Weight Watchers Friendly
If truth be known, I’m more of a savoury person and I always gravitate to the sausage rolls and cheese straws on a buffet, but, I love a sweet treat now and then, and as an avid baker, cakes regularly make their way to our table! When it comes to doughnuts however, I am a bit of a snob, as they HAVE to be freshly fried with a crisp exterior, and I’m not a fan of a leading American company, as I find their doughnuts (donuts) frankly too soggy and soft to dunk! As well as that soggy bottom (and sides) issue, I’m also not a huge fan of deep-fried pastries, UNLESS they are fried in clean vegetable oil and again, are still crisp and hot……it must be years of disappointment at fairs and fetes, where you can smell the rancid oil a mile away. Today’s recipe for Guilt-Free Baked Doughnuts (Donuts)Three Ways! is my way of creating a tasty doughnut at home, with no deep-frying and with fewer calories than usual…..and, I have to admit that I am very pleased with this recipe, which resulted in light, airy and fluffy doughnuts that tasted surprisingly similar to the deep-fried versions.
They are also not laden in oodles of fat, and the basic recipe calls for only 2 tablespoons of oil which makes them very low-fat too. To suit all tastes in the dessert and doughnut department, I have offered today’s recipe for my baked doughnuts (donuts) with three different ways of serving them: with cinnamon sugar, which is a personal favourite of mine; vanilla glazed doughnuts with a sprinkling of Demerara sugar and a tangy lemon glazed version with some fun “hundreds and thousands” (sprinkles) added for a final flourish. Each cinnamon sugar-coated doughnut is a fabulous “how low can you go” 4 smart points for those of you following the Weight Watchers diet, as calculated on a yield of 16 baked donuts and using their recipe creator calculator, OR 5 smart points for the iced versions, so as you cans see, you CAN still have your cake and eat it whilst dieting!
At this point, I’d just like to say that these doughnuts are NOT yeasted or deep-fried, so they are not the same as those traditional doughnuts; but, they have the taste and texture which is remarkably close to the deep-fried versions, and with a delicious light and fluffy crumb, as I hope the photo above illustrates. I was very impressed with the texture and put this down to the addition of the buttermilk and how it reacts with the self-raising flour and baking powder. If you don’t have a doughnut pan, as I used, then make these in a muffin, bun or friand pan/tin, baking and coating them the same way. If calories aren’t an issue, when made that way, you can add jam, just as I did when I made these Baked Jam Doughnut Muffins, which are a similar concept to today’s recipe, and prove to be one of my most popular recipe posts on Lavender and Lovage.
Baked Jam Doughnut Muffins
As well as the special baked doughnut pan I used by Wilton, I’d like to give a non-sponsored shout out for Schwartz Spices, as I used their excellent ground cinnamon and nutmeg in this recipe, as well as Nielsen-Massey Vanilla, which is one of my favourite vanilla extracts to use in baking. For those of you whom are as curious as I am about various global versions of doughnuts, I have added an interesting list below about doughnuts from around the world. That’s it for today, I hope you enjoy this recipe if you make it, and do let me know if you make it via the comments box below too! Have a wonderful day and weekend – do keep popping back as IO share some new travel stories, as well as some new Canadian recipes too! Karen
Baked Doughnuts (Donuts)
Print recipe
| Serves | 12 to 16 doughnuts |
| Prep time | 5 minutes |
| Cook time | 8 minutes |
| Total time | 13 minutes |
| Allergy | Egg, Milk, Wheat |
| Dietary | Vegetarian |
| Meal type | Dessert, Side Dish, Snack |
| Misc | Child Friendly, Freezable, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold |
| Occasion | Birthday Party, Casual Party, Christmas, Easter |
| By author | Karen S Burns-Booth |
Ingredients
Doughnuts
- 250g SR flour (2 cups cake flour)
- 125g caster sugar (3/4 cup fine sugar)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 free-range eggs (lightly beaten)
- 180ml butter milk (3/4 cup buttermilk)
Vanilla icing
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 125g icing sugar (1 cup confectioner's sugar)
Cinnamon sugar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Lemon Icing
- 125g icing sugar (1 cup confectioner's sugar)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 drop of yellow food colouring
- hundreds and thousands (sprinkles)
Note
These baked cake doughnuts are light and fluffy and taste just like the deep-fried versions, but with far fewer calories! Each doughnut comes in at 4 Weight Watchers Smart Points, or 5 Smart Points for the iced versions. (I used a special baked donut pan to make these by Wilton UK)
Directions
| Step 1 | Pre-heat oven to 220C/425F/Gas mark 7. Spray the doughnut pan with cake release or cooking spray. |
| Step 2 | Add all the dry ingredients to a mixing bowl and stir; add the wet ingredients and beat until JUST combined, do NOT over mix. |
| Step 3 | Fill each pan cavity with the batter 2/3 full and bake for 7 to 8 minutes, or until the doughnuts have risen, are golden brown and are springy to the touch. |
| Step 4 | Allow to cool in the tin for 4 to 5 minutes, then turn out; for cinnamon sugar coated doughnuts, place the mixture in a large bag or bowl and add each doughnut to the bag or bowl to coat. You need to do this whilst they are still warm, so turn the doughnuts out of the tin after just 1 minute. |
| Step 5 | Ice the doughnuts with chosen icing once completely cool. To make the icing, mix all the ingredients together to make a thick but spoon-able paste. Drizzle over the top of the doughnuts and decorate immediately. |
| Step 6 | Doughnuts can be frozen before icing and once they are cool. |
Global Doughnuts:
South Africa
In South Africa, an Afrikaans variation known as the koeksister is popular.
