Lemon Sugar Baked Donuts
Lemon Sugar Baked Donuts are light, citrusy, and generously coated in a crunchy, lemon-zest infused sugar...the perfect sunny treat for breakfast or dessert!
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If you enjoy baked donuts, you'll also love Baked Banana Donuts and Baked Banana Donuts!
The food blogger side of me is a little embarrassed to admit that I’m decidedly late to the baked donut recipe craze, having only bought my first donut pans a month or so ago. But now that I've had a bit of time to bake and experiment, I can confidently tell you...baked donuts are where it's at, y'all.
Why Baked Donuts?
Nobody is going to argue that any type of fried donut is delicious. But let's face it...anything shaped like a donut is just going to be fun to eat! On top of that, baked donuts are much less guilt-inducing than their fried counterparts, with a soft, delicate texture that's more akin to a muffin than a true cake donut, but delicious nonetheless. As an added bonus, you can whip out a batch quickly and with minimal mess...no popping, splattering oil to worry about!
Flavor Options
And have I mentioned all of the different flavor possibilities?
Of course you can make them plain with a simple glaze or powdered sugar coating.
You can infuse the batter with chocolate or flavor the glaze with berries.
How to Make Lemon Baked Donuts
But since I hail from a family of citrus lovers, I decided to go this lemon route for my inaugural run, taking the basic baked donut recipe that came with my pans and adapting it to include lemon juice and lemon zest in the batter.
I also combined some regular granulated sugar and fresh lemon zest in the food processor and ground them together to make a sweet and tangy lemon-sugar coating.
The resulting treats are bursting with lemon, inside and out!
Enjoying Them
Lemon Sugar Baked Donuts would be a special addition to a weekend breakfast or celebratory brunch…without the guilt of greasy fried donuts. Now don’t get me wrong, we occasionally (and happily) indulge in those as well! But these delights provide that sweet donut fix in a slightly lightened up form, so why not have the best of both worlds?
Now go forth and bake some donuts!
More Lemon Treats
- Lemon Sheet Cake
- Lemon Cooler Cookies
- The BEST Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Lemon Poppy Seed Muffin Mug Cake
- Lemon Whipped Cream
Lemon Sugar Baked Donuts
Video
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
FOR THE COATING:
- ½ cup sugar
- 4 teaspoons grated lemon zest
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
Instructions
- Adjust oven racks to center position and preheat oven to 425°F. Spray two 6-cavity donut pans with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour and cornstarch. Whisk in sugar, baking powder, and salt until well blended. Stir in buttermilk, eggs, butter, lemon juice, vanilla, and lemon zest until batter is smooth and combined, but do not over-mix. Evenly divide the batter between the prepared donut pans.
- Bake for 7 to 9 minutes until the edges of the donuts begin to turn a light golden brown and the tops of the donuts spring back when lightly touched. Allow donuts to cool for 5 minutes in pans before turning them out onto a cooling rack.
- In a mini food processor, combine the sugar and lemon zest and pulse until finely ground (you may simply stir together the sugar and zest if you don't have a food processor). Place the melted butter in a shallow bowl. Dip one side of each donut in the butter, and then press into the sugar/zest mixture. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Equipment Needed
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe originally shared at Belle of the Kitchen
Post originally published on July 18, 2016.
Sa
These lemon baked donuts were to die for!! Easy to make and perfectly lemony.
I made these today and they were marvelous REALLY GOOD thanks you so much for sharing I love them:)