Fluffy & Baked Vanilla Doughnuts Recipe (3 ways)

These vanilla doughnuts are like a fluffy cake shaped as as doughnut. They are soft, tender and so delicious, not to mention lighter as they are baked and not fried. This recipe turns 1 doughnut batter into 3 different flavor options.

When it comes to easy baking, nothing is better than a good old doughnut. This doughnut is lighter than the usual fried doughnuts. They are baked in a doughnut pan but not to worry if you don’t have it you could bake the batter in a bundt tin as well. I would suggest making all 3 serving options as they are delicious in every way but also giving variety using one batter. I have kept the base flavor simple with vanilla but you could flavor the doughnut batter as you please.

They are the perfect fall baking treat to whip up and serve you kids, family, friends, neighbours or just for yourself as they keep well in the fridge for a week and in the freezer for a month. I love warming them up in the microwave as needed and enjoying with a little black coffee. So let us get to the recipe.

What are doughnuts? What are baked doughnuts?

A doughnut or donut is a type of pastry made from dough but it can also be batter that is baked. They can be hollow in the center or have a variety of fillings and flavors. The doughnuts are topped with glaze or powdered sugar, you can find them in almost all bakeries and cafes today.

What ingredients do we need for baked doughnuts?

To make the doughnut batter we need butter, oil, eggs, brown and white sugar, vanilla, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, milk. For the decorating we need powdered sugar, castor sugar, melted butter and cinnamon. I do like using brown butter instead of melted butter.

What equipment do we need for baked doughnuts?

To make the batter we need a large mixing bow, whisk and rubber spatula. I have baked the batter in a doughnut baking tin. We need a brush to line the tray and we also need a wire rack to let the doughnuts cool once baked.

How to make baked doughnuts?

Preheat the oven to 180℃, line a doughnut tin with baking spray or brush it with melted butter. In a large mixing bowl add the butter, oil and sugar. Beat until well combined and smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla and mix until smooth. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and stir half way through. Pour in the milk and mix again all the way through. The batter will be thick which is normal. Spoon or pipe the batter into the greased tin and bake for 10-12 minutes or until risen and a tooth pick inserted into it comes out clean.

Serving baked doughnuts baked doughnuts?

Decorating:

Glaze- mix the ingredients for the glaze until smooth and dip the doughnuts into the glaze and let it set over a wire rack. Powdered sugar – Brush the doughnuts with melted butter and dunk in powdered sugar until coated. Cinnamon sugar – Mix castor sugar with cinnamon powder until combined. Brush the doughnuts with melted butter and in the cinnamon sugar until coated. Serve with coffee.

Storing baked doughnuts baked doughnuts?

they keep well in the fridge for a week and in the freezer for a month. I love warming them up in the microwave as needed and enjoying with a little black coffee.

Looking for more very vanilla recipes?

Now that we have covered how to make this fluffy & soft vanilla doughnuts recipe, you can have a look at the recipe video on my socials but let’s get to it. Don’t forget to follow along for more fun recipe inspiration.

If you try this recipe out, don’t forget to share it with me on pinterest & instagram so I can see how it turned out. I’d love nothing more than to chat with you on your cooking/baking.