Baked Pumpkin Spice Donuts with Cinnamon Sugar (Easy Fall Breakfast)

Why you’ll love it

• No frying: soft, cakey donuts baked in the oven in 12 to 15 minutes.
• No mixer needed: just two bowls and a whisk, no yeast and no waiting for dough to rise.
• All the flavors of fall: real pumpkin, warm spices and a buttery cinnamon sugar coating.

Quick facts

Ingredients

For the pumpkin donuts

• Nonstick cooking spray or softened butter, for the pan
• 1 3/4 cups (220 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp fine salt
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg and 1/8 tsp ground cloves)
• 1 cup (225 g) canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1/2 cup (100 g) packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) vegetable or canola oil
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) milk
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

For the cinnamon sugar coating

• 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 4 tbsp (56 g) unsalted butter, melted

Step-by-step method

1. Preheat and prepare the pan. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F (175°C). Generously grease a 6-cavity donut pan with cooking spray or softened butter, making sure to coat the center posts. If you have 2 pans, grease both.

2. Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice.

3. Mix the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, oil, milk and vanilla until smooth and no lumps of brown sugar remain.

4. Combine. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and stir gently with a spatula just until no streaks of flour remain. The batter will be thick; do not overmix.

5. Fill the pan. Spoon the batter into a large zip-top bag, snip off one corner (about 1/2 inch / 1.3 cm) and pipe the batter into the donut cavities, filling each about three-quarters full. Wipe any batter off the center posts.

6. Bake. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until the donuts spring back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted into the thickest part comes out clean. Cool them in the pan 5 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack. Clean, re-grease and refill the pan to bake the remaining batter.

7. Make the coating. While the donuts bake, stir together the sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl and melt the butter in a small bowl.

8. Coat while warm. While the donuts are still warm, brush each one all over with melted butter, or quickly dip the top and bottom in the butter, then roll it in the cinnamon sugar until completely coated. Return them to the rack and serve warm or at room temperature.

How to know it is done

The pumpkin donuts are done when they have puffed and are a deeper golden orange around the edges, the tops spring back right away when you press them lightly with a fingertip, and a toothpick inserted into the thickest part comes out clean or with a few dry crumbs. An instant-read thermometer inserted from the side should read about 200°F (93°C). If the toothpick comes out wet, bake 1 to 2 minutes more.

Tips for the best result

• Use plain canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, which already has sugar and spices.
• Grease the pan well, including the center posts, so the donuts release cleanly.
• Pipe the batter with a bag instead of spooning it; it keeps the hole open and the donuts evenly shaped.
• Fill the cavities only three-quarters full so the donuts do not bake over the center posts.
• Coat the donuts while they are warm so the butter soaks in and the cinnamon sugar sticks.

Variations and substitutions

• Maple glaze: skip the cinnamon sugar and dip the cooled donuts in a glaze of 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar, 2 tbsp (30 ml) pure maple syrup and 1 to 2 tbsp (15 to 30 ml) milk.
• Cream cheese drizzle: beat 2 oz (57 g) softened cream cheese with 1/2 cup (60 g) powdered sugar and 1 to 2 tbsp (15 to 30 ml) milk and drizzle it over the cooled donuts.
• Pumpkin muffins: no donut pan? Bake the batter in a lined 12-cup muffin pan for 18 to 22 minutes, then coat the tops with butter and cinnamon sugar.
• Chocolate chip: fold 1/2 cup (85 g) mini chocolate chips into the batter and coat the donuts with cinnamon sugar or leave them plain.
• Dairy-free: use a plant milk in the batter and melted coconut oil or vegan butter for the coating.
• Gluten-free: use a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend that contains xanthan gum and let the batter rest 10 minutes before piping.

Make ahead

You can whisk the dry ingredients together the night before and keep them covered at room temperature, and whisk the wet ingredients and keep them covered in the refrigerator. In the morning, combine them and bake. The donuts can also be baked a day ahead without the coating; wrap them airtight, then rewarm them in the microwave for 10 seconds each and coat them with butter and cinnamon sugar just before serving.

Storage and reheating

Store coated donuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days; the cinnamon sugar may soften slightly over time. Rewarm them in the microwave for 8 to 10 seconds, or in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 5 minutes. To freeze, wrap uncoated, cooled donuts individually and freeze them in a freezer bag for up to 3 months; thaw at room temperature for 1 hour, rewarm briefly and coat with butter and cinnamon sugar.