DAY 1: Gingerbread cake donuts

What better way to officially start the Christmas season than with a spicy yet sweet mini cake donut recipe. For my first recipe in my ‘recipe advent calendar’ I chose to bake mini gingerbread cake donuts with a brown sugar glaze to kick off the holiday season. The glaze adds a nice caramel flavor, complementing the gingerbread spices.

These donuts are easy and delicious sweets that make a great addition to any Christmas party. Instead of being fried these soft treats are baked in a mini donut pan, making it a ‘healthier’ option to classic donuts (in case you needed an excuse).

Gingerbread Cake donuts

2013-12-01 03:36:12

Yields 24

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For the donuts

180g all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp gingerbread spice
pinch of salt
60g butter, at room temperature
100g granulated sugar
1 egg
240ml milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the glaze

25g butter
50g brown sugar
2 tbsp milk
60g icing sugar, sifted

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 160°C. Using a brush, lightly oil a mini donut pan with vegetable oil.
2. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, gingerbread spice and salt and set aside.
3. In another bowl, mix together butter and sugar until creamy with an electric mixer. Add the egg, milk and vanilla extract until the mixture is combined (don't worry if the mixture looks curdled!). Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined.
4. Transfer the dough into a large piping bag fitted with a round tip and pipe into the donut pan. Fill the pan only about halfway full. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Once they are done, transfer the mini donuts to a wire and let them cool completely.
5. To make the glaze, melt the butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and let it boil for about 2 minutes, stirring the mixture occasionally (be careful not to let it burn!). Add 1 tbsp of milk and let the mixture boil again for a few seconds. Turn the heat to low and add the powdered sugar. Use the last tablespoon of milk to thin out the glaze and keep it over low heat to keep it from hardening. Dip the top of the donuts into the glaze and let the frosting set.

Notes