baked blueberry cake donuts

It’s National Donut today! I love all these food holidays (National Grilled Cheese Day being another favorite).  And I love how they are always for things that are fattening.  (I have yet to hear about National Tofu Day).  It’s a one day reprieve from mentally tallying calories and avoiding gluten and worrying about how your going to fit into your short shorts without embarrassment.  Although some might say that making a holiday for donuts right before summer starts is cruel.  So to lighten the load (so to speak), I made some baked donuts today, instead of fried.  Just as tasty (really!), but less guilt.  And with blueberries!  So these are practically good for you.

*it turns out this is not a completely made up holiday by the donut people, which is what I think every time a food holiday comes along.  There’s a cute story involving a doctor passing out donuts to wounded soldiers during WWI.  You can read the wiki for it here.

ingredients for donuts:

adapted from Donut Plant via Saveur

• 1 c. blueberries
• 1/2 c. blueberry jam or blueberry preserves
• 4 c. bread flour, sifted
• 1 tbl. baking powder
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 4 tbl. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 c. whole milk
• 1 large egg

ingredients for glaze:

• 1/4 c. blueberry jam
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 c. confectioner’s sugar
• 2 tbl-1/4 c. hot water

Preheat oven to 350°.  Spray a donut pan lightly with oil.  Mash blueberries and jam together in a bowl; set aside.  Whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg together; set aside.  Beat egg in a bowl and set aside.  Beat butter, sugar, and vanilla extract  in the bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.

Add blueberry mixture, milk, and beaten egg and beat until combined.  Turn speed to low and slowly add flour mixture until combined.

  Put dough into a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip (you can also use a spoon, just smooth out the tops of the donuts after filling).  Fill each donut spot in the pan with about 1/4 c. of dough.

  Bake 10 minutes or until dough springs back when touched.  Cool in pan for 1 minute, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  Re-spray donut pan and refill with dough and bake.  Continue until all the dough is baked.

  When donuts are cool, whisk glaze ingredients together (start with 2 tbl. water, then gradually add more until you get the right consistency) and dip tops of the donuts into the glaze.  Return to wire rack to dry.