Mini Cake Doughnuts

The Sunday before Thanksgiving, my dear friend Sue gave me a gift. It was a mini doughnut pan! She said she read in my post {baked pumpkin doughnuts}, that I didn't have one, so when she was out shopping she thought of me when she saw the pan. I was so excited. I couldn't wait to try out the doughnut pan. Just a mere six days later, I was testing out my first batch of mini doughnuts.

The Wilton brand mini doughnut pan makes 12 individual treats. The pan has a dark, non-stick coating allowing for the mini-cakes to pop out fairly easy with the use of a butter knife. I would still recommend using non-stick spray before pouring the batter in. The first batch of doughnuts rose quite high, even though I used just over a half of tablespoon of batter {see powdered doughnuts above}. Due to my overfilling, one side of the doughnut had a prominent doughnut hole, the other was almost non existent. I did like the thicker doughnut and softer texture of the overfilled doughnuts.

My second batch, the chocolate glaze, produced a better formed doughnut since I stuck to the recommended 1/2 tablespoon of batter. These doughnuts were so dainty and cute. Mike thought they would be the perfect size for a tea party with our 4 and 2 year old nieces.

Thank you Sue for this wonderful gift! I hope you enjoyed the doughnuts. I'm looking forward to making more! (12/10/14)

Ingredients for Baked Mini Cake Doughnuts

• 1 and 1/4 cups (150 g) of cake flour

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1 and 1/4 tsp baking powder

• 1/8 tsp nutmeg ( I substituted with 1/4 tsp orange zest and 2 drops of pure vanilla)

• 3/4 tsp salt

• 1/2 cup buttermilk

• 1 egg, beaten

• 1.5 Tbsp butter, melted

Directions for Baked Mini Cake Doughnuts

1. Preheat oven = 400 degrees F. Spray pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Add buttermilk, beaten egg, and melted butter. Stir until well combined.

3. Fill each doughnut cup about 1/3 of the way full (use 1/2 tablespoon of batter). Gently tap the pan on the counter to level the batter in the cups.

4. Bake 4-6 minutes or until the top of the doughnut springs back when touched.

5. Cool doughnuts in pan about 1-2 minutes, then using a rounded tip knife, remove the doughnuts from the pan. Allow to cool on a rack.

6. Coat doughnuts with powdered sugar (place 1/4 cup of powdered sugar in a paper bag, add 3-4 doughnuts and shake until coated) or chocolate glaze. Store in container with a towel or parchment paper over the top, but not touching the doughnuts.

Chocolate glaze