It’s time to make the donuts

Chocolate Cake Donuts

My super sweet 5-year-old nephew gave me a donut pan for Christmas.  (Thank you, Shane!!) I had every intention of baking these with him while we were all at my parents’ house for Christmas, but time got away from us.  He did wear his tiny apron and boss me around while we made lasagna together though.  He said making dinner was a big responsibility and he had a lot of experience, so I just kept my mouth shut and let him be in charge.  (Seriously, this boy is so stinkin’ adorable that you’d do whatever he told you to too!)

But back to the donuts.  Or doughnuts.  Whichever way you wanna spell them, they’re a fun treat to make in your own kitchen.  My kiddos started back to school today with tired eyes and a shuffling step.  They got kinda used to staying up late and sleeping in over the break, so this was a particularly rough Monday morning.  I thought it’d be fun to surprise them with some chocolate cake donuts when they got home.  They liked the ones with sprinkles the most.  Big surprise.  What would life be without sprinkles?

Recipe:  Chocolate Cake Donuts

(source:  slightly adapted from baking pan packaging)

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking powder

1/8 tsp. salt

2 eggs

2/3 c. granulated sugar

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/2 c. milk, any fat content

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

Glaze:

1/2 c. confectioner’s sugar

1 Tbsp. hot water

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and lightly spray donut pan with cooking spray.

Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl.  In a smaller bowl, whisk eggs with sugar and vanilla until thick and combined.  In another small bowl, combine milk and melted butter.  Alternately add the milk mixture and egg mixture to the flour mixture.  Mix until the batter is smooth.

Fill donut cups 2/3 full.  (Using a piping bag or large ziploc bag with the corner cut off works great here.) Bake 7 minutes for mini donuts.  Cool donuts on wire rack while you make the glaze.

To glaze:  Whisk water and confectioner’s sugar together until smooth.  Using a pastry brush, brush the tops of each donut with glaze.  If adding sprinkles, do so while the glaze is still wet.

Remember this guy and his commercials?  I couldn’t get him out of my head this morning!  hehe