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May 6, 2014

Carrot Cake Baked Doughnuts

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Delicate Baked Carrot Cake Doughnuts topped with cream cheese frosting and chopped walnuts will bring smiles to your brunch table as you sit down with your cup of coffee.


Carrot Cake Baked Doughnuts

Welcome back to Brunch Week, hosted by Susan of The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen and Terri of Love And Confections. If you missed day one, you will definitely want to go check out my Banana Coconut Milk Pancakes and enter to win some awesome prizes.

I don’t know about you, but when I hear brunch, I immediately think about pastries, especially doughnuts. I knew I wanted to develop a baked doughnut recipe, but what kind? Soon my mind went to these Baked Carrot Cake Doughnuts. Dipped in cream cheese frosting then sprinkled with chopped walnuts, these beauties belong on your brunch table next to your coffee. The best part? You only need 60 minutes from start to finish.



Carrot Cake Baked Doughnuts

My mind has been carrot cake obsessed for the past month – carrot cake cinnamon rolls, carrot cake drop cookies, even my carrot cake cheesecake from last year. Really though – what else do you immediately think of when you have a bag of shredded carrots, begging to be used? If you do use pre-shredded carrots, you may want to chop them into smaller pieces for this recipe so they are more evenly distributed in the batter. If you’re using whole carrots, shred them finely with either a grater or your food processor. Make sure you press out any excess liquid that may occur from shredding.

Normally with baked doughnut batter, you’d pipe it into the pan. However, I knew the raisins and walnuts would get stuck in the pastry bag, so I just carefully spooned in the batter. I remember the first time I made doughnuts with chocolate chips in the batter. 10 seconds after attempting to fill the pan, a chocolate chip clogged the tip. So unless your piping tip is huge, save yourself the headache. Trust me.


Carrot Cake Baked Doughnuts

If you’re looking for a fried doughnut recipe, please don’t use this recipe. Baked doughnut batter is meant to be “runny” like cake batter, not sturdy like bread dough that you roll out. That’s why you use a doughnut pan because the batter needs a mold of some sort. That also means these doughnuts have a cake-like texture, not a fried dough texture that you’d expect from a fryer. Some people argue that these aren’t true doughnuts. That’s ok – more doughnuts for us to eat.

Items You May Need (Amazon affiliate links):


Carrot Cake Baked Doughnuts

Carrot Cake Baked Doughnuts

Yield: 9

Ingredients

Doughnuts

  • 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground clove
  • 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup finely shredded carrots
  • 1/4 cup raisins
  • 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions

For the doughnuts:

  1. Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly grease two six-cavity doughnut pans*.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove.
  3. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and brown sugar until creamy and smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla until fully incorporated then beat in the sour cream. Gradually add the flour mixture then stir in the carrots, raisins, and walnuts.
  4. Fill each cavity in the pans about half full with the batter. Bake 10-12 minutes or until firm and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan then remove to a cooling rack. Cool completely.

For the frosting:

  1. In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, butter, and salt until creamy and smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar then add the milk. Beat until smooth.
  2. Dip (or spread with a knife) each cooled doughnut into the frosting then top with chopped walnuts.

Notes

*If you only have one doughnut pan, bake the first six doughnuts, remove them from the pan as directed, then cool the pan in the refrigerator for 5 minutes before reusing.

© Carla Cardello (www.chocolatemoosey.com)

 
Source: Adapted from Inside BruCrew Life
 

More Spring Dessert Recipes



Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls


Carrot Cake Drop Cookies


Carrot Cake Cheesecake


Carrot Cake Layer Cake


Baked Vanilla Bean Doughnuts


Double Lemon Glazed Doughnuts

Brunch Week Recipes

Brunch Beverages:

  • Rhubarb-Fennel Pollen Fizz from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
  • Bloody Mary with Everything Bagel Rim from Foxes Love Lemons
  • White Wine Peach Cocktail with Honey Fig Syrup from Food Faith Fitness

Brunch Eggs:

  • Polenta Cake Eggs Benedict from The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
  • Skillet Frittata from Quarter Life (Crisis) Cuisine

Brunch Mains:

  • Oven-Fried Chicken and Biscuit Waffles from The Spiffy Cookie
  • Quinoa Stuffed Peppers from Real Housemoms

Brunch Sides:

  • Cheese Fondue Two Ways from Take A Bite Out of Boca
  • Glazed Carrots with Rosemary from {i love} my disorganized life
  • Chantilly Strawberry Roses from The Vintage Cook

