Welcome to the ultimate autumn indulgence: these incredibly moist and flavorful Baked Pumpkin Donuts. Bursting with the warm, inviting aroma of seasonal spices and rich pumpkin, each bite is a pure delight. Crowned with a luscious Maple Cinnamon Glaze, these donuts are so irresistibly good, they’ll make you wish pumpkin season lasted all year long! Forget the fryer – our baked version delivers all the deliciousness with a lighter touch, perfect for a cozy breakfast or an afternoon pick-me-up.
If you’re as devoted to pumpkin as we are, and love starting your day with its comforting embrace, be sure to explore more of our delightful pumpkin creations. Try our Pumpkin Muffins with Chocolate Chips for a sweet surprise, fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes, elegant Pumpkin Scones, or decadent Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting. There’s a pumpkin treat for every occasion!
The Irresistible Allure of Homemade Baked Pumpkin Donuts
There’s something truly special about a homemade donut, especially when it captures the essence of fall. These aren’t just any donuts; they’re a celebration of pumpkin, spice, and everything nice. If you, like me, find it hard to resist freshly baked goods, consider yourself warned – these donuts are utterly addictive! From the moment the warm, spicy aroma fills your kitchen to the first bite of tender pumpkin goodness enveloped in a sweet, sticky maple cinnamon glaze, you’ll understand why self-control becomes a distant memory.
Perfect for a leisurely weekend breakfast, a festive holiday brunch, or a comforting snack alongside a hot cup of coffee or tea, these baked pumpkin donuts are destined to become a fall tradition. The combination of moist cake-like texture and that incredibly flavorful maple cinnamon glaze makes them disappear at an astonishing rate. They’re a simple pleasure that brings immense joy, making even the busiest days feel a little more like a cozy autumn morning.
Unlike their fried counterparts, baked donuts offer a lighter texture and are much easier to prepare, requiring no hot oil or special equipment beyond a donut pan. This means less mess and a quicker path to pure pumpkin bliss. They’re an ideal way to enjoy the classic donut experience without the fuss, delivering a delightful treat that’s both comforting and satisfying. Get ready to embrace the magic of fall baking with this foolproof recipe!
Key Ingredients for Perfect Pumpkin Donuts
Crafting these delectable baked pumpkin donuts requires a thoughtful selection of ingredients, each playing a crucial role in achieving that perfect balance of flavor and texture. Here’s a closer look at what you’ll need and why it matters:
- All-Purpose Flour: The foundation of our donut batter. Use a good quality all-purpose flour to ensure a tender crumb.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: This dynamic duo provides the essential lift and delicate texture baked donuts are known for. Baking powder acts quickly, while baking soda reacts with the acidic pumpkin puree and brown sugar to create a soft, airy rise.
- Salt: A pinch of salt is crucial for enhancing and balancing all the sweet and spicy flavors in the donuts. Don’t skip it!
- Warm Spices (Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger): These are the heart and soul of any pumpkin recipe. Cinnamon provides warmth, nutmeg adds a hint of sweetness and depth, and ginger introduces a subtle, spicy kick. For convenience, you can substitute this blend with 2 1/4 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice, ensuring that iconic fall flavor.
- Pumpkin Puree: The star of the show! You can use either store-bought canned pumpkin puree (make sure it’s 100% pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling) or homemade pumpkin puree. If opting for homemade, remember to drain any excess moisture to prevent a watery batter, which can affect the donut’s texture.
- Brown Sugar: We use light brown sugar, packed when measuring, for its molasses notes and moistening properties. It adds a deeper, more caramelized sweetness than granulated sugar.
- Butter: Unsalted butter is preferred, as it gives you control over the overall salt content. Ensure it’s at room temperature for easy creaming with the sugar and pumpkin, creating a smooth base for your batter. If you only have salted butter, that’s generally fine given the small quantity used.
- Eggs: Large eggs bind the ingredients together, add richness, and contribute to the donut’s structure. Room temperature eggs emulsify better with other ingredients, resulting in a more uniform batter.
- Milk: Just a couple of tablespoons of milk are needed to bring the batter to the perfect consistency, ensuring it’s thick enough to hold its shape but still pipeable.
