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Get the Recipe: Blood Orange Cake Donuts

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Ingredients

For the Cake Donuts

  • 1/4 cup (1.75 ounces) granulated sugar
  • fresh zest from one medium blood orange
  • 1/3 cup (0.35 fluid ounces) whole milk, at room temperature
  • 3 tablespoons canola oil
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 1 cup (4.5 ounces) all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

For the Blood Orange Glaze and Toppings

  • 2 cups (8 ounces) confectioners' sugar, sifted
  • 1/4 cup (2 fluid ounces) freshly squeezed and strained blood orange juice
  • candy hearts
  • freeze dried raspberries
  • sprinkles

Equipment

  • a donut cake pan

Instructions
 

For the Cake Donuts

  • Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 400 (F). Prepare a donut cake pan by spraying lightly with cooking spray; set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, combine 1/4 cup granulated sugar and the fresh zest from one medium blood orange. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar until the sugar becomes fragrant and clumpy — doing this helps release oils from the zest that ultimately infuse your sugar with more flavor. Whisk in 1/3 cup whole milk, 3 tablespoons canola oil, 2 tablespoons honey and 1 large egg until well combined. Sprinkle in 1 cup all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and use a rubber spatula to mix the dry ingredients into the wet batter.
  • Transfer the batter to a piping bag and fill each cavity of a donut cake pan until half full. Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes, or until golden and the top of each donut bounces back when gently poked. Transfer the pan to a wire rack for 5 minutes before turning out each donut to the wire rack to cool completely.
  • Repeat with remaining batter and cool completely to room temperature before glazing.

For the Blood Orange Glaze and Assembly

  • In a medium, shallow bowl, whisk together 2 cups confectioners' sugar and 1/4 cup blood orange juice until well combined and a homogenous pale pink.
  • Working with one donut at a time, dunk the top of each donut into the glaze, working quickly to flip over immediately (with the glaze side up) on a wire rack. Set a wire rack on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper to catch any excess drippings. Sprinkle glaze immediately with the toppings of your choice. Repeat with the remaining donuts. Allow the glaze to dry and set completely, about 20 to 30 minutes, before serving and enjoying. Happy Valentine's Day!
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