Tired of pancakes and looking for a fun yummy treat to make this winter? Look no further! These adorable breakfast donuts are sure to be a fan favorite with the kids, and are absolutely adorable (and easy!) to make!! While this recipe from Hummingbird high uses Kellogg’s cereal, feel free to get creative and use your own favorites!
special equipment used for this recipe includes a donut pan, regular size or a mini-one, and a pastry piping bag (you can also jerry-rig a Ziploc bag; cut off a corner and voila — you’ve got a piping bag)!
What a great treat to have ready to go for busy school mornings or a fun after school snack!
Ingredients
For the Vanilla Bean Cake Donuts:
(makes around 20 donuts)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground vanilla bean powder or seeds from one vanilla bean
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
For the Vanilla Glaze and Cereal Topping:
(enough for around 20 donuts)
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 – 4 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup breakfast cereal of your choice
Directions
For the Vanilla Bean Cake Donuts:
- Preheat the oven to 425 (F). Prepare your donut pan by spraying each donut cavity liberally with cooking spray; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine 2 cups all-purpose flour, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder and 1 teaspoon ground vanilla bean powder and whisk until thoroughly combined.
- In a large bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup buttermilk, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 2 large eggs and 2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter until thoroughly combined.
- Sprinkle the dry ingredients (from the 2nd step) over the surface of the wet ingredients (from the 3rd step) and use a rubber spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until fully incorporated. Transfer the batter to a pastry piping bag and fill each donut cavity until it is approximately 1/2 full.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the top of the donuts spring back when gently poked with your finger. Use a butter knife or a mini offset spatula to flip the donuts on their pan so that the exposed part is now touching the pan. Allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 4 to 5 minutes, before transferring to the pan to cool completely. Glaze the donuts when they reach room temperature.
For the Vanilla Glaze and Cereal Topping:
- In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup confectioner’s sugar with 1 tablespoon milk and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract. Use a rubber spatula to stir the milk into the sugar, until the sugar is completely dissolved — depending on how dry your confectioner’s sugar is, you’ll probably need more milk. If the sugar clumps together instead of dissolving, gradually add teaspoons of milk until the sugar is dissolved completely. Be careful to add the milk slowly — you don’t want to end up with a glaze that’s too liquidy that won’t stay on the donuts. You’re aiming for a paste-like texture.
- Once the glaze has a paste-like texture, dip the top of one donut in the glaze and sprinkle immediately with cereal. Repeat until all the donuts have been glazed.
