These brown butter pumpkin cake donuts are baked to perfection before being dunked in a vanilla glaze! A quick and easy fall treat!
I don't know about you, but I've been making pumpkin everything lately! From bourbon pumpkin pie, pumpkin coffee cake, and pumpkin sourdough pancakes to these brown butter pumpkin donuts! Unlike my fried pumpkin donuts these cake donuts are baked in the oven and super easy to make!
Ingredient Notes
You just need a handful of simple ingredients to make these baked pumpkin donuts!
- Brown butter - My favorite ingredient of all time is brown butter!! Brown butter is just unsalted butter that has been melted and gently cooked to bring out a toasty, nutty flavor. If you've never made brown butter before, you can check out this post with all my tips for how to make brown butter!
- Pumpkin pie spice - You can buy pumpkin pie spice at most grocery stores, or just make your own!
- Pumpkin puree - I almost exclusively use Libby's Pumpkin because it really is the best of the best! A ton of people have run blind taste tests comparing different brands of pumpkin puree, and Libby's is always the winner!
How to Make Baked Donuts
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray donut pan with non-stick spray and set aside.
Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt together and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk the brown butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, pumpkin, and vanilla together. Pour in half of the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Then add in the milk and the remaining dry ingredients Mix until fully combined and smooth.
Transfer the batter to a piping bag, then cut of the tip and pipe into the donut pan, filling about halfway. You can also just spoon the batter into the pan if desired.
Bake at 350°F for 10-11 minutes or until the edges and tops are lightly browned and a cake tester comes out clean. Invert the donut pan on a cooling rack, and the donuts should slide right out!
In a small bowl, make the glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar, vanilla, and melted butter. Add in the milk 1 teaspoon at a time until your desired consistency is reached.
Dip the donuts into the glaze and place back on the cooling rack so the excess can drip off. The donuts are easy to glaze if they are cool, but they taste amazing when they're warm, so it's up to you!
Tips for Baked Donuts
I use this Nordic Ware donut pan and a little bit of Bakers Joy pan spray and the donuts slide out perfectly every time!! I also find it’s easiest to fill the donut pan by using a piping bag with the tip cut off. However, you can just as easily spoon the batter into your donut pan.
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Brown Butter Pumpkin Donuts
Ingredients
Pumpkin Donuts
- ½ cup brown butter, melted
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- 2 cups cake flour, substitute all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup whole milk
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon brown butter, melted
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1-2 teaspoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray donut pan with non-stick spray and set aside.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt together and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the brown butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, pumpkin, and vanilla together. Pour in half of the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Then add in the milk and the remaining dry ingredients Mix until fully combined and smooth.
- Transfer the batter to a piping bag, then cut of the tip and pipe into the donut pan, filling about halfway. You can also just spoon the batter into the pan if desired.
- Bake at 350°F for 10-11 minutes or until the edges and tops are lightly browned and a cake tester comes out clean. Invert the donut pan on a cooling rack, and the donuts should slide right out!
- In a small bowl, make the glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar, vanilla, and melted brown butter. Add in the milk 1 teaspoon at a time until your desired consistency is reached.
- Dip the donuts into the glaze and place back on the cooling rack so the excess can drip off. The donuts are easy to glaze if they are cool, but they taste amazing when they're warm, so it's up to you!
Notes
Nutrition
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