Chocolate Glazed Baked Doughnuts and World Baking Day

Today is World Baking Day. Really could you have any other excuse to bake?! So to celebrate I made these Chocolate Glazed Baked Doughnuts!

I had never tried a baked doughnut previously, but these are a very pleasant alternative. Ok, so I also have never tried making my own fried doughnuts before, but I do love my Krispy Kreme's. To me nothing can beat a original glazed KK, or a custard filled chocolate-glazed for when I'm feeling indulgent.

Although baked doughnuts don't have the same texture and taste of a warm fried doughnut, they are still delightful in their own way, not to mention healthier. Still, I halved the measurements of the original recipe, because with all the baking that goes on in our house nowadays, I hate to see anything go to waste. As I mentioned before, we aren't really a sweet-tooth family on the whole. I'm really the only one with a massive sweet-tooth. But that is another story!

Back to the doughnuts, these are topped with a chocolate glaze and a helping of sugar sprinkles, to look just like a classically decorated doughnut. The batter is quick and easy to prepare, sort of like preparing a pancake batter. If you don't have a doughnut/doughnut hole pan, you can use any baking pan with round moulds. I used the same one as for my mini baklava cups.

Light, moist and airy, chocolate glazed baked doughnuts are still going to satisfy that fried doughnut craving for when you can't pop out to your nearest Krispy Kreme's or Dunkin' Donuts.

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Happy World Baking Day :)

Chocolate Glazed Baked Doughnuts

Doughnut recipe adapted from a recipe by The Washington Post, which is adapted from a recipe by Ina Garten

Makes 14 mini round doughnuts or 7 large

Doughnut pan or small round moulded pan

Oil, for brushing pan

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 tspn baking powder

Half tspn cinnamon powder

Pinch of nutmeg powder

Pinch of salt

Half a large egg, beaten

3/4 cup milk

1 tblspn butter, melted

1 tspn vanilla essence

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius. Brush doughnut pan with oil, then sieve a little flour all over pan. In a large bowl, sieve together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and mix in the sugar. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, melted butter and vanilla. Pour into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined, without over-mixing. Pour batter into the moulds of doughnut pan, until the moulds are only half full. You do not want to fill them too much as they will rise when baking. Bake for about 15 minutes, until doughnuts are puffed and golden, using a toothpick to test for doneness. Leave to cool 5 minutes before removing from pan.

For the chocolate glaze:

1 cup single cream

1 cup dark chocolate, chopped (about 100g)

While doughnuts are cooling, make the glaze by heating single cream in a pan, until the cream starts to boil. Put off the heat and add the chocolate to the cream straight away. Stir well until all the chocolate has melted and the glaze is smooth. Dip doughnuts individually into the glaze and serve warm.