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.

Cream Cheese Crescent Rolls with Almond Cinnamon Sugar

These little pillows of deliciousness are adapted from a Paula Deen recipe. I just wanted to get that out of the way first. What does that mean? It means that they are not healthy and they have no nutritional value whatsoever. I'm certain that there is not a gram of fiber either, but what they lack in fiber, they make up for in fat. What's more is that my 'adaptation' actually served to add calories to a Paula Deen recipe. Is that even possible? The original recipe did not have a sugary almond topping to sprinkle on top. Clearly an oversight. But holy cow, are they good. Good and easy. The perfect Sunday morning treat to make post cereal consumption, when the rest of the house is busy doing Sunday things and you know you want to bake but don't feel like totally committing to the process. Meaning, you want the reward - but aren't willing to put in the work. Not that there's anything wrong with that...

Recipe for Cream Cheese Crescent Rolls with Almond Cinnamon Sugar

(adapted from Paula Deen)

*yields 16 small rolls

1 tube of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls

FILLING:

3 ounces cream cheese

1/4 cup confectioner's sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

TOPPING:

1/4 cup sliced almonds

1 Tbsp. granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

egg wash (1 egg white + 1 tsp. water)

GLAZE:

1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

2 tsp. milk 

Mix together the confectioner's sugar, cream cheese and vanilla until smooth and no lumps remain. Set aside. Open the can of crescent rolls. Press two of the triangles together to create a rectangle, roll the seams together and stretch to approximately 7x4 inches. Smear with about 2 Tablespoons of cream cheese filling.

Roll up from the short end, place on plate, and refrigerate for about 30 minutes until firm. 

While chilling, pulse the sliced almonds in a food processor until coarsely ground. Add cinnamon and sugar and mix well. Set aside. In separate bowl, make your egg wash by whisking together one egg white with 1 tsp. water. Set aside.

Remove chilled crescent rolls from fridge, brush with egg wash and sprinkle liberally with almond sugar mixture. Gently press mixture onto the rolls to adhere.  Cut each roll into four pieces.

Place on parchment lined baking sheet at least 2 inches apart (they puff up when baked). 

Bake at 350 for 18 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 10 to 15 minutes. While cooling, make your glaze by adding 2 tsp. of milk to 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar. Mix until smooth. You may have to add a bit more milk to get desired consistency but do so sparingly. 

 Once rolls have cooled to room temperatures, drizzle with the glaze.

A word to the wise:  you really do want to let these cool a bit before eating. When they're still hot, the insides are bit doughy - you'll wonder whether they're under-baked. They're not...they just need to cool slightly. Patience...

Snickerdoodle Bread

I converted the Snickerdoodle Muffins from Tasty Kitchen into Snickerdoodle Bread. The muffins were so amazing (why I never blogged them I cannot say) - and so I decided to try them in loaf form. Why didn't I just make the muffins again? I dunno. I guess partly because I just wanted to experiment and partly because I recently made a Cinnamon Swirl Loaf that I saw on Pinterest and was very disappointed with the results. My failure plagued me - until I read some of the reviews and learned that I was not the only one who thought the recipe basically sucked.

Feeling the need for redemption in the loaf department, I decided to give the muffin recipe a twist. I didn't make any revisions to the ingredients or the amounts of the Snickerdoodle Muffins recipe, but instead of plopping the batter into a muffin tray, I dropped them into a loaf pan. I baked it for 55 minutes, and crossed my fingers. Guess what? Success! The loaf is just as good as the muffins. Although, I will say it has a delicate crumb, so you must handle with care. But the loaf version was just as delicious, so moist and light. If you'd rather try this in muffin form, you can see the original recipe with instructions in the link below. 

Recipe for Snickerdoodle Bread

(Adapted from: Tasty Kitchen)

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

2-¼ cups flour

¾ teaspoons baking powder

¾ teaspoons baking soda

¾ teaspoons cream of tartar

½ teaspoons salt

1 cup sour cream

¼ cups buttermilk

For the Topping:

⅔ cups sugar

2 tablespoons cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan generously with non-stick spray.

In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients and set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy with a mixer. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.
Add half of the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add the sour cream and buttermilk and mix to combine. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix until you have a smooth batter.

In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon for the topping.

Use scooper and plop a scoop of batter (approximately 1/4 cup) into the bowl with the sugar and cinnamon. Gently roll the batter in the sugar and cinnamon. 

