if the judges from either of the baking shows appear on my doorstep and demand doughnuts, they’re getting moist, chocolate, gooey baked ones with sprinkles on top. And yes, they can even have two.
Baked Chocolate Doughnuts
1 cup flour
¼ cup cocoa powder
½ tsp baking soda
⅛ tsp salt
½ cup buttermilk
½ cup sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
Chocolate glaze:
1 cup icing sugar
3 tbsp cocoa powder
½ tsp vanilla
3-4 tbsp milk (or as desired, for thickness of glaze)
Preheat the oven to 350°. Spray a doughnut pan with non-stick cooking spray, then set aside.
In bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt.
In a different bowl, mix together buttermilk, sugar, egg, butter, vanilla until well blended.
Add the wet mix to the dry ingredients; mix until combined.
Spoon the batter into the doughnut pan, making sure to fill them only about half to two-thirds full. Smooth out the batter if needed.
Bake for 8-9 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the doughnut comes out clean. Don’t overbake or they’ll be a bit dry.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes in the pan. Remove them carefully from the pan. This makes 12 small doughnuts. If making regular size, it will make about 8 doughnuts (depending on how full you fill the pan). Bigger ones need to cook a bit longer, about 10-12 minutes; check as needed.
Glaze: In another bowl, mix together icing sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, milk. If you’re worried about lumps, sift dry mix first into bowl, then add vanilla, milk. If glaze is too thick, add 1 more tbsp of milk at a time until it gets to the consistency you prefer.
Dip tops of doughnuts into glaze (I do this when they’re still a bit warm); put back on wire rack to harden. If putting on sprinkles, add before glaze hardens. If you want glaze drizzle, make a contrasting glaze; use spoon or piping bag to put glaze on in decorative lines. If doing this, let the chocolate glaze harden first so the two colours of glaze don’t meld together. Doughnuts are best eaten the same day but can be stored in an airtight container for a couple of days.
Recipe combined and adapted from:
www.livewellbakeoften.com/baked-chocolate-donuts/
prettysimplesweet.com/baked-chocolate-donuts/
The Great British Bake Off: Sweet Bread & Buns, Linda Collister
