Ricotta Spiced Baked Donuts
I finally made baked donuts!! I was a firm believer that donuts were supposed to be fried. But I recently yielded to the insistence of some family members to experiment with baked donuts. And after a few trials, I’m very pleased I listened to them. These ricotta spiced baked donuts are the best! They are dense but still super soft. They are full of warm flavors such as cinnamon, cardamom and brown sugar. And they’re so easy to make you can have warm baked donuts in less than 30 minutes!
Now, instead of glazing them, I covered them in powdered sugar. And why did you make them like that, Dev? Well, glad you asked! I just got inspired with some local Puerto Rican baked donuts that are covered just with powdered sugar. The only way you will know what kind of donuts I’m talking about is if you are a local or a tourist that dared to get out of the touristy areas and browsed on local supermarkets, because these donuts are not even found in local bakeries. These powdered sugar baked donuts are from Holsum, a local baked goods company that is the Godsend to anyone that’s in need of a quick breakfast or a sweet pick me up anytime of the day. The donuts come in a box of five, and depending on how much white powdery stuff you have on your fingers, anyone can tell how many donuts were eaten at the moment. No good Puerto Rican will eat less than two out of that box. They are the best!!
I actually think these baked donuts are best sugared than glazed. It just compliments the texture and flavors way much better. And for some reason, they don’t taste as sugary as the glazed ones. But of course, you can make a simple glaze and pour it over the warm donuts as well! A glaze with a touch of cinnamon will be just as lovely. Learn how to make a simple glaze anytime.
Making the best baked donuts
1. To make these donuts you will need a donut pan. They are pretty affordable and I’m sure you will not stop using it once you start. If you don't have one you can check the donut pan I used. If you don’t have a donut pan you can use a muffin pan as well. Spray the pan with baking spray.
2. This recipe only needs two bowls, one for combining the wet ingredients and another for combining the dry ones. Then mix the dry ingredients into the wet ones. That’s all!! Have in mind this is going to be a very thick batter.
3. For the flavors, I used cinnamon and cardamom for a light spiced kick. You can add nutmeg or ginger as well, or you may leave the spices out altogether for a simple buttery donut.
4. I transferred the batter to large plastic bag with a large rounded tip and piped it to each of the pan wells. You can also spoon the batter into the well, filling them just half way through. Bake for 10 minutes.
5. Dip or brush the donuts with melted butter, then make them dance in a bowl of powdered sugar. I like to toss them in a bowl or tray and place one in my index finger as a ring and spin it over the sugar as well to make sure they have a nice thick coat of it. Now your donuts are READY!!
6. Last step is just for telling you to sit back and enjoy your donuts with a nice cup of hot coffee!
So, how do you think you would prefer them? Will you go team glazed or will you give powdered sugar a chance? Let me know in the comments below and let me know if you make them. Remember to sign up for the comments thread in order to receive notifications when I reply to you. Happy baking my friends!
Ricotta Spiced Baked Donuts
Ingredients
◯ Butter – 2 TBSP + 4 TBSP for dipping
◯ Dark brown sugar – ¼ cup
◯ Granulated natural sugar – ¼ cup
◯ Large egg, at room temperature – 1
◯ Ricotta cheese – ¼ cup
◯ Coconut milk - ⅓ cup
◯ Unbleached all-purpose flour – 1 ¼ cup
◯ Fine sea salt – 1 Tsp
◯ Ground cinnamon – ½ Tsp
◯ Ground cardamom seeds – ¼ Tsp
◯ Baking powder – 1 Tsp
◯ Powdered sugar – 1 to 1½ cup for dusting
Details
Yield: 12 mini or 6 large baked donuts
Total time: 25 minutes
Active time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 10 minutes
Equipment: Donut baking pan
Steps
To make the ricotta spiced baked donuts:
Preheat oven to 350°.
Start by melting the 2 tablespoons of butter and mixing it up with the ¼ cup of brown sugar and ¼ cup of natural granulated sugar in a large bowl. Whisk thoroughly the egg, the ¼ cup of ricotta cheese and the ⅓ cup of coconut milk.
In another bowl combine the 1 ¼ cup of flour, the teaspoon of fine sea salt, the ½ teaspoon of cinnamon, the ¼ teaspoon of cardamom and the teaspoon of baking powder.
Gently mix in the dry ingredients into the wet mixture using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Remember this is going to be a thick batter, it won’t pour. Transfer batter to a large plastic bag with a large rounded pastry tip and pipe batter into pan wells. Or spoon batter directly on them. Fill the well just until half.
Bake for 10 minutes. Remove them and let them cool down a bit in a cooling rack.
In the meantime, prepare a medium bowl or tray with the cup or cup and a half of powdered sugar and melt the 4 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan or in a medium bowl in the microwave. Dip a donut in the butter on both sides. Wait a few seconds to let it absorb some of the butter. Transfer to your powdered sugar container and toss and spin them on the sugar to make a nice thick coating. Place it in a parchment paper or a cooling rack while you finish the rest of the donuts. Make sure they are cooled down completely before storing them in a airtight container.
