Baked donuts with raspberry and rosewater

Have you realized that baked donuts have become a thing recently? They considered to be simpler and healthier vs. traditional fried donuts while equally delicious. These Raspberry and rosewater Baked donuts can be the perfect treat for Valentine´s day and beyond. Their exceptionally moist texture, delicious raspberry and rose flavour and easy yet beautiful design (all natural colour!) will certainly impress your loved One!

There are endless variations of donuts available across the world; baked, fried, balls, rings, filled, glazed…. then there is the beignet, yeast based or more like a cake batter style… Or the Hungarian one called “szalagos”=ribbbon-ed donut because of the white ribbon (stripe like thingy) that runs around the middle of the donuts (The donuts are fried in shallow oil one side then the other, leaving a white stripe in the middle – the part that was not in the oil)

I don´t tend to have too much anecdotes on my blog posts but donuts are special. When I was a child, during Farsang celebration (Carnival) we used to have donut eating competition in school… donuts were hanged by a thread and the goal was to eat as much donuts as you can without using your hands within a certain amount of time like 1 minute or so. Whoever ate the most was the winner! As strange tradition as it sounds, it seemed great fun back then! Do you have any childhood memory about donuts?

What´s the difference between baked and fried donuts?

Apart from the obvious fact that one is baked in the oven, the other is fried in hot oil, there are other major differences between the two.

Fried donut is typically made using high protein content bread flour and yeast as leaving agent. Similarly to breads, usually it takes a while to make them as first the raw dough needs to rise. They are more difficult to make however have an amazing pillow texture.

Baked donuts on the other hand is effectively made of using similar ingredients as cakes and baking powder or soda is responsible for the rise. Making baked donuts is rather quick and simple, the shape of the donuts are uniform due to they are made in donut pan and last but not least they considered to be healthier as fried donuts that are made in oil.

7 reasons you should make Baked Donuts

1. It is extremely easy – No fancy ingredients is needed, it comes together as easily as a cupcake. Both the mixing process as well as the baking process is very simple even if you are a beginner in the kitchen. The trickiest part is glazing the donuts but if you follow a few simple rules and pay attention to the temperatures, you will be able make beautifully glazed donuts every time
2. It is super quick – Compared to yeast based donuts, baked donuts can be made much quicker. Once you mix the ingredients you can proceed with baking, no need to wait for the yeast to get activated
3. Your kitchen won´t smell oily for days– While I love traditional yeast based donuts baked in oil, let´s be honest, after making them, the kitchen will smell oily for days! Since baked donuts are made in the oven, there is no oily smell whatsoever
4. They are healthier – Frying things in oil is not necessary the healthiest thing according to most people. This baked donut recipe is done in the oven, we can call them sort of healthy donuts
5. They are extremely delicious – I guess no need to explain that they are super yummy…
6. Easier to glaze and decorate them – Since baked donuts are made in a donut mould (eg. Silikomart Donut mould) they are somewhat baked even and neat meaning it is easier to glaze and decorate them. By the way this glaze contains real raspberries that give a beautiful natural taste and colour, see more details below
7. Can be filled and flavour – Given baked donuts are effectively having a cake like batter you can freely fill or flavour them with almost anything. I used some raspberries and rosewater this time but citrus zest, nuts or even chocolate chip could be used too

My Top 5 Baking Tips for home bakers

1. Read the recipe carefully including my tips and recommendations on how to avoid and fix typical issues during baking
2. Avoid using substitutes and changing the recipe unless you are aware of how to fully reformulate the recipe in order to keep the balance in texture as well as flavour. Reducing sugar, replacing egg, using milk instead of cream etc. will all have an impact on your baking
3. For consistent, happy baking experience always measure your ingredients with the help of a Digital scale. Cup measurement is provided as an indicative figure only and might be used for less complex and large batch recipes however it is not an appropriate method for more delicate, complex pastries
4. Did you know that most home ovens can significantly under or oven run? Also, oven temperature hugely drops when opening the oven door therefore it is recommended to always pre-heat the oven above the required baking temperature.
5. Temperature is so important when it comes to baking and especially when it comes to something as delicate as Japanese Cotton cheesecake….accurate oven temperature is key, can make or break any recipe. Make sure you invest into an inexpensive Digital oven thermometer to avoid disappointment

