Cinnamon Baked Doughnuts

Growing up, I always had a sweet spot for doughnuts and relished the opportunity to enjoy a fresh one on a weekend morning. These cinnamon baked doughnuts are just as delightful as a baker’s dozen, but without the hassle or unhealthiness of having to fry them.

Barefoot Contessa Cinnamon Baked Doughnuts Recipe

I found this recipe for cinnamon baked doughnuts via the Barefoot Contessa. I think I was about halfway through the episode, drooling and dreaming of cinnamon sugar invading my senses before I decided I needed to try the recipe. 

The idea that I wouldn’t have to stand over a stove, dunking doughnut after doughnut into a pot of oil was equally appealing. 

I also love the fact that these doughnuts are actually quite elegant too, which means they can be served up at a party. But I guess turning a casual morning eat into a pretty treat is the norm for Ina! 

If you’ve got her collection of cookbooks, then you can find these cinnamon baked doughnuts in her Foolproof: Recipes You Can Trust, which I highly recommend to anyone wanting recipes that are beautiful and simple enough to put together, whether it’s for yourself or for a group of family and friends.

Baked Doughnut Recipe without Yeast

Aside from having to fry traditional doughnuts, you have to consider the fact that the traditional kind require yeast.

Traditional fried doughnuts are made of dough that’s been activated with yeast, which also means that there’s the tedious effort of kneading, rising, and waiting for the dough to proof before you can cook them in oil.

These baked doughnuts can be ready in 20 minutes, so when you crave a doughnut on a whim, these are perfect. 

Is it Better to Bake or Fry Doughnuts?

While I wouldn’t call doughnuts a healthy treat, I can definitely tell you that baked doughnuts are healthier than fried doughnuts.

By baking the doughnuts rather than frying them, you’re saving yourself from consuming the extra fat that the frying oil would contribute.

How to Make Baked Doughnuts

These cinnamon baked doughnuts are created similar to the way cake batter is, wet and dry ingredients mixed together in a bowl then scooped into a doughnut pan (in my case a mini doughnut pan).

After that, they’re off into the oven to be baked rather than fried. 

Making baked doughnuts like this means that the doughnuts end up being very cake-y and tender.

They’re a great alternative to cupcakes, which in my opinion can be a little overdone. Displaying these adorable doughnuts would be a great surprise for the dessert lovers at any gathering.

Once you’ve popped the doughnuts out of the pan, you can top them with whatever topping or glaze you want.

Since these are cinnamon baked doughnuts, I topped half of them with a cinnamon-sugar coating and the other half with a maple glaze.

I served mine at a party with family and friends, and they were definitely a big hit!

Tips for Making:

• Be sure to grease your doughnut pan well before adding any batter to it for easy removal. I love to use a baking spray, which has flour in it. Everything always pops out of the pan super easily when I do.
• The batter will be very thick, very much like a traditional muffin batter. Like muffins, try your best not to over-mix the batter. Mix gently and only until you need to ensure you end up with light and tender doughnuts.
• Try not to overfill the doughnut molds but instead only fill them 3/4 of the way so they have room to rise as they bake.
• Once the doughnuts have finished baking, pop them out of the pan and let them cool completely before adding any topping, especially the maple glaze.

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Cinnamon Baked Doughnuts

Yield: 24

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Mini baked doughnuts coated in cinnamon-sugar or topped with a maple glaze. 

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Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

for the cinnamon-sugar topping

• 8 tbsp unsalted butter, melted in a saucepan
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

for the maple glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 1/2 tbsp milk

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray your doughnut pan with cooking spray. In your mixer, or a large bowl, stir together the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk the wet ingredients: egg, milk, melted butter, vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until a smooth batter is formed. Batter will be thick.
3. Use a spoon to scoop batter into your doughnut pan so that each mold is 3/4th of the way full. If making mini doughnuts, bake for approximately 10 minutes. If using a larger doughnut pan, bake 15 to 20 minutes.
4. After doughnuts have finished baking, immediately turn them out of the pan onto a wire cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before applying any topping.
5. For the cinnamon sugar topping, simply whisk the sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. Dip the doughnuts in the melted butter before rolling them in the sugar mixture.
6. For the maple glaze, whisk the powdered sugar with the maple syrup and milk in another bowl. Dip the doughnuts in the glaze and set them on a wire rack to drip dry.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 24 Serving Size: 24 Servings
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 160