Cake Batter Baked Donuts

It seems like baked goods with cake batter is the latest craze out there these days. Not a lot of it appeals to me...cake batter ice cream?!...I dunno. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't be opposed to tasting it but I'm just not sure I want to invest my time in making it. But cake batter doughnuts? That are baked? Well, that's easy to get behind. I knew that my kids would love them. These are not 'that much' worse than a typical muffin. Except for the cake mix. And the glaze. And sprinkles. Okay, let's focus on the fact that they're baked and not fried. That's something.

My only beef with these is that they have a very short shelf life. I made them in the morning, and by early evening they looked wilted and unappealing. Perhaps they should be refrigerated? I'm not sure - but if you make them for a crowd or a play date - I'm pretty sure leftovers will not be a problem.

Recipe for Cake Batter Doughnuts

(Source: RecipeBoy)

Yield: 12 regular sized doughnuts or 24 to 36 mini doughnuts

1 cup flour

2/3 cup Rainbow Bit cake mix (or Funfetti)

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 cup milk

2 large eggs, beaten

 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

1 1/2 Tbsp. sprinkles

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly spray a doughnut pan with nonstick spry. In large bowl, mix the dry ingredients together. Stir in milk, eggs, vanilla and melted butter, stirring until incorporated. Stir in sprinkles. Fill large ziploc bag (or a pastry/icing bag) with the batter, snip the corner and fill the doughnut cavities until just over 1/2 full. Do not over fill.  Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until doughnuts spring back when touched. Cool before glazing.

*For minis - I used my 'mini donut maker' (which works similar to a waffle maker) and bakes them in about 2 minutes. 

Vanilla Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 to 2 Tbsp. milk

extra sprinkles for decorating, if desired

Whisk the sugar, vanilla and 1 Tbsp. of the milk in a medium sized bowl. Add the remaining Tbsp. of milk 1 tsp. at a time, if necessary, to achieve a consistency that is good for dipping.  Dip the doughnuts into the glaze and then place them on a wire rack to set. Finish with additional sprinkles if desired.