Coffee Cake Donuts

One of my favorite things to make and one of my guys favorite things to eat are donuts. I absolutely love any excuse to break out the donut pans so I'm kicking off Brunch Week with Coffee Cake Donuts from The Easy Baked Donut Cookbook by Sara Mellas.

As per usual, I set out to provide progress shots and only snagged a few. It's a pretty simple process, you mix up the crumb topping and stick it in the fridge, then mix up the batter. I liked to put my donut batter into a piping bag set into a large cup for easy filling.

After the tins are filled, you sprinkle them with the cinnamon streusel topping. I thought I'd been pretty generous but I definitely would make double the amount of topping next time.

I got 12 full size donuts and 12 minis but I might go for more batter in each one and not make the minis. I felt like some of them were a bit skimpy even though I filled the tins halfway as suggested.

They're light, fluffy and have a nice crumb which is what I expect from a cake style donut.

I didn't go nuts but I did hit them with a light dusting of powdered sugar. You could omit it if you wanted to.

If you don't have donut pans you can use muffin top pans or muffin tins. Be sure to spray them well so that the donuts do not stick and try to keep the crumb topping contained inside the cavity and press down slightly so it doesn't just fall off.

The minis took about 9 minutes to bake and disappeared just as quickly. They'd be perfect for lunchbox treats or afterschool snacks.

This is the 4th recipe that I've tried from this cookbook and I've got a dozen more marked to try. I highly recommend it!

Thanks to Christie for hosting #BrunchWeek! Be sure to check out the awesome recipes that the other bloggers are sharing using the links down below.

Coffee Cake Donuts

Author: Jolene's Recipe Journal

Ingredients

For the cinnamon streusel topping

3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick melted butter

For the sour cream cake donuts

Nonstick cooking spray
6 Tablespoons butter, melted
4 teaspoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup sugar
2 large room temperature eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup room temperature sour cream
1/2 cup room temperature buttermilk
2 1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 Tablespoons powdered sugar (for dusting)

Instructions

To make the cinnamon streusel topping

Add flour, brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon and salt to a large bowl. Combine with a fork. Slowly add the melted butter, mixing with a fork until large crumbs form. Refrigerate while you prepare batter.

For the sour cream cake donuts

Heat the oven to 350.
Add melted butter, oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla, sour cream and buttermilk to a large bowl. Whisk together until well combined.
Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Whisk well until the batter is smooth. Spoon batter into a disposable piping bag.
Spray the donut pans with nonstick spray. Cut tip off piping bag and fill the donut pan cavities about half full.
Sprinkle the tops of the donuts with the cinnamon streusel topping. Press down gently to keep them from falling off while baking.
Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, testing for doneness with a toothpick or cake tester. Let cool in the pans for 10 to 15 minutes, then carefully remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Dust powdered sugar over the tops of the donuts and serve.