Spiced Pumpkin Doughnuts

These pretty as a picture, baked, spiced pumpkin doughnuts are simply delicious!

RECIPE NOTES: You will need a doughnut baking tin for this recipe (I use a 6-hole Wilton® doughnut tin). Cook and cool the pumpkin then mash or puree until smooth (you can steam/boil/roast the pumpkin - whichever way is easiest for you).  Weigh 200g of the puree and set aside until needed (left over pumpkin puree freeze really well). To make it gluten-free, replace the plain flour with the same weight gluten-free plain flour and make sure your baking powder and icing sugar are gluten-free (in New Zealand, Edmonds® baking powder and Chelsea® icing sugar is gluten-free). For a vegan version, use coconut oil instead of butter and your preferred plant-based milk.

Makes 12

SPICED PUMPKIN BAKED DOUGHNUTS

flour (plain/all-purpose), 150g (250ml or 1 cup)

ground almonds/almond flour, 50g (125ml or 1/2 cup)

sugar (brown), 110g (125ml or 1/2 cup)

baking powder, 5ml (1 teaspoon)

bicarbonate of soda/baking soda, 5ml (1 teaspoon)

ground cinnamon, 5ml (1 teaspoon)

ground mixed spice, 5ml (1 teaspoon)

butter (unsalted), 75g

milk (full fat), 100g (100ml or 1/3 cup + 4 teaspoons)

vanilla (extract or paste), 5ml (1 teaspoon)

cooked pumpkin, 200g (about 250ml or 1 cup)

VANILLA GLAZE

butter (unsalted), 30g (about 30ml or 2 tablespoons)

icing sugar, 165g (250ml or 1 cup)

milk (full fat), 30g (30ml or 2 tablespoons)

vanilla (extract or paste), 5ml (1 teaspoon)

1. To start, lightly grease a 6-hole doughnut tin and preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan).

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and mix until uniform.

3. Melt the butter in the microwave (in a medium size heat proof bowl) then add the milk, vanilla and pumpkin puree and whisk until smooth.

4. Add the wet ingredient mixture to the dry ingredients and whisk by hand until smooth.

5. Spoon or pipe the batter into the greased doughnut tin.

6. Bake for approximately 5 - 10 minutes (or until a skewer inserted into the doughnuts comes out clean).

7. Once the first batch of doughnuts are baked, turn them out onto a cooling rack and spoon/pipe the remaining batter into the tin and repeat baking (if you have two 6-hole doughnut tins, you can bake the batter all at once in two tins).

8. While the doughnuts are cooling, prepare the glaze by melting the butter in a heat proof bowl in the microwave.  Add the icing sugar, milk and vanilla and whisk until smooth.

9. Spoon the glaze over the cooled doughnuts before decorating as you like.