Some important notes regarding the ingredients of this Baked Donuts recipe

For the donuts

1. Butter: Use always unsalted as you want to be in control of the quantity of the salt. I am using 82% fat content butter in all my recipes. In this recipe butter needs to be at room temperature which technically means soft enough to be able to cream but not too soft or runny so avoid last minute microwaving
2. Sugar: I am using simple white granulated sugar in this Baked Donuts recipe. If you want to learn about the different types of sugar and how to use them in baking, please read my article in here
3. Egg: Room temperature as always
4. Flour: Pastry flour works very well here with low protein content resulting in delicate, tender texture but AP flour can be used too. If you want to be a Pro when it comes to deciding what type of flour to use in your baking, please read my article in here
5. Salt: Essential ingredient in all dessert recipes, its main function is to balance the sweetness of the cakes
6. Baking powder: Baking powder is responsible for the Baked donuts to rise. We will use a relatively small amount as no need for huge “peaks”
7. Vanilla (optional): Please please avoid using artificial vanilla. There are several great brands for fine, pure vanilla, I use Nielsen massey which I love and really recommend. I use vanilla bean paste instead of vanilla extract which has lovely vanilla bits in there too
8. Raspberry: Use fresh or frozen. Each Baked donuts has 4 pieces of raspberry in them that make them wonderfully flavourful and also colourful
9. Rosewater: Please note that there is a huge different between pure rosewater, pure rose essence and all the other fake ones. Make sure to only use 100% natural pure rose products for your health and also for your desserts´ taste. There is also a difference between rosewater and rose essence. Rosewater is sold in a larger bottle usually and you have to use more of that vs. rose essence. I am using rose water in this recipe however if you have rose essence at home, that is a much more concentrated product, you only need to use a tiny amount of that to achieve the same taste. Rosewater is rather a love it or hate it flavour, so feel free to skip it if you don´t like it or adjust the quantity to add more or less according to your liking. If you haven´t tried it before, I really recommend start using it in desserts, it pairs amazing with raspberry, white chocolate, lemon, orange, lichi etc.

For the glaze

1. White chocolate: The Baked donuts will be glazed with white chocolate based raspberry ganache. Since white chocolate has a close to neutral flavour and colour, it can be made into all sorts of ganache: raspberry, mango, coffee ganache etc. The ganache will be as delicious as the quality of the chocolate you are using so always try to use the highest quality you can access. I am using Callebaut WhiteChocolate (callets)
2. Cream: Also known as whipping cream or heavy cream, has a fat content between 36% and 40% . Avoid substitutes like vegetable based “whipping cream”
3. Raspberry: I am using frozen raspberry. I hand blend it into puree and pour it through a sieve to get rid of seeds. Raspberry will give a beautiful natural colour and flavour to the glaze, how amazing is that?!
4. Butter: As above, use unsalted on room temp
5. Rosewater: As per above. Quantity is up to you depending on how much you love rosewater, I am a huge fan!

For the decoration

1. White chocolate: I am using the same white chocolate as for the glaze: Callebaut WhiteChocolate (callets)
2. Freezed dried raspberry: It is more stable to use freezed dried raspberry than fresh ones however feel free to use whatever you can access. Avoid using frozen raspberry for decoration
3. Rose petals: It is really not a must but I like to decorate my desserts according to its flavour profile. Organic rose petals are available from Amazon or you can buy it perhaps on markets depending on which country you live in

My top 5 tips regarding the technique of this Raspberry and Rose Baked Donuts recipe

1. How to make moist Baked Donuts

This Baked Donut recipe contains 4 basic ingredients; butter, sugar, egg, flour and the volume will be supported by baking powder. Beside the basics ingredients I am using rosewater and raspberries to the donuts even more fragrant. These baked donuts are extremely moist and flavourful and on top that can be made really easily and quickly.

• Prepare your donut mould , I am using Silikomart Donut mould, a silicone version from Silikomart that is very flexible and require no greasing
• Baking temp will be 175 C / 347 F but preheat oven +20C / 68F as oven temp will drop when you open the door and place the baking tins in
• Use Digital oven thermometer to understand your real oven temp
• Ingredients must be all measured with a Digital scale
• All ingredients must be at room temperature, otherwise they won´t properly emulsify if eg. butter too cold, the batter might even break
• Cream room temp butter and sugar with an Electric hand mixer for 5 minutes until creamy and pale
• Add in egg, one at a time, mix with a hand whisk after each addition
• Fold in rosewater and vanilla if using
• Sift in dry ingredients: flour, baking powder and salt
• Fold mixture with a rubber spatula just until fully combined, do not over mix
• Pipe batter into your donut mould. Do not fully fill the mould as the donuts will rise
• Press 4 raspberries into each donut
• Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean
• Let the Donuts completely cool in the mould. They can be fragile while they are hot, do not risk
• Fully cool them in the fridge before glazing

2. What equipment is needed to make Baked donuts

For baked donuts – since it is not a yeast based dough – you will need a donut mould to bake them. I love my Silikomart Donut mould that is made of silicone therefore no greasing nor preparation is needed and the donuts always come out perfect without stuck into the form.

Beside a donut mould, it is not mandatory but highly recommended to have a thermometer to measure the temp of the glaze to avoid glaze running all over the donuts and making a mess. I purchased an Infrared thermometer gun last year and absolutely love it, it is the most accurate and convenient way to check the temperate whether I am making sugar syrup for macaron, glaze for this donut recipe or tempering chocolate! You can also measure the temp with other kinds of cheaper thermometers, choose according to your preference.

