Baked Nutella Doughnuts with Nutella Glaze

I am a baker. I may not expect candlelit dinner, a bouquet of flowers, and a heart shaped box of chocolates on Valentines Day, but I will bake for you. It's not even that it's for Valentines Day, I just want to bake for you! For no reason other than the fact that baking makes me happy, and dessert makes others happy, and sweet chocolatey goodies puts smiles on peoples faces.

Also, I just got back from a 10 day holiday where I had no access to an oven, which means I kinda needed to just bake something. Anything. So, seeing as my boyfriend claims to love doughnuts but hasn't had one in ages... I baked doughnuts! Gooey and moist Nutella doughnuts, topped with a sinful Nutella glaze and assorted sprinkles. 

As you can see, I have no will power.

For those of you who love doughnuts but, like me, are kinda iffy about buying a whole box of the deep fried stuff from your local doughnut shops, try out this recipe. Unfortunately, you'll need to buy one of these doughnut baking tins. I got mine from Wilton a couple of years back, and it's fracking expensive to buy Wilton products in Malaysia, but I've managed to put it to good use since then... my youngest brother's kind of a doughnut fiend.

Also, some ear candy to go with your baking this week:

Nutella Doughnuts with Nutella Glaze
Recipe from Cooking Classy

Recipe makes 8 doughnuts 

• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 Tbsp light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup Nutella
• 3 Tbsp butter, softened
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup milk, room temperature

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C and butter up the doughnut baking tin
2. In a bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt and set aside
3. Beat the sugars, Nutella and butter until combined, then add the egg and vanilla and continue to whisk until incorporated. Then add half of the flour mixture to the batter, beat until combined and pour in the milk and continue to beat for another minute or so before adding the rest of the flour. Do not overmix the batter, just whisk until it's all mixed thoroughly. 
4. Transfer the batter into a piping bag (I find this easier than spooning it out bit by bit), and fill the doughnut baking tin until about 1/4 of an inch is left from the top of the mould. Bake for 8 minutes, remove from oven and cool on a wire rack before decorating

Nutella glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 1/2 tbsp Nutella
• 4 tbsp milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients in a bowl until combined, then dunk the doughnuts in to cover the top. Or you can spread it on with a spoon if you have the patience. Sprinkle with chocolate rice, chopped walnuts, rainbow sprinkles, etc. 

Wilton's baked doughnuts with cinnamon sugar glaze

I had my aunt round for tea a few days ago and was messing about in the kitchen with all my baking utensils and decorative plates when I realized (quite belatedly) that there was a recipe on the packaging of the doughnut pan! Well, duh, Nabiya, it was right next to the pricetag... Which, I'm sure I looked at when I bought the damned thing.

I won't even pretend to have a reason for baking these days, as I seem to take selfish pleasure in doing it. It is oddly relaxing, my solitary place, and seems to make people around me happy (discounting the handful who whinge about their calorie-intake, yet still continue to eat the goodies). In this past year, I've found so much comfort in baking, and I suddenly feel like I have something to be passionate about. It feels damned great to find one's calling.

I digress, nobody cares about my strange love affair with desserts, let's get on with the recipe:

Wilton's baked doughnuts recipe
Yield: approximately 12

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup caster sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tbsp butter, melted

1. Preheat the oven to 180C, grease your doughnut pan and set aside
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg and salt
3. Add the eggs, vanilla, buttermilk and melted butter and beat until just incorporated (I did the whole thing by hand, you may choose to use an electric mixer if you wish)
4. Pour all the batter into a piping bag for ease of filling the pan, cut a hole around the circumference of your pinky fingertip, and fill the doughnut pan 2/3 of the way up
5. Bake for 7-9 minutes or until the top of the doughnuts spring back up when lightly pressed with a finger
6. Cool for 3 minutes in the pan then pop them out to cool on a wire rack

Cinnamon sugar glaze

• 2 tbsp fine granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp cinnamon powder
• 2 tbsp butter, melted

1. Mix the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl
2. In a separate, flat bottomed bowl, melt the butter
3. Dip the doughnuts in the butter, then roll around in the cinnamon sugar
4. Serve immediately if possible as baked doughnuts are SO good when warm and fresh from the oven

My family quite enjoyed these, and I'm getting a craving for one from just typing up this post! If you get yourself a doughnut pan, I insist that you give these a shot. I made minor tweaks, as I have no cake flour and I added vanilla as I dislike the eggy taste you sometimes get.

Happy Friday, friends, and enjoy your baking weekend!

Much love, Nabs

Red Velvet baked Doughnuts

It's February, you're starting to see lots of red and pink hearts on sale everywhere, tv promo slots are filled with lovey dovey messages and reminders to get that special someone a gift from the heart, and you want to gag. Says the single girl.

I have never had a special someone on Valentine's Day, which is fine with me as it means I don't need to worry about gifts and an expensive dinner for two at a fancy restaurant. Valentine's for the past few years for me have always meant family dinner, flowers for my mother, and cuddles with my siblings while watching Ever After and The Little Mermaid.

However, I do love desserts, and we do always still get lots of Valentine's treats from friends! So this year, I'm baking red velvet doughnuts for everyone! I finally caved and bought a Wilton doughnut pan last week, it looked so cute, you see? I've been thinking of getting one ever since I saw this picture on tumblr roughly a year ago, but it's quite difficult to get one here, and when you do find one... it's quite expensive. But I had a bit of extra holiday money, so why not, right?

We had some relatives around last Tuesday afternoon, for a tea party of sorts, and since it was my baking day anyway, I thought I'd get up a little early and work on some treats for the guests. It's a damned shame that I only have one doughnut pan, as it means waiting for several batches, and enduring the pain of standing for quite a bit of time.

Red Velvet doughnuts
Yield: 8 doughnuts, I made 3 batches

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder, sifted
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup caster sugar
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup plain greek yoghurt
• 3 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp water
• 1/4 tsp red food colouring

1. Preheat oven to 180C, butter the doughnut pan and set aside
2. Combine all the dry ingredients in your large mixing bowl
3. Mix in the sugar
4. Add the eggs and yoghurt, beat on low-medium until just incorporated, gradually adding in the water as you go
5. Beat in the butter and vanilla extract, then finally stir in the colouring
6. Pour the batter into a piping bag, or I used one of these, and fill the doughnut pans 2/3 of the way
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes, take them out, let them cool in the pan for up to 5 minutes before overturning onto a wire rack. Cool completely.

Cream Cheese icing glaze

• 4oz butter, softened
• 4oz cream cheese, softened
• 2 1/2 cups sifted confectioners sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Cream the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy
2. Gradually add the sugar, beating the whole time so it gets evenly incorporated into the mix
3. Add the vanilla extract, continue to beat until completely mixed
4. Transfer the frosting into a medium sized bowl, and microwave for about 15 seconds, until the mixture is runny. Then just whisk it lightly with a fork before overturning the doughnuts into the "glaze". Allow this to cool to room temperature, or chill if you prefer a harder glaze. 

Serve with coffee or tea!

I can't recall where I got this recipe from, and I looked through all my recent browsing but can't find it. If anybody knows, please poke me and I'll put in the proper credit. Sorry for the fuss!

Love, Nabs