Tunisia
In Tunisia, traditional pastries similar to doughnuts are yo-yos. They come in different versions both as balls and in shape of doughnuts. They are deep-fried and covered in a honey syrup or a kind of frosting.
China
A few sweet, doughnut-style pastries are regional in nature. Cantonese cuisine features an oval-shaped pastry called ngàuhleisōu – “ox-tongue pastry” due to its tongue-like shape.
India
In India, an old fashioned sweet called gulgula is made of sweetened flour balls deep fried. It may or may not use a leavening agent. There are a couple of unrelated doughnut shaped food items. A savoury, fried, ring-shaped snack called a vada is often referred to as the Indian doughnut.
Indonesia
The Indonesian, donat kentang is a potato doughnut, a ring-shaped fritter made from flour and mashed potatoes, coated in powder sugar or icing sugar.
Austria
In Austria, doughnut equivalents are called Krapfen. They are especially popular during Carnival season.
Belgium
In Belgium, the smoutebollen in Dutch, or “croustillons” in French, are similar to the Dutch kind of oliebollen, but they usually do not contain any fruit, except for apple chunks sometimes.
Finland
In Finland, a sweet doughnut is called a munkki (the word also means monk) and are commonly eaten in cafés and cafeteria restaurants. They are sold cold and are sometimes filled with jam.
France
The French beignet, literally “bump”, is the French and New Orleans equivalent of a doughnut.
United Kingdom
In some parts of Scotland, ring doughnuts are referred to as doughrings, with the ‘doughnut’ name being reserved exclusively for the nut-shaped variety. Glazed, twisted rope-shaped doughnuts are known as yum-yums. It is also possible to buy fudge doughnuts in certain regions of Scotland. Fillings include jam, custard, cream, sweet mincemeat, chocolate and apple. Common ring toppings are sprinkle-iced and chocolate. In Northern Ireland, ring doughnuts are known as ‘gravy rings’, gravy being an archaic term for hot cooking oil.
Mexico
The Mexican donas are similar to doughnuts, including the name; the dona is a fried-dough pastry-based snack, commonly covered with powdered brown sugar and cinnamon, white sugar or chocolate.
From Wikipedia
johanna @ green gourmet giraffe says
These look really beautiful – I have always been a jam filled doughnut kind of girl but married a cinnamon doughnut ring kind of man so I have come to appreciate the ones with the hole in the middle and I am sure your would impress any doughnut lovers
Karen says
Thanks so much Johanna, these were so easy to make and very tasty too!
Sarah Goodwin says
They look lovely Karen, but I don’t think I can buy buttermilk here in France – unless you can suggest a french equivalent?
Karen says
Hi Sarah – YOU can buy it sometimes in SuperU or LeClerc – its called Babeurre – OR add a tablespoon of lemon juice to some skimmed milk to make your own buttermilk type substitute! Hope that helps! Karen
Sarah Goodwin says
OK thanks Karen, will try that. I also just heard that can can use ” lait fermenté” ,which is sometimes available in Leader Price!
Karen Burns-Booth says
Yes You can! It’s the Arabic style raw buttermilk style milk – I’ve used that before too!
Jayne says
In Turkey we have ‘Lokma’ which are little fried donut balls, which are then soaked in rosewater or lemon syrup while still hot – absolutely delicious (and no calories, of course).
The baked ones look amazing.
For anyone asking about buttermilk substitution, plain yoghurt mixed 50/50 with skimmed milk does a similar job of providing acid for the baking powder. Or make your own ricotta from whole milk and they use the leftover whey – works the same and is brilliant for soda bread too.
Karen says
Hi Jayne, I know lokma very well from my days in Kibris (N Cyprus) where I lived for 6 years! I love them when freshly made, but they are very sweet and I have to be in the mood for them!!
My Cypriot friend’s mother used to make some amazing ones, with orange blossom water in place of rose water, and they were delectable.
Thanks for the buttermilk sub ideas too!
Karen
Kate - gluten free alchemist says
Not sure I’ve ever had a ‘guilt-free’ doughnut before…. These look amazing…. Wonder if they can be made gluten free??
Karen Burns-Booth says
I’m sure you can substitute gluten flour for gluten free flour and grains Kate – let me know if you adapt them please, it might help others here who are GF! Karen
Bea Tobias says
Could you please clarify the type of flour to use? I am not sure if SR means self-rising? Or if cake flour is the same? I am in Canada, where all-purpose is my usual flour. I just bought a doughnut pan and have been looking for a trustworthy recipe, and along came your post! Thank you.
