Can You Bake Doughnuts Instead of Frying Them?

When it comes to baking, I'm an experimenter. How 'bout you? 

Usually, my experiments involve making things more rich, more sweet, more indulgent. But this time, I was actually tempted to make something more virtuous. Maybe I'm maturing, after all. (or maybe not)

To set the scene for you: I was making some tasty apple cider doughnuts for my most recent