MAKES 16
A deep-fried doughnut is surely one of life’s greatest pleasures, but it’s one I try to resist. Instead, these baked doughnuts are my ideal indulgence. Dusted with cinnamon and perfectly tender, they’re as good (if not better) than their deep-fried cousins.
You might find them sweet enough without the need to add any stevia, but if you do want a little extra sweetness, it’s a good tool to avoid increasing the sugar content.
INGREDIENTS
300g peeled pumpkin, cubed
60g (1/4 cup) extra virgin coconut oil, softened
2 eggs
60g (1/4 cup) buttermilk
70g (1/3 cup) preferred brown sugar (see Tips)
1/8 tsp stevia extract powder (optional)
1 tsp cinnamon
225g (1 1/2 cups) self-raising flour
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Cinnamon sugar (optional)
1 tbsp golden caster sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
PREPARATION
1. Preheat oven to 170°C (150°C fan). Lightly grease 2 x 8-hole standard doughnut tins (see Tips).
2. Steam pumpkin until very tender. Transfer onto paper towel for at least 5 minutes to drain excess moisture.
3. Place warm pumpkin and coconut oil into a food processor or high-powered blender and process until coconut oil melts and pumpkin is pureed and smooth. Scrape down sides with a spatula.
4. Add eggs, buttermilk, sugar, stevia (optional) and cinnamon, and process until just combined (ensuring any lumps of sugar are broken up).
5. Add flour and bicarbonate of soda, and process using pulse action until mixture is just smooth. Carefully spoon or pipe mixture into prepared tins (piping will give you a more perfect-looking result – use a 1cm plain nozzle).
6. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until puffed and lightly golden. Allow to cool in tins for 5 minutes, then transfer onto a wire rack to cool for a further 5 minutes. Cinnamon sugar (optional)
7. Place cinnamon-sugar ingredients into a large zip-lock bag. Working in batches, while still warm, place 5-6 doughnuts into bag and gently shake to coat. Serve doughnuts warm.
TIPS
Depending on the exact size of your doughnut tin, you mind find this mixture makes less than 16 doughnuts. If you have larger tins, you may only need 2 x 6-hole tins.
If you don’t have doughnut tins, you can also bake this mixture in muffin or mini muffin tins (the cooking times will vary depending on the size of your tins).
Use your preferred brown sugar in these doughbuts, either regular brown sugar or a less refined option such as rapadura (panela) or coconut sugar. (Note that the weights of these sugars can vary, so the gram measurement will be more accurate than the cup measurement.)