- Vanilla Extract: Pure vanilla extract provides a subtle, aromatic background that complements the pumpkin and spices beautifully. For an extra luxurious touch, vanilla bean paste would be an exquisite alternative.
For the Maple Cinnamon Glaze:
- Powdered Sugar: The base of our silky-smooth glaze. While sifting isn’t strictly necessary, a quick whisk-through will help eliminate any lumps for a smoother finish.
- Milk: Used to thin the glaze to the perfect dipping consistency. You might need slightly more or less depending on your desired thickness.
- Maple Extract: A little bit of maple extract adds an incredible, authentic maple flavor that pairs magically with pumpkin and cinnamon. It’s potent, so a small amount goes a long way.
- Cinnamon: Another dash of cinnamon in the glaze reinforces the spice profile, tying all the flavors together for a truly enchanting topping. The maple and cinnamon combination is simply irresistible!
How to Make Baked Pumpkin Donuts: A Step-by-Step Guide
Making these delightful baked pumpkin donuts is surprisingly simple, even for novice bakers. The key lies in careful mixing and a bit of patience. Follow these steps for perfect results every time:
1. Prepare Your Dry Ingredients
Begin by preheating your oven to 350°F (175°C). Then, in a large mixing bowl, thoroughly whisk together all your dry ingredients: the all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, baking soda, and ginger. Whisking ensures that the leavening agents and spices are evenly distributed, leading to a consistent rise and flavor throughout your donuts. Set this bowl aside.
2. Combine Wet Ingredients
In a separate, medium-sized bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, packed brown sugar, and room temperature butter. Cream these together until well combined and smooth. Next, beat in the eggs one at a time, ensuring each is fully incorporated before adding the next. Finally, stir in the milk and vanilla extract until just combined. The mixture should be smooth and fragrant.
3. Mix Wet and Dry Batters
Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, gently stir until just combined. Be careful not to overmix the batter; overmixing can develop the gluten in the flour too much, resulting in tough, dense donuts rather than light and fluffy ones. A few lumps are perfectly fine!
4. Prepare for Baking
The batter for these donuts is fairly thick, making a piping bag (or a ziplock bag) an invaluable tool for filling your donut pan neatly. Transfer the batter into a large ziplock bag, then snip off one corner to create a makeshift piping bag. This method makes it incredibly easy to pipe the batter evenly into the donut cavities, ensuring perfectly shaped donuts.
5. Bake to Perfection
Carefully pipe the batter into the prepared donut pan cavities, filling each about two-thirds full. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a donut comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs. The donuts should be lightly golden and spring back when gently pressed. Remove the pan from the oven and let the donuts cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before carefully inverting the pan to release them onto a wire rack. Allow them to cool completely on the rack before glazing.
6. Prepare the Maple Cinnamon Glaze
While the donuts are cooling, prepare the irresistible glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, maple extract, and a touch more cinnamon. Start with the suggested amount of milk and add a tiny bit more, a teaspoon at a time, if needed, until the glaze reaches a smooth, pourable, but still thick consistency that will cling to the donuts. You want it thin enough for dipping, but not so thin that it runs off completely.
7. Glaze and Serve
Once the donuts are completely cool (this is important, as glazing warm donuts will cause the glaze to melt), dip each donut into the maple cinnamon glaze, coating one side evenly. You can double-dip for a thicker glaze if desired. Return the glazed donuts to the wire rack, placing a sheet of parchment paper or foil underneath to catch any drips. Let the glaze set for a few minutes before serving. Enjoy these autumn treasures immediately!
Essential Tools for Baking Donuts
While baking donuts is quite accessible, having a few key tools will make the process even smoother and more enjoyable. You don’t need a fancy kitchen setup, but a couple of items are particularly helpful:
- Donut Pan: This is arguably the most important tool for baked donuts. A non-stick donut pan is relatively inexpensive and makes it incredibly easy to achieve those classic donut shapes without the mess of frying. While one pan is sufficient, having two can speed up the process by allowing you to bake both batches simultaneously. If you only have one, simply bake half the batter, let the pan cool slightly, then wash and grease it before baking the second half.
- Large Ziplock Bag (or Piping Bag): This simple trick makes filling the donut pan a breeze. The thick batter can be tricky to spoon into the donut cavities, but snipping off a corner of a ziplock bag turns it into an instant, disposable piping bag, ensuring neat and even distribution.
