Description
Baked carrot cake doughnuts dipped in brown butter glaze are the perfect springtime treat! Top with festive sprinkles and enjoy for breakfast or brunch!
Ingredients
Doughnuts
- 2 cups cake flour (see note below)
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp cloves
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk, at room temperature
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup finely grated carrots
Glaze
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 to 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 Tbsp milk
- sprinkles (topping)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F and spray a standard doughnut pan with nonstick spray. Whisk together cake flour, sugar, spices, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Combine buttermilk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla in a medium bowl; add to flour mixture and fold in until almost incorporated. Fold in grated carrots.
- Spoon batter into a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip and fill each doughnut cup 3/4 full. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes, until the tops spring back when touched. Turn doughnuts out on a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining batter, allowing pan to cool completely and spraying with nonstick spray in between batches.
- For the glaze, cook butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until it foams, turns clear, and then turns a deep brown. Pour brown butter into a glass bowl and let cool for 5 minutes before whisking in 1 cup powdered sugar, salt, vanilla, and milk until smooth. For a thicker glaze, add remaining powdered sugar, whisking until smooth.
- Set rack with cooled doughnuts over a piece of waxed paper. Dip doughnuts tops into glaze, top with sprinkles, and let glaze set before serving.
Notes
To make your own cake flour: place 2 tablespoons cornstarch in an empty 1-cup measure, then top up with flour. Sift the mixture several times to evenly distribute the cornstarch.