Go Back
Cake donuts in a tin with dessert tongs next to them.

Cinnamon Baked Cake Donuts with Caramel Brown Butter Icing

Yield: 7 donuts
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Cooling time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
5 from 6 votes - Rate this recipe!
These Cinnamon Baked Cake Donuts are an easy donut recipe you can make quickly at home. With a Caramel Brown Butter Icing, these cake donuts will disappear fast.
Print Pin

Ingredients

FOR THE DONUTS

  • 130  g  (1 cup / 4.6oz) plain (all-purp) flour
  • 1  teaspoon  baking powder
  • 1  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4  teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2  cup  buttermilk, room temp
  • 1  large egg, room temp
  • 2 tablespoons (30g / 1oz) unsalted butter, melted (notes)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

FOR THE BROWN BUTTER ICING

  • 2 tablespoons (30g / 1oz) unsalted butter (notes)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons  brown sugar (notes)
  • 2 teaspoons water
  • 2 teaspoons  milk
  • 1/2 cup  icing sugar
  • Pinch of salt

Instructions
 

FOR THE DONUTS

  • Prep: Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F / 160C fan forced. Spray a doughnut pan with oil spray. Have a piping bag at the ready (see notes)
  • Dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and sugar until thoroughly combined.
  • Wet ingredients: Whisk together the buttermilk, egg, melted butter and vanilla until completely combined, then add to the dry ingredients and fold together with a spatula.
  • Rub the oil around in the doughnut tin so each hole is nicely coated. Spoon the batter into your piping bag and pipe into the tin holes, to about 3/4 full.
  • Bake for 10 minutes - a toothpick should come out clean. Allow them to cool for 5 minutes in the tin before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Then you can use the empty doughnut pan to pipe and bake the last one.

FOR THE BROWN BUTTER ICING

  • Place the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Bring to a simmer and cook swirling the pan often until it turns a golden brown colour. Strain the butter into a bowl and discard any black sediment.
  • Wipe out the saucepan and add the brown sugar and water. Stir over low heat until the sugar is no longer grainy, then take it off the heat.
  • Add the browned butter back to the saucepan, along with the icing sugar and salt. Whisk to combine then add the milk and mix through.
  • Top the doughnuts: Place your doughnuts, on a rack over a lined baking tray (to catch any drips). Dip the tops into the icing, let a little drip off then turn them up the right way on the rack. Allow to set before serving.

Notes

  1. I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (= 4 teaspoons worldwide)
  2. For best results, you should always weigh ingredients like flour and sugar. Kitchen scales are relatively cheap but if you can’t weigh the ingredients, use the spoon and level method (don’t scoop).

TOOLS USED IN THIS RECIPE

  • A donut baking pan. You could also bake these in a regular muffin tin.
  • A wire cooling rack for sitting the donuts on to set
 
Calories: 227kcal
Author: Marie Roffey
Course: Afternoon Tea, Dessert, Sweets
Cuisine: American, Donuts
Have you tried this recipe?Don't for get to leave a rating and comment below and let me know how it was! I love hearing from you.