Maple Glazed Donuts

Spiced cake donuts covered in a rich, thick maple glaze. The donuts are baked, not fried and incredibly simple to prepare.

Two weeks ago, I did nothing but bake > shoot > edit > bake again > shoot > edit, repeat. I don’t think I stepped outside for 3 days straight. I desperately worked ahead so I could keep my blog updated during this exciting time in my personal life. I’m also a nut job who loves to be in the kitchen. 3 days ’til I’m a Mrs and 2 weeks ’til our honeymoon!

My parents and friends happily taste-tested cakes and cookies and cupcakes galore. My freezer is currently home to frozen cheesecake, pumpkin bread, and what’s left of today’s donuts. Wanna come over? We can have a smorgasbord over coffee and discuss things like pie crust, pumpkin scented candles, and your favorite nail polish color.

Out of everything coming out of my kitchen mess those few frantic days, today’s baked donuts have got to be the best. The bees knees. The crème de la crème. The most perfect little way to begin a lazy morning. Paired with a steamy cup o’ joe and a favorite book.

For these maple donuts, I used my tried-and-true baked donut recipe. You may recognize my beloved donut base – I use it often to make Powdered Sugar Donuts (page 27), Baked Funfetti Donuts, and Chocolate Frosted Donuts. This time around, I made a couple slight changes to the recipe which transformed them from plain cake donuts into spice cake donuts. The donuts are sweetened with brown sugar and spiced with lots of cinnamon and light notes of nutmeg and cloves.

If you’ve never tried making baked donuts at home, you’re in for a real treat. They’re simple. If you have an oven and a donut pan, you can make donuts at home. I bought my donut pan for $8. Worth every penny. And bonus! If you do not have a donut pan, you may use this recipe to make maple glazed muffins (see recipe notes).

The donut batter is whisked together by hand in minutes. That’s right, no mixer required. I have to admit, it’s a little tricky transferring the donut batter into the donut pan without making a huge mess. But I have a trick that will save you from losing your patience and your mind. Once the batter is all mixed together, simply spoon it into a large zipped-top bag and pipe it into the donut cavities through a little corner you’ll cut out. I know it sounds weird, but it’s the easiest way to get the donut batter neatly into the donut pan. Plus, easy clean up. A visual of this donut batter trick can be found in this recipe.

The spice donuts bake up quickly – 9-10 minutes in the oven, tops. I usually allow them to cool for 5 minutes before dipping in the maple glaze. Wait, wait, wait. I mean DOUBLE DIPPING. All caps to show excitement about double the maple glaze.

Calories don’t count when there’s maple glaze. Sigh… dream world.

Though the spice cake donuts are quite impressive, the maple glaze is the best part about today’s recipe. Melt some butter with pure maple syrup, then whisk in sifted confectioners’ sugar. That’s it. For additional maple flavor, sometimes I add a drop of maple extract, but you really don’t need it.

I’m urging you to prepare the glaze before you even begin the donuts. Why? This is so the glaze has time to thicken. The thicker the glaze, the quicker it will set on your donuts. Thus creating those beautiful cracks as you bite down into each one. A thick, crackled layer of maple goodness. I’m tempted to douse everything I eat with this glaze.

Just… unreal.

I’ll leave you at that.

Follow me on Instagram and tag #sallysbakingaddiction so I can see all the SBA recipes you make. ♥

Maple Glazed Donuts

Yield: 8 donuts

Total Time: 45 minutes

Spiced cake donuts covered in a rich, thick maple glaze. The donuts are baked, not fried and incredibly simple to prepare.

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

Maple Glaze

• 1/4 cup (60g) unsalted butter


• 1/2 cup (120ml) pure maple syrup¹


• 1 cup (112g) sifted confectioners' sugar


• optional: 1/2 teaspoon maple extract

Spice Donuts

• 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour (measured correctly)


• 1 teaspoon baking powder


• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda


• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon


• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg


• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves


• 1/4 teaspoon salt


• 1 large egg


• 1/3 cup (65g) packed light brown sugar


• 1/4 cup (60ml) milk²


• 1/4 cup (60g) yogurt³


• 2 Tablespoons (30g) unsalted butter, melted


• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Make the glaze first: In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and maple syrup together, whisking occasionally. Once the butter has melted, remove from heat and whisk in the sifted confectioners' sugar. Taste the glaze - if you want a stronger maple flavor, add the maple extract. Set glaze aside and allow to cool and thicken.


2. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Spray a donut pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.


3. Make the donuts: Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside. Whisk the egg, brown sugar, milk, and yogurt together until smooth. Add the melted butter and vanilla, whisking until fully combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and  until just combined. Do not overmix. The batter will be very thick.


4. Spoon the batter into the donut cavities—I highly recommend using a large zipped-top bag for ease. Read above for a little more detail. Cut a corner off the bottom of the bag and pipe the batter into each donut cup, filling 2 ∕ 3 –3 ∕ 4 of the way full.


5. Bake for 9–10 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Allow to cool for about two minutes and transfer to a wire rack set on a large piece of parchment paper or on a large baking sheet. Bake the remaining donut batter (there is usually enough batter for 1-2 more donuts) and once baked, transfer to the wire rack.


6. To glaze, simply hold the donut and dip into the glaze. I like to dip each donut twice. Place the glazed donuts back on a wire rack to let the glaze drip down. Donuts are best served immediately. Leftovers keep well covered tightly at room temperature for up to 2 days.


7. Make ahead tip: You may freeze the donuts (glazed or unglazed) for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and warm up to your liking.

Recipe Notes:

You can make this recipe into 8-10 muffins using a muffin pan. Bake at the same temperature for 18-20 minutes or until lightly browned.

1. I used pure dark amber maple syrup, which is quite dark in color. For best flavor, I do not suggest breakfast syrup. Pure maple syrup is best.


2. Skim milk, 1%, 2%, whole, almond milk, soy milk, or coconut milk is OK. I like to use buttermilk.


3. Nonfat, low fat, vanilla, plain, Greek or regular yogurt is OK. I like to use low fat plain Greek yogurt.

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SHOP THE RECIPE

Here are some items I used to make today’s recipe.

Saucepan | Rainbow Whisk | Glass Mixing Bowls | Pure Maple Syrup | Donut Pan | Cooling Rack

Chocoholics: try my chocolate frosted donuts next.

And these Apple Cider Donuts are so good in the fall.

See more donut recipes.

Some of the links above are affiliate links, which pay me a small commission for my referral at no extra cost to you! Thank you for supporting Sally’s Baking Addiction.

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