Description
An easy recipe for baked pink party donuts covered in pink tinted vanilla frosting and an overload of rainbow sprinkles. It’s love at first bite!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup (65g) packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (120ml) buttermilk, at room temperature*
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Vanilla Glaze
- 2 cups (240g) confectioners’ sugar
- 3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 3–4 Tablespoons (45-60ml) heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- pinch salt
- 1–2 drops red food coloring
- for garnish: rainbow sprinkles*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray the donut pan (heart-shaped donut pan or regular donut pan) with non-stick spray. Set aside.
- Make the donuts: Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a medium bowl. Set aside. Whisk the egg, brown sugar, and buttermilk together until smooth. Add the melted butter and vanilla, whisking until fully combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not overmix. The batter will be very thick.
- Spoon the batter into the donut cavities—I highly recommend using a large zipped-top bag for ease. Cut a corner off the bottom of the bag and pipe the batter into each donut cup, filling only 1/2 to 2/3 full. If baking hearts, do not fill up too much or the donuts won’t have a hole in the center (they’ll puff up too much).
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Allow to cool in the pan for about two minutes then place each on a wire rack set on top of a baking sheet or parchment paper (to catch any sprinkles or glaze in step 5). Bake the remaining donut batter (there is usually enough batter for 2-3 more donuts) and once baked, transfer to the wire rack. Allow donuts to cool down until you can handle them.
- Make the glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk the glaze ingredients together until completely smooth. Add more cream to thin or more confectioners’ sugar to thicken, if desired. I always add a little salt to offset the sweetness. Dip each donut into the glaze, then place back on the rack. Top with sprinkles. Donuts are best served immediately. Leftovers keep well covered tightly in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If glazed lightly, the glaze will somewhat set after a few hours.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: You can freeze the glazed or plain donuts for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and warm up to your liking in the microwave. I usually just zap ’em for a couple seconds—even with the glaze on. Very tasty.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Heart-Shaped Donut Pan or Regular Donut Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Large Zipped-Top Bag | Cooling Rack
- Double Batch: Instead of doubling the recipe, make two batches. I find it’s easy to overmix when working with a double batch in 1 bowl. Overmixing may lead to too-dense donuts.
- Muffins: You can make this recipe into 8-10 muffins using a muffin pan. Bake at the same temperature for 18-20 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk creates a moist and rich tasting baked donut. I highly recommend it. You can use low fat or full fat. If needed, you can use 1/4 cup any milk and 1/4 cup any yogurt (or sour cream) to replace the 1/2 cup buttermilk.
- Sprinkles: I mixed a bunch of sprinkles for these donuts—I got rainbow sprinkles from Target and mixed them with Sweetapolita sprinkles.