Place the ball into the loaf pan. Continue until you have completed your first layer, completely covering the base of the loaf pan. Sprinkle about a Tablespoon of the sugar/cinnamon mixture over the first layer of batter. Continue scooping the remaining batter into the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture and layer the batter into the pan. When you have used up all the batter, place a piece of plastic wrap over the top of the loaf and press gently to squeeze out any air pockets between the dough scoops and to even out the loaf.

Sprinkle the loaf with remaining cinnamon sugar mixture. 

Bake the loaf for approximately 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (I baked mine for 55 minutes but everyone's ovens are different, so watch closely and don't be fooled by the browned upper crust.) Allow to cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes. Loosen the sides of the loaf from the pan and remove from pan over a piece of parchment (there will be some loose sugar that will fall out). Allow to cool to room temperature on a wire rack before slicing. *Note the loaf is delicate, so be gentle and it's better to cut into thicker slices so it won't fall apart.

Baked Banana Bread Donuts

When I bought my donut pan, I vowed I would use it to do good (you know, as opposed to evil). Sure it's easy to throw together a donut batter (and I've done that a few times) -but I justified the purchase by telling myself that I would eventually make healthy donuts. For my kids, of course. And the fact that they'd be baked in this donut pan would fool them into thinking they were eating real donuts, based on their shape alone, when in actuality it would be a healthy muffin batter, full of nutrition. But it never happened. Partly because I never found a recipe that I thought was adaptable - but mostly because I didn't look that hard. Also, I'm lazy, so that didn't help.

However, I found a recipe a few weeks ago and all my good intentions returned, as well as the inspiration I needed to plough ahead with some degree of certainty that this endeavor could, in fact, be a success. Healthy donuts...who'd of thunk?

This recipe is originally a banana bread modified to include flax seed, and baked in a donut pan. I do believe I have finally justified this purchase. I might even go totally crazy next time and substitute some whole wheat flour for the AP flour. 

The chocolate glaze was totally unnecessary but also totally delicious. I found the recipe here. Skip it if you're into 'healthy' baking. My kids loved these, they were completely fooled. Didn't even detect the flax seeds. This recipe is a definite keeper.

Recipe for Baked Banana Bread Donuts
(source: adapted from Shove It In Your Face)

1 1/4 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons Ground Flax Seeds
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Grease a donut pan with non stick spray.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, flax seed and cinnamon. Set aside.
Cream together butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add banana, egg and vanilla. Beat until incorporated. Add flour mixture and mix until just combined. Pour into a piping bag (or ziploc bag) and snip the corner. Fill each donut hole until about half full.  Bake 7 - 9 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of a ring. Allow to cool a couple of minutes before gently loosening the donuts with a butter knife, and then remove from pan completely. Place the hot donuts onto a wire rack to cool and repeat process until all the batter has been used. (Yields about 12 donuts)

Cinnamon Chip Pumpkin Bread

For a girl who isn't crazy about pumpkin, I've sure been baking with it a lot lately. I found this recipe over at Fake Ginger, and to be perfectly honest, it wasn't the pumpkin part of this loaf that got me interested, it was the cinnamon chips. The cinnamon chips are not easy to find - so I apologize in advance if you live around me. I bought mine while on summer holidays in San Diego - I'd seen them used in a handful of recipes and could never find them at home. So when I stumbled upon them while grocery shopping on our holidays, I grabbed a couple bags and brought them home with me. Then I promptly forgot what the heck I'd bought them for in the first place. 

So when I found this recipe, I was pretty excited to finally try them out. The cinnamon chips don't hold their shape quite as well as chocolate chips do when you bake with them. They kinda melt into the batter a bit, aside from the lone chip that remains intact in the photo below, but I liked that about them. They're delicious and they definitely make this loaf a lot more interesting. I suppose you could substitute chocolate chips  - or just bake without any chips at all (but then you might want to increase the cinnamon or add some other spices). What I do know for sure is that I'll be very sad when I've used up the last of these chips.

Recipe for Cinnamon Chip Pumpkin Bread
(Source: adapted from Fake Ginger)

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup cinnamon chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, eggs, pumpkin and vanilla. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, mix until incorporated. Stir in the cinnamon chips. Pour into prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.

Sweet Potato Loaf

Having posted two pumpkin recipes this week, now is as good a time as any to tell you that I don't really like pumpkin. I always found that food blog surfing this time of year was a bit annoying because all I'd see was baked goods with pumpkin. No thank you.

