Red Velvet Donuts

As an avid lover of Boston Kreme donuts, I always thought baked donuts would never compare.

I was wrong. Donut pans started showing up everywhere in the food blog community. I saw recipes for tons of baked donuts – chocolate ones covered in glazes, rum donuts with streusel, chocolate frosting and sprinkles. They all looked so amazing. And because they’re baked, that means you can eat more of them, right?

Right?

Being the Libra that I am, I was indecisive and didn’t buy the donut pan when I saw it at my supermarket. Big mistake. It was all I could think about for the next few days. So, on my way back up to college, I stopped by, ran in, bought it, and was in love. Or just plain lust.

That is, until I tried making donuts and they flopped. Like, an enormous flop. I was upset but also excited – it was one of my first kitchen fails! I finally tried a recipe and failed. Now that I’ve got this blog, I’m sure failures will crop up a bit more so it’s good for me to get used to that. Being a perfectionist, and all.

I was determined not to let that stop me and my next attempt made tasty donuts. Nothing super special. Just good. So I retired the pan for a few months. It wasn’t until my senior week that I felt the need to break out the pan again and try out the How Sweet Eats recipe for Baked Red Velvet Donuts. (by the way, check out her blog if you haven’t already. It’s amazing and definitely my favorite out there.)

They were amazing. The first batch went within 24 hours so the next day I made another batch and was in lust with these donuts. They were cake-y, like any baked donut, delicious, and the cream cheese glaze added the perfect amount of sweetness.

Definitely a winner.

Baked Red Velvet Donuts

makes 9-10 donuts

1 cup cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon buttermilk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon red food coloring*

Preheat the oven the 425 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder, and then whisk together until blended. Add in the buttermilk and egg, and then mix to combine. Stir in the butter.

In a small bowl, mix the baking soda and white vinegar together, and then add in the vanilla. Add this mixture to the donut batter and then stir in the red food coloring* until combined.

Using a spoon, fill each donut mold 2/3 of the way. Bake for 6-8 minutes (until the donut springs back at your touch) and then cool for 5 minutes before transferring donuts to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Whipped Cream Cheese Glaze

1/4 cup whipped cream cheese, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup powdered sugar
4-6 tablespoons heavy cream (depends on what texture/consistency you want)

In a medium bowl, whisk the cream cheese vigorously until it smoothes out. Add in the sugar and vanilla, and then add in the heavy cream one tablespoon at a time, constantly whisking. Depending on your desired consistency, you can add more or less cream. Dip the donuts into the glaze, then cover them in sprinkles (or whatever topping you’d like)

Notes:
1. I didn’t have cake flour so I made my own. Follow Joy The Baker’s tutorial here. Super easy!
2. My glaze didn’t harden for a few hours, so depending on how humid your kitchen is (mine was very humid; no AC), the time will vary.
3. The glaze also makes almost enough for a double batch of donuts, so more incentive to bake more!
*4. I used Wilton’s “No Taste Red” gel coloring. Depending on what type of food dye you use, you should add the color slowly until you reach your desired color.

[Minimally adapted from How Sweet Eats]