This week for Sweet Spells Sunday, I'm sharing my favorite recipe for Blood Orange Donuts! I get asked about these a lot so I figured it was time to make a post for it!
This recipe comes from The Little Epicurean and it's honestly such a cinch to make! I always change it up with decorations, but it's always a crowd pleaser. I've made these for parties, weddings, and lots of pop-ups--and they're always a hit!
Ingredients:
Donuts:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour - 1 teaspoon baking powder - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda - a pinch of nutmeg - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon - 1/2 cup granulated sugar - 2 Tablespoon light brown sugar - 2 large eggs - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract - 3 Tablespoon vegetable oil - 3 Tablespoon buttermilk
Candied Blood Oranges: - 3 cups water - 1 cup granulated sugar - 1/2 cup honey - 1 blood orange, thinly sliced
Blood Orange Glaze: - 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted - finely grated zest of half a blood orange - a pinch fine of sea salt - 3-4 Tablespoon fresh squeezed blood orange juice, depending on desired consistency
Directions:
Donuts:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat donut pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg and cinnamon. In another bowl, whisk together sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, vegetable oil, and buttermilk. Add wet mixture to dry flour mixture. Stir to combine until there are no longer than dry streaks of flour. Try not to overmix.
Spoon batter into prepared donut pan. Fill molds about 3/4 full of batter. Bake for 12-14 minutes until the donuts have puffed up. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 2 minutes before inverting and unmolding. Allow donuts to cool to room temperature on wire rack before glazing.
Candied Blood Orange: In a medium heavy bottomed saucepot, combine water, sugar and honey. Bring to a boil over high heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. Once syrup has come to a boil, add orange slices. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 30 minutes until orange slices are tender and syrup is fragrant. Remove orange slices from syrup and transfer to a parchment lined sheet tray. Arrange slices in a single layer and allow to cool. Strain syrup and save to sweeten tea, cocktails, etc.
Blood Orange Glaze: Whisk together powdered sugar, orange zest, salt and 3 tablespoons of blood orange juice. Adjust thickness by adding additional orange juice, 1 teaspoon at a time. Dip cooled donuts into glaze. Garnish with a piece of candied orange. Place glazed donuts on wire rack to allow glaze to set.
Usually I garnish these with rose petals, gold sugar sprinkles, and candied oranges--if blood oranges aren't in season, I just use regular candied orange slices! But no matter how they end up looking, they always taste amazing!