Karen Burns-Booth says
Hi Bea,SR flour is self raising or cake flour which has a rising agent in it – I hope that helps? Do let me know how they turn out! Karen
Adiba Bassam says
These look absolutely amazing! Love the cinnamon ones, cant wait to try out!
Would love to have you visit mine: https://musingsofafoodiesite.wordpress.com/
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thank you – will pop over to see you! Karen
liz Hardwick says
I’m British so cook by weightbut now live in Western Canada, a long way from the shops. I found this conversion for cake flour on a Nigellla Lawdon site as I can only get All Purpose Flour here. “For most cake recipes using cake flour (non-self raising) you can use plain flour, or some people like to add cornflour (cornstarch) to help reduce the protein content. For 1 cup plain flour remove 2 tablespoons of flour and replace this with 2 tablespoons cornflour – in metric terms use 105g plain flour plus 20g cornflour per 125g flour in the recipe”
Karen Burns-Booth says
Hi Liz, Ah, that is helpful, but also confusing, as in the US a friend told me that cake flour had raising agents in it! Either way, thanks for adding this to the comments, so people can choose what to do! Karen PS: I am in Canada regularly, and was just in Saskatoon 2 weeks ago!
liz Hardwick says
Cake Flour in Canada has no raising agents in it, usually described as cake and pastry flour. I made these today using All Purpose Flour 205 g 40 g cornstarch 2 tsp baking powder. Thinned the buttermilk a little bit substituting a bit of skimmed milk as the only buttermilk here is 3.25% fat, they came out nicely. By the way we are at just over 3000 ft so if you are at sea level you might want to add 1/2 tsp more baking powder. This is a good chart for flours available in UK Canada and US and their relative weights. http://www.cooksinfo.com/flour
Bea Tobias says
Thanks for the tip and comparison chart. These days we find recipes from everywhere in the world, so it is good to know the differences. My American mother-in-law used to like to take Canadian all-purpose flour back to Pennsylvania when she visited as she thought it was excellent for her baking. Those were the days when a bag of white powder would not be suspicious. LOL.
Karen Burns-Booth says
My pleasure Bea! I LOVE Canadian flour too, it still has an excellent reputation for lightness, texture and flavour! I can just imagine the looks on the customs peoples faces at bags of flour being brought in!
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks Liz! Karen
Nicole says
Yum yum yum! They look so good
Karen Burns-Booth says
They tasted great with a cuppa too!
Sarah GFBlogger says
These look gorgeous!! I’m going to have to substitute with gluten free flour and give them a go. Baked doughnuts just taste so good!
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thank you Sarah – do let me know how they turn out with GF flour and any tips you want to share here for my GF readers too! Karen
Mimi Swaby says
I am drooling… all 3 sound amazing! Thank you for sharing xx
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks Mimi! They were very delicious!
Wendy says
Wow these look delicious!
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thank you Wendy!
Naveen Sohail says
It looks so yummy and beautiful, i love the idea how you made it in a new style.
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks so much Naveen! 🙂
Kat says
Another great recipe, thank you! I made a batch of the cinnamon sugar donuts this afternoon 🙂 Everyone really loved them (everyone is my son, husband, mother, father, and support worker, so a pretty decent cast of taste testers).
I looked at a bunch of baked donut recipes but came back to yours because of the buttermilk and nutmeg, which I think really are the genius of this recipe. Also, some other recipes for baked donuts call for dipping them in melted butter before coating in the sugar and cinnamon mix, but while the butter might make the cinnamon sugar adhere a bit better, I prefer your way, it is so light and non-greasy and yet still magically ticks all the donut craving buttons. After clumsily filling the first tray, I put the rest of the batter into a piping bag with a plain open piping tip, and piped the rest in – so much less messy..
A good friend is having her first baby soon and we are building up a little cache of treats for her freezer – I don’t think any of today’s batch will survive to be frozen, so I guess I’ll just have to make some more… and I’ll have to taste them myself to make sure they’re good quality, oh the hardship…
PS. Loved the list of donuts from around the world, I really enjoy checking out that kind of thing. I can’t travel but love trying to bring a little of the world’s food into my home. I organised a ‘hotdogfest’ with toppings and sausages used on hotdogs around the world for a party recently and it was great (sounds much less exciting than it was, if you haven’t ever checked out what a hotdog looks like in Brazil, you are missing out).
Karen Burns-Booth says
Hi Kat,
THANKS so much for your TRULY lovely comments, it makes me so pleased when readers love my recipes, and also share so many stories about themselves and their lives, THANK YOU! 🙂
Karen
Janice Cardoza says
Can I use almond flour instead of cake flour? Should I add more baking powder? And I like to substitute unsweetened applesauce for oil. Thank you for the yummy sounding recipes!! I’m in California, America, by the way. And I’m a plain gal. Love my donuts plain.
Karen Burns-Booth says
You can try to substitue those ingredients but I have no idea how these the doughnuts will turn out. Plain with cinnamon is ok.
Charlotte says
Just tried these with my 3 year old daughter, so easy to do and they were delicious! Much better then I expected having tried other baked doughnuts. Needless to say, they didn’t last long!
Karen Burns-Booth says
That’s fabulous news, thanks so much for letting me know Charlotte 🙂 Karen