I also recommend to invest into some Piping bags, as a home baker you need it all the time it is much easier and neater to pipe the batter into the mould than anything else like pour or spoon.

Last not but least, for consistent, happy baking experience always measure your ingredients with the help of a Digital scale. Cup measurement is an indicative figure only and not appropriate for tempering chocolate!

3. How to make raspberry ganache glaze

There are several donut glaze recipes out there, my preference is chocolate ganache for 3 reasons:

1. I find the texture easy to control therefore easy to glaze the donuts without making a mess. Please read the next section tips regarding how to glaze donuts

2. With the added raspberry pure this glaze has a beautiful and natural colour and taste

3. No need to add tons of sugar, in fact no sugar is added to this glaze, the sweetness will come from the chocolate

How to make the raspberry ganache glaze

1. Place finely chopped high quality white chocolate into a bowl or use Callebaut WhiteChocolate (callets)
2. Hand blend raspberry into puree and pour it through a sieve to get rid if seeds. Frozen or fresh both work
3. Mix raspberry puree and cream
4. Heat cream & raspberry puree mixture until just simmering. If it’s boiling, the cream is too hot and could burn the chocolate. If it is not warm enough, it won´t melt the chocolate properly
5. Pour warm cream and raspberry mixture over chocolate
6. Let the two sit for a minute then stir and / or blend together
7. Add in room temp butter, stir again and / or hand blend

The texture at this point will be runny, you have to wait with glazing the donuts until is slightly cools to about 27C / 81F. In a 20C / 68F kitchen that might take about 10 minutes. However don´t let it fully set neither as once it sets, it will become to thick to glaze the donuts. Remember, temperature is very important when it comes to baking even for something as simple as glazing donuts.

Please note that you won´t need all the glaze that is mentioned in the recipe card below (you will have some left ) . Since we need dip the donuts into the glaze we need to make a bit more glaze that what is actually needed. Any leftover glaze can be stored in the fridge in airtight container for a week or two and you can use it on pancake, cupcake etc.

4. How to properly glaze donuts

Glazing Donut does not have to be a mess if you follow some basic principles that are mainly related with the “right temperature”.

Glazing these Baked donuts is no different from glazing any other Loaf cake or Bundt cake… it is all about finding the right (temperature) moment to dip the donuts into the glaze. Make sure that your donuts are cold (5C / 41F fridge temp) so the glaze can quickly set on them instead of running on the side. The glaze must be not too thin and not too thick, about 27C / 81F is the ideal temperature for this white chocolate based raspberry ganache.

I recommend to measure the glaze temp properly and try to glaze one donut first and see how it feels. If the glaze stays stable on the donut, continue with the rest. If the glaze is too runny and do not set on the donut, stir it and wait until glaze further cools. If the glaze is too thick and not able to smoothly cover the donut, slightly warm it up with a hairdryer (do not put the ganache on the stove or into the microwave).

What is the process of glazing donuts?

• Place glaze into a big enough bowl so you can comfortably dip the donuts into it however it should not be too big neither as the glaze should have some “depth” as you will dip the donut into it
• Hold the donut with you fingers and dip it into the glaze. Move the donut a bit for a few seconds then carefully remove it from the glaze. While still holding the donut with your fingers _(glazing facing down), carefully remove any excess glaze from it with the help of your fingers on your other hand
• If temp was correct, the glaze should stay on the donut without running on the side however it will take some time until it feels “dry” as you touch it
• Place the donuts on parchment paper and let the glaze fully set on room temp or in case your kitchen is too warm, place it into the fridge

Possible mistakes:

Glaze run on the side of the donut – either donut was to warm (not fridge temp) or glaze was too hot therefore too runny to set on the donuts

Glaze is too thick and set it a “wrinkled” way – either donut was too cold or more likely that the glaze was too cold (thick) therefore it sets too quickly

5. How to decorate the glazed donuts

Decoration can really take your Baked donuts to the next level and the sky is the limit! In general, when decorating any cake or donut, it is worth to use ingredients and flavours you anyway included into your dessert, eg. I am using freezed dried raspberries and rose petals in here. To have these two elements “pop out” I melted some white chocolate, poured it into a small piping bag, made a very very tiny hole on the piping bag and applied some stripes on the donuts first.

Few tips: let the raspberry ganache glaze set first before continuing with chocolate stripes. However make sure you place the freezed dried raspberries and rose petals onto the donuts immediately after applying the white chocolate stripes otherwise they won´t stick to it.

Use your creativity and feel free to decorate the Baked donuts according to your liking!

STAY TUNED

Subscribe to my recipes, sweet tips & latest travel news.

RECIPE CARD of Baked donuts with raspberry and rosewater