If you only like fried doughnuts, now is probably time to exit. After having countless friends over with so many food restrictions, I decided to give my doughnut pan some love to bake a different version of doughnuts. Technically, these are indeed cake doughnuts but from what I am told (by my fellow doughnut-loving mates) cake doughnuts are not where it’s at, “it‘s all about yeast doughnuts,“ as my friend Paul pointed out to me.
These doughnuts have a couple of things going for them … the fact that they are loaded with flavour and also come in a yeast combo. Do they beat fried dough? C‘mon! Let’s face it, fried dough, doughnuts and all of its deliciously crisp family members will probably always get the glory, but these will certainly satisfy your sweet snack craving—who isn’t curious about beetroot icing? Lately (and by that I mean the past year), I’ve been using beetroot powder in most everything! I have used it in my breakfast bowls and lattes (more on that later).
And, if you have dietary limitations (involving cutting back on both sugar and/or fat), these will give you the indulgent fix without all of the calories of a regular doughnut. That’s it, I am coining the phrase and naming these "Beet Velvet Doughnuts." The colour is not exactly red and these aren’t exactly cake, so something that falls in-between calls for a re-naming moment. But, I digress.
If you want to make these with regular sugar, feel free. I added both parts for using a sugar alternative used here or your preferred brand), or make this with regular sweetness, just in case.
You’re welcome & enjoy! Oh, and Happy Valentine’s Day!
Beet Velvet Spiced Doughnuts
For the doughnuts:
250g (2 cups) plain flour
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons granulated sweetener (monk fruit or Swerve) or caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground Chinese five spice
25g (2 tablespoons) quality butter
1 large egg, beaten
180ml (3/4 cup) almond milk or whole milk
1 1/4 teaspoons fast-active dried yeast
For the beetroot glaze:
1 tablespoon beetroot powder
100g (1 cup) icing sugar-free sweetener (monk fruit or Swerve) or use icing sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons almond milk
Yield: Makes 6-8 doughnuts
Bake: 180C/350F 9-10 minutes
Method:
Prepping: Generously grease a 6-cavity doughnut pan with low-calorie cooking oil spray.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, Chinese five spice, cardamom, granulated sweetener, baking powder, and bicarbonate of soda then use a whisk to blend together. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, add the almond milk, vanilla extract, and butter in a small saucepan over low to medium heat, until butter melts and milk is warmed. Now, turn the heat off and remove the saucepan from the hob.
- Add the yeast to the saucepan and stir gently until blended. Let it sit for 3-4 minutes.
- Next, add the milk mixture to the flour mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula, then add in the beaten egg, quickly stirring until all the dough is blended well. The dough should be slightly sticky, like a cake batter.
- Use a pastry bag (or snip the one end of a clear zip-top bag) and add all of the dough to the bag. Begin to pipe out the dough straight into the prepared doughnut pan. *If you have extra dough left, place it in the refrigerator until you need it again for the second batch.
- Spray the tops of each doughnut with low-calorie cooking oil. Set aside in a warm dark place, and set the timer for 1-hour to rest the dough. Preheat the oven to 180 C/ 350 F about 30 minutes before the 1-hour timer goes off.
- Place the doughnuts in the oven and bake for 9-10 minutes, or until the doughnuts are golden brown with slightly crisp edges. Remove from the oven. Let doughnuts sit for 2-3 minutes. Transfer the doughnuts to a cooling rack. Allow the doughnuts to cool completely before glazing them (about 5 minutes).
For the beet glaze:
- In a small shallow container, add in all of the ingredients. Whisk until well incorporated and smoothly blended.
- One by one, dip the top of each doughnut in the glaze, turning the doughnut clockwise when dipped to completely cover the tops. Set aside on a cooling rack for the glaze to set, about 6-7 minutes. For extras: I added edible gold dust and pearls for decoration.
Like most baked goods, these doughnuts are best consumed the same day but will keep for up to 24 hours. Store in a cool dry place in an airtight container or in the refrigerator. You may eat these at room temperature or warmed.
Print Recipe*Notes: Glaze Alternative:
If you want these doughnuts without a glaze, just lightly brush the tops of the doughnuts with water using a pastry brush, and dip them in a cinnamon-sugar blend. I usually do about 1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon and add 100g (1/2 cup) granulated sweetener in a shallow container, then mix well with a spoon before dipping. This will give your doughnuts texture.
This is an original recipe by Madison of FASHION TALES blog. This is part of an upcoming recipe testing feature. More info. to come soon. 14 February 2018
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