However, I made an effort this year to overcome this aversion to pumpkin, and while I'm definitely making significant progress, I'm in no way prepared to indulge in a piece of pumpkin pie. I prefer pumpkin dishes that mask the pumpkin flavor, or just use enough to keep it's presence subtle.

What has any of this got to do with Sweet Potato Loaf? Well, I got excited when I found this recipe and couldn't wait to try it only to find out it tastes just like pumpkin loaf. In fact, I forgot that it wasn't pumpkin. But its redeeming qualities are that it doubles well, freezes well and bakes up perfectly into a very moist loaf. My kids really loved it too, and since 90% of my baking is for them, that makes this recipe a hit. I totally recommend doubling it - which is how I've written the recipe. I mean if you're going to the trouble of cooking and mashing the sweet potato, you may as well get two loaves, right?

Worried about what you're going to do with all this Sweet Potato Loaf? I always slice the whole thing, wrap each slice individually in saran wrap and then put the slices in a large ziploc bag in the freezer. Then you can pull out a slice as you need it, never worrying about it going stale. (A frozen slice can be defrosted in 12 seconds in the microwave.) And you feel like a super-mom when your kids always have homemade baked goods for school. 

Recipe for Sweet Potato Loaf

(adapted from Taste of Home | Fall Baking | 2011)

2 cups of mashed sweet potato (about 3 medium sized 'orange-flesh' sweet potatoes, also known as yams)

4 eggs

1 cup canola oil

2/3 cup water

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 cups sugar

3 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

Preheat the over to 350 degrees F. Spray two 9x5 inch loaf pans generously with non-stick cooking spray. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, mashed sweet potato, oil and water, set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients. Add the sweet potato mixture and stir until just moistened. 

Divide the batter between the loaf pans. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing loaves from their pans onto wire rack, allow to cool completely.

Banana Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins (or Mini Bundt Cakes)

These muffins were adapted from the Baked cookbook. I've been curious about them for a while but I worried that the espresso flavor, as much as I love it, may have been too strong for my kids. So every time I had ripe bananas on my counter, I'd eye this recipe but then end up going back to  my old faithful banana bread recipe. Today I threw caution to the wind (and the incessant rain that has us stuck in the house looking for something to do). I kept the ingredients pretty true to the recipe but, instead of adding the instant coffee to the dry ingredients, I added it to the wet so that it would dissolve and ensure that no bits of the coffee granules made into the final product.

I was very happy with the results. The coffee flavor is very subtle - and unless you know it's in there, you may not even pick it up. These muffins are delicious and so moist and flavorful. Another great recipe to add to the list when looking for something to do with ripe bananas. I still have more bananas to use up so don't be surprised if you see a new Banana Bread recipe soon. But then again, don't be surprised if you don't either, you know what they say about the best of intentions. : )

Happy 'back to school' to all you moms out there. May tomorrow's new-found-freedom bring you much joy. 

Recipe for Banana Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins

(adapted from Baked - New Frontiers with Baking by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito)

1 1/2 cups mashed, very ripe bananas (about 4 medium)

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup whole milk

1 large egg

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. instant coffee granules

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. salt

2/3 cup mini chocolate chips (recipe calls for 1 cup of regular chips)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan (or mini bundt pan) with nonstick spray.

In medium bowl whisk stir together bananas, sugars, butter, milk, egg and instant coffee.

In another medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda and salt together until combined. Make a well in the center and add the banana mixture. Stir until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. Fill each muffin cup until 3/4's full. Bake in center of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into centre comes out clean. (For me this was 23 minutes). Move muffins to cooling rack and allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove from pan and finish cooling on cooling rack.

Can be stored in airtight container for up to 2 days. 

Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf (Starbuck's Copycat)

The other day, while ordering my regular coffee drink at Starbuck's, I buckled. I decided to blow my calorie intake for the day and indulge in a slice of Lemon Poppyseed Loaf. And it was good. It made me want to try replicating it at home. As luck would have it, the very next day I stumbled upon this recipe. And while it was not a lemon loaf, nor did it have a lemon glaze, I knew it would be a good foundation upon which to adapt to my liking. Now I know that most bakers prefer to use butter in their baking for the flavor factor, and most of the time I would agree. But the fact that this recipe uses oil instead of butter caught my attention. There are certain instances in which oil can really help to deliver the moistness that so many loaves lack. And the fact that the recipe yields 2 loaves instead of one? Well, that was the final straw. I knew I had to give it a go.