Brunch Breads and Desserts:

  • Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal from Love and Confections
  • Carrot Cake Baked Doughnuts from Chocolate Moosey
  • Gluten Free Chocolate Hazelnut Crumb Cake from Cupcakes & Kale Chips
  • Brunch Bread Pudding from Jane’s Adventures in Dining
  • Strawberry Skillet Sweet Rolls from Chelsea’s Messy Apron
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Filed Under: Doughnuts + Pastries Tagged With: carrots, cream cheese, Easter, raisins, walnuts

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Taylor @ Food Faith Fitness says

    May 6, 2014 at 7:45 AM

    How did you know that I JUST got a donut pan? AND I love carrot cake? Can’t wait to faceplant into these! Happy Brunch Week! Pinned!

    Reply
    • Carla Cardello says

      May 6, 2014 at 7:28 PM

      I got mine just this past Christmas and have used it multiple times. The ideas just keep flowing ;)

      Reply
  2. Lanie from The Vintage Cook says

    May 6, 2014 at 9:54 AM

    I can imagine waking up to the aroma of these baking and pinching away at one with my coffee! Delicious!

    Reply
  3. Becca from It's Yummi! says

    May 6, 2014 at 10:00 AM

    Between your carrot cake doughnuts and my carrot cake oatmeal, we’re gonna have some AMAZINGLY awesome eyesight when Brunchweek is over! :)

    Reply
    • Carla Cardello says

      May 6, 2014 at 7:28 PM

      Good because my eyes sure do need it! ;)

      Reply
  4. Jane's Adventures in Dinner says

    May 6, 2014 at 10:06 AM

    Yum! Beautiful donuts-I would just go crazy for the cream cheese frosting alone.

    Reply
  5. Ashley @ QLCC says

    May 6, 2014 at 1:01 PM

    I LOVE carrot cake! These are adorable.

    Reply
  6. Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie says

    May 6, 2014 at 1:15 PM

    I am behind anything that allows me to eat cream cheese frosting for breakfast!

    Reply
  7. Stacy says

    May 6, 2014 at 2:41 PM

    Carrot cake in a doughnut, topped with cream cheese icing and nuts? Who cares whether or not they are fried? Gorgeous confectionary, Carla! Perfect for brunch!

    Reply
  8. [email protected] {i love} my disorganized life says

    May 6, 2014 at 3:12 PM

    Breakfast sweets are one of my downfalls- these doughnuts look fabulous!

    Reply
  9. Shaina says

    May 6, 2014 at 4:43 PM

    Yummm carrot cake AND a doughnut all in one – delicious!

    Reply
  10. Danae @ Recipe Runner says

    May 6, 2014 at 4:58 PM

    I totally agree, when I hear brunch I think pastries and carbs! I love carrot cake and these baked doughnuts look amazing! That cream cheese frosting is the perfect topping for them!

    Reply
  11. Susan says

    May 6, 2014 at 5:47 PM

    I’ll take baked doughnuts. It means I can have seconds and not feel guilty. Also less filling. Also these have vegetables, so it becomes a legitimate meal correct?

    Reply
    • Carla Cardello says

      May 6, 2014 at 7:29 PM

      Exactly. Eat your veggies ;)

      Reply
  12. Carol at Wild Goose Tea says

    May 6, 2014 at 7:08 PM

    I am ordering a baked doughnut pan. I can’t wait to try it out. I just heard about baked doughnuts in the last month. I am trying not to over anticipate and recipes like this is NOT helping. Lol

    Reply
    • Carla Cardello says

      May 6, 2014 at 7:30 PM

      You won’t regret it! I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve used mine.

      Reply
  13. Lori @ Foxes Love Lemons says

    May 6, 2014 at 11:57 PM

    These only took 60 minutes? I would deem that TOTALLY worth the time and effort!

    Reply
  14. RavieNomNoms says

    May 7, 2014 at 2:22 PM

    Whaaaat?! These look amazing! I love love love carrot cake anything! haha

    Reply
  15. Nancy @ gottagetbaked says

    May 7, 2014 at 7:45 PM

    I can’t believe all the ingenious ways you’ve incorporated carrot cake into different desserts, Carla. This is awe-inspiring! Your doughnuts look amazing and any fool who turns their nose up at this for not being a “real doughnut”, hell, I’ll take their share!

    Reply

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