Guess who bought herself a doughnut pan!!
Okay, so I’m a little over excited…
No change there then.
I’ve been eyeing the doughnut pans in my local supermarket for months. And at last, finally, happy days are here (code for: they went on sale, half price…)
Giddy with excitement, I rushed straight home to my baking supplies, desperate to test out my new purchase.
Um, it’s not just me who gets excited about new bakeware, is it?
Anyone?
Playing with flour, butter, eggs, and just a little sugar, is one of my favourite things to do. My only problem is knowing when to stop! I’m like a kid with a new box of colouring crayons, I wanna use every colour all at once. A spoonful of this, a dash of that, a pinch of this, and several handfuls of those (chocolate chips of course…) and I was done.
These baked chocolate doughnuts are the result.
Soft and fluffy cake doughnuts, full of rich chocolate flavour (and chocolate chips) are thickly frosted with a super simple creamy mocha ganache (adding coffee to chocolate is always a good idea). To finish, I sprinkled them with a little chocolate vermicelli (cos you can’t have too much chocolate!)
Er, excuse me while I just go check and see if we have any left, I’m feeling the need to taste-test them … just one more time … brb.
When I put this recipe together, I couldn’t resist throwing in some wholemeal flour for a little extra fibre. The doughnuts are not too sweet (60g of sugar is divided into 10 doughnuts) and by opting for a dark chocolate ganache frosting, I skipped the extra sugar usually found in doughnut glazes.
The batter is simple to make, wet ingredients in one bowl, dry in another, then combine. I recently read a tip on The Kitchn about allowing batters which contain whole wheat flour to sit for a few minutes (to let the batter rest and hydrate, thus making the baked goods more moist and tender) so I’ve been incorporating this step into my baking.
When filling doughnut pans it’s usually easiest to use a piping bag or even a plastic bag with the corner cut out, but I went for the old fashioned route – a teaspoon! I lost my piping bag in a move some years ago and never got round to replacing it, so I simply spoon four or five small amounts in to each doughnut ring (about 1/2 teaspoon at a time) then gently smooth the mixture round – they may not be perfect, but as I generously frosted the top of each doughnut to cover any imperfections, they’re good enough for me!
The doughnuts are best eaten fresh on the day of making. If any do last until the next day, you could try refreshing them by warming in the microwave for a few seconds – unfrosted, unless you like warm, mocha ganache, melting into soft cakey, baked chocolate doughnuts…
Um, what was I saying?
BAKED CHOCOLATE DOUGHNUTS WITH MOCHA GANACHE FROSTING
Ingredients
- ½ cup (58g) plain (all purpose) flour
- ½ cup (58g) plain wholemeal flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda baking soda
- Pinch of sea salt
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder dutch processed, sifted
- 2 tablespoons dark mini chocolate chips
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (45g) light brown soft sugar
- ⅓ cup (50g) salted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (60ml) milk, at room temperature
- 70 g dark (70%) chocolate
- ⅓ cup (80ml) double (heavy) cream
- 1 heaped teaspoon espresso powder
- Chocolate vermicelli sprinkles to decorate
Instructions
- Preheat oven to Gas Mark 4 (350F degrees). Lightly grease a six hole doughnut pan with non-stick spray and set aside.
- For the doughnuts: In a medium bowl, whisk together the two flours, baking powder, bicarb, salt and sifted cocoa powder. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and both sugars, then add the melted butter, vanilla and milk, and whisk well to combine.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and gently stir together until just combined, making sure there are no pockets of flour left. Leave the batter to stand for 5-10 mins, then spoon into the doughnut pan, filling each hole around ⅔ full (see my notes in the post above for further explanation).
- Bake in the centre of the oven for 9-10 minutes or until well risen and firm to the touch. Allow to cool in the pan for 2-3 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely. Rinse out the doughnut pan, then repeat the process for the remaining batter - I usually make 10 doughnuts in total.
- For the frosting: Grate the chocolate into a medium bowl. Warm the cream and espresso powder in a pan over a low heat (it doesn't need to boil, just be warm enough to melt the chocolate). Gently pour the warm coffee flavoured cream over the chocolate, making sure to cover all the chocolate. Allow to stand for 30 seconds, then slowly (and gently) start folding the mixture together using a silicone spatula. As the chocolate melts, it will combine with the cream into a smooth, thick, glossy ganache.
- As the ganache is pretty thick (helps to fit more on...) I found it easiest to spread it onto the doughnuts with a knife. Sprinkle with chocolate vermicelli and dive in!
- Doughnuts are best eaten on the day of making, although they will keep, covered for 2-3 days (they will get denser over time, warm for a few seconds in the microwave to help refresh them).