Baked Carrot Cake Donuts

Sometimes I miss waking up on Easter Sundays all giddy, knowing that the Easter Bunny had hopped his way on through our home and hidden a basket for me and one for my little brother somewhere inside the house, and a few candy and coin-filled eggs in the backyard.

It never took us long to find our gifts, and shortly after, we’d enjoy a quick (but always too large and comfortingly warm) breakfast before putting on our Sunday best and hitting the road for the busy day ahead.

Times have changed a little, and while I no longer wake up to treats hidden about, I still look forward to indulging in something special before getting on with my day.

For the past few weeks, I’ve had such a strong craving for carrot cake. Fortunately, my mom brought one to a gathering last week and I thoroughly enjoyed every bite, but it only fueled my need for more!

I think I’ve had a slice of carrot cake almost every Easter since I was a little tot, and this year, I wanted to change it up a bit. Combine Easter, carrot cake craving, and early morning treats together and, naturally, carrot cake donuts are the answer!

These babies are served with the most delightful honey glaze, and while they’re perfectly sweet and indulgent, they’re also quite light and refreshing, too. As in, you won’t ruin your appetite for Easter dinner by enjoying one or two of these in the morning. I found the recipe here and adapted it just slightly.

Carrot Cake Donuts

Makes 12 regular-sized donuts | Recipe adapted from The Gold Lining Girl

Ingredients

FOR DONUTS:

2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar (I used Stevia)
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cardamom
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 cup buttermilk (I made my own with Almond Milk by adding a dash of white vinegar)
1 cup finely shredded carrots (about 2-3 large carrots)
A handful of raisins (optional)

FOR GLAZE:

3 tbsp. honey
3 tbsp. melted butter
Dash of cardamom
2 cups powdered sugar
3-5 tbsp. milk (I used almond)
Additional toppings optional (I used coconut flakes, sprinkles, crushed pecans)

Instructions

FOR DONUTS:

Pre-heat oven to 350ºF. Coat your donut pans with cooking spray.
Combine the flour, sugars, baking powder, and spices in a large bowl.
In a small bowl, mix together egg, buttermilk, and carrots.
Gradually stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Batter will be thick.
Pour the batter into a gallon-sized Ziploc bag, then cut a corner off of the bag and pipe into donut pan, filling about 3/4 of the way full. Note: You can skip the Ziploc bag and carefully spoon batter into pan.
Sprinkle some raisins on top of donuts if desired. If not, skip this step!
Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Allow to cool for a few minutes, then transfer onto cooling rack and let cool an additional 10-15 minutes before glazing.

FOR GLAZE:

Combine melted butter, honey, powdered sugar, and a pinch of cardamom in a bowl until thoroughly combined.
Glaze will be rather stiff and hard to stir – keep at it!
Once combined, add milk one tablespoon at a time until glaze thins out and reaches desired glazing consistency.
Glaze donuts by dunking them into the bowl of glaze and spinning around a bit. Lift and let excess glaze run off.
Place donut back on cooling rack and immediately add toppings if desired. Let stand 5-10 minutes.
Enjoy!