- Mixing Bowls and Whisk: Standard kitchen staples for combining your wet and dry ingredients.
- Wire Cooling Rack: Essential for allowing your donuts to cool completely and for letting the glaze set evenly without sticking.
- Measuring Cups and Spoons: Accurate measurements are key in baking, so make sure you have a reliable set.
Expert Tips for the Best Baked Pumpkin Donuts
Even though this recipe is straightforward, a few tips and tricks can elevate your baked pumpkin donuts from good to absolutely phenomenal:
- Don’t Overmix the Batter: This is perhaps the most crucial rule for light and tender baked goods, including donuts. Once you combine the wet and dry ingredients, stir *just* until everything is incorporated. Overmixing develops gluten, which can lead to dense, chewy donuts instead of soft, cake-like ones.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: For butter and eggs, ensuring they are at room temperature allows them to emulsify better, creating a smoother, more uniform batter. This contributes to a finer crumb and better texture in the final product.
- Properly Measure Flour: Spoon your flour into the measuring cup and then level it off with a straight edge. Scooping directly from the bag can compact the flour, leading to too much flour and a dry, dense donut.
- Drain Homemade Pumpkin Puree: If you’re using fresh, homemade pumpkin puree, it often contains more water than canned versions. To prevent a soggy batter, place your homemade puree in a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth and let it drain for an hour or so before using.
- Achieving the Perfect Glaze Consistency: The amount of milk needed for the glaze can vary slightly. Add milk gradually, a teaspoon at a time, until the glaze is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon but still thin enough to drip smoothly off the donut. If it’s too thick, add more milk; if too thin, whisk in a little more powdered sugar.
- Storage: While these donuts are notoriously hard to keep around, if you happen to have leftovers, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days. The glaze may become a bit gooey over time, but the flavor will remain delicious.
- Freezing for Later: To enjoy these delights far beyond pumpkin season, you can freeze the unglazed donuts. Once baked and completely cooled, arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 2-3 months. Thaw at room temperature, then prepare and apply the fresh maple cinnamon glaze just before serving.
Explore More Pumpkin Perfection
Can’t get enough of pumpkin? Neither can we! Here are some more of our favorite recipes to celebrate the season and satisfy all your pumpkin cravings:
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
- Pumpkin Pie Bars
- Oatmeal Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Pumpkin Coffee Cake
- Pumpkin Roll
- Pumpkin Tiramisu
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Baked Pumpkin Donuts
Pin Recipe
These Baked Pumpkin Donuts are filled with lots of warm spices and pumpkin flavor, then topped with a delicious maple cinnamon glaze that will make you wish it was always pumpkin season!
Ingredients
Donuts:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (store-bought or homemade)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup butter (at room temperature)
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Maple-Cinnamon Glaze:
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon maple extract
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (175°C). Prepare a donut pan by spraying with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, baking soda, and ginger. Set aside.
- In another bowl, cream together the pumpkin, brown sugar, and butter. Add in the eggs and mix well, then mix in the milk and the vanilla.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined.
- Place the batter in a large ziplock bag. Cut off the corner and pipe the batter into the donut pan.*
- Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the middle of one of the donuts comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, let rest for 5 minutes, then turn the pan over to remove the donuts and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack.
- Meanwhile, make the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, maple extract, and cinnamon. Add a little more milk if needed to reach a thin enough consistency for dipping.
- When the donuts are cool, dip them in the glaze. Return to the wire rack to allow the glaze to set.
Recipe Notes:
*If you only have one donut pan, you can cook half of the batter, then wait for the pan to cool before baking the second half of the batter. If you have 2 pans, you can bake them all at the same time.
Nutrition information provided as an estimate only. Various brands and products can change the counts. Any nutritional information should be used as a general guide.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 230kcal (12%),
Carbohydrates: 43g (14%),
Protein: 3g (6%),
Fat: 5g (8%),
Saturated Fat: 3g (19%),
Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g,
Trans Fat: 0g,
Cholesterol: 41mg (14%),
Sodium: 201mg (9%),
Fiber: 1g (4%),
Sugar: 26g (29%)