Donuts have a special place in the heart of every baker. When it comes to donuts, there are so many different flavors to choose from. From classic vanilla to fancy frosted creations, there’s something for everyone. Today, I'm sharing a recipe for lemon baked donuts with lemon glaze. These light and airy donuts are baked instead of fried – which makes them a healthier alternative to traditional donuts. The lemon glaze is the perfect complement to the sweet lemon flavor in these donuts. This will take your lemon baked donuts from good to great!
If you love sweet treats, try these blue spirulina energy balls or these apple pie cookies
Traditionally donuts are fried, but when you bake them you are cutting down on the grease and keeping them light. Don’t worry though, with the lemon baked directly into the donuts and used as a glaze, these desserts won’t be lacking in taste. The lemon zest brings a bright boost of citrus, complementing the baking spices of nutmeg and cinnamon.
These lemon baked donuts with lemon glaze are the perfect addition to a Mother’s Day Brunch or an enjoyable end to a family dinner.
These donuts go so well with a cup of coffee or tea. Serve them with raspberries or blueberries for a pop of fresh color and tart sweetness that balances with these lemon-baked donuts with lemon glaze.
The ingredients
Flour: the best type of flour to use in this recipe is all-purpose flour
Sugar: You can use regular cane sugar or brown sugar.
Baking powder: Is made from a mixture of carbonate or bicarbonate, a weak acid, and a filler.
Nutmeg: While nutmeg is considered a sweet seasoning, it's not your typical sugary sweet. It's more of earthy, nutty sweetness.
Cinnamon: Did you know that cinnamon has anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal properties
Lemon Zest and lemon juice: Rinse the lemon well with water and dry it with a paper towel before zesting it. The lemon needs to be softened to make juicing easier. This is done before zesting because the juice will come out through the skin if the lemon is zested first.
Eggs: If you are vegan you can ¼ cup of apple sauce instead.
Milk: Use the milk you want, plant-based milk is always to one I use.
Oil: Canola oil is perfect for this recipe since its taste is mild
The preparation
Only mix your batter until it is just combined, and there are no lumps. Overmixing your ingredients will result in a tough donut, and these should be fluffy with a light cake texture.
If you are using a non-stick donut pan, you shouldn’t need any oil to grease the pan, and the donuts will pop right out if they’re fully cooked. Keep an eye on them as they bake to keep them from burning, and get them onto a cooling rack as soon as they come out.
The best part about these donuts is the lemon glaze on top, and it gives your donuts a professional finish. To keep your icing from clumping, sift any lumps out of your confectioners’ sugar before adding the cream gradually, whisking as you go. Alternatively, you can drizzle the glaze over top of your donuts using a spoon.
FAQS
Once baked, the donuts should be stored in an airtight container or plastic bag at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also store the baked donuts in the freezer for up to 3 months if you’d like to save them for later.
Baked donuts are a healthy alternative to eating donuts from the fryer. They’re baked instead of fried, which reduces the amount of fat in the donuts
It's better to glaze the donuts when they're still warm. Alternatively, you can drizzle the glaze over top of your donuts using a spoon.
Variations
These baked donuts with lemon glaze are great as is, but you can easily make them into fun variations.
- Try sprinkling them with candy sprinkles.
- Top them with coconut flakes if you’re feeling adventurous.
- Sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar or nutmeg sugar.
- And if you’re feeling extra creative, you can even dye the donuts with food coloring and make rainbow donuts!
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Lemon Baked Donuts with Lemon Glaze
Ingredients
For the Donuts
- 2 ⅔ cups flour
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoons lemon zest
- 2 Eggs
- ⅓ cup lemon juice
- ⅔ cup milk
- ½ cup oil
For the Icing
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 3 to 4 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease a silicone donut pan and set aside.
- In a bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon and lemon zest.
- Forma well in the center and add the eggs, lemon juice, oil and milk. Slowly, thie the help of a spoon, fold the wet ingredients into the dry ones, mixing until everything is just combined.
- Spoon the batter into the donut pan and take to the oven. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until done. .Remove from the oven and from the pan and let them cool down completely in a cooling rack.
- Meanwhile, prepare the icing. In a small bowl combine the confectioners sugar, lemon juice and heavy cream until thick and smooth.
- Dip each donut into the icing, turning to evenly coat. Let them dry out in the cooling rack for a couple of minutes before serving.
Monique
Easy to make and the house smell like even ! Going to double the recipe next time!
Sarah
Going to make these donuts for my mom for Mother’s Day I think there the perfect gifts!