The verdict?  These lemon loaves are delicious. Moist and tender, similar to a pound cake with just enough of the lemon flavor that I was craving. And easy too. You can't really go wrong here. Perfect for a weeknight dessert, or an afternoon snack. Can you guess what I'll be eating for breakfast tomorrow? And the next day...

Recipe for Starbuck's Copycat Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf

Adapted from: A Farm Girl's Dabbles

For the Lemon Loaf:

3 cups AP flour

2 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 Tbsp. poppy seeds

1 1/2 cups milk

1 cup + 2 Tbsp. canola oil

3 large eggs

3 tsp. lemon extract (or you could use vanilla and add lemon zest if you don't have lemon extract)

For the Glaze:

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/4 tsp. vanilla

1 Tbsp. melted butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously spray two 8 1/2 inch x 4 1/2 inch loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and poppy seeds. Mix on lowest speed until combined.

In a separate medium sized bowl, combine milk, oil eggs and lemon extract (or vanilla and lemon zest, if using). Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry with the mixer on lowest setting. Mix until combined. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Pour into prepared pans and bake for approximately 1 hour and 5 minutes; or until toothpick inserted into the loaves comes out clean.

While the loaves are baking, make the glaze by combining the sugar, lemon juice, vanilla and melted butter and whisking until smooth. Once loaves are finished baking, remove from oven and brush the glaze on both loaves until all the glaze is gone. Allow the loaves to cool for 20 minutes in the pans. After 20 minutes, loosen the loaves by running a knife along the perimeter. Turn the pans upside down and release the loaves. Turn right side up onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely, and for the glaze to harden. 

Mini Buttermilk Pancakes

I may have inadvertently stumbled upon a theme here. A miniaturized breakfast foods theme. I've made mini muffins, mini cinnamon pull-apart breads and now mini pancakes, all within a couple of weeks. It was unintentional, honest, but I can't seem to help myself - but they're all so cute.


This morning my son asked for pancakes for breakfast. Instead of making the usual Mickey Mouse ones that are a staple in my house, I decided to try a recipe that I was drooling over earlier in the week. These pancakes are super easy and absolutely delicious. They puff up into the most tender pillows of deliciousness. And don't be alarmed when your kids ask for their fifth pancake, they are minis after all. The picture is a bit deceiving, they look bigger because those are salad plates  they're sitting on - not dinner plates. 

Recipe for Mini Buttermilk Pancakes

(adapted from Lick the Bowl Good)
1 cup flour
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
1 Tbsp. melted butter

1 Tbsp. vanilla
Maple syrup for serving

Preheat griddle over medium heat.
Stir together dry ingredients. Beat egg until lighter in color and slightly foamy, then stir into dry mixture, along with buttermilk and butter and vanilla. Mix until just blended, being careful not to over-mix. No one likes tough pancakes.

Spoon 2 Tbsp. of batter onto a griddle sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Flip when edges are slightly dry and cook underside until golden brown. Serve with extra butter and maple syrup.

Makes 12-15 mini pancakes.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Hands down, best recipe I've found to date for using up over-ripe bananas. These muffins should thank their lucky stars that they even 'came to be', my husband almost threw away my precious bananas a couple of times. They were beyond spotted, almost black. I kept telling him I was going to use them for something, but then a couple days later, there they sat. Wanting to try something new, instead of baking my usual loaf, I flipped through the Baked cookbook and spotted a recipe that looked delicious. Only the recipe called for instant espresso powder and, while I'm sure I would have liked the coffee flavor, I'm certain my kids would not.

These muffins are nice and moist and the banana flavor is very distinct. The addition of chocolate chips never hurt either. I also sprinkled a little bit of brown sugar on the tops to create a nice crispy crust, and used dark brown sugar instead of light just because I felt like it. 

If you have some ripe bananas sitting around your house and you're looking for something to bake, this recipe will not disappoint.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins 

(adapted from Baked)

1 1/2 cups mashed, very ripe bananas (about 4 medium)

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar (I used dark)

1/2 cup butter (melted)

1/4 cup milk

1 large egg

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp. instant espresso powder (I omitted)

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. salt

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I used minis)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12 cup muffin tray with paper liners (or spray with non stick cooking spray).

In medium bowl stir together bananas, sugars, melted butter, milk and egg. In another medium bowl, whisk together flour, instant espresso powder (if using), baking soda and salt. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir just until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill each muffin cup about three-quarters full. Sprinkle with brown sugar and few extra chocolate chips if desired. Bake in center of oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into centre of a muffin comes out clean. Let cool for 15 minutes before removing them from pan. Allow to continue cooling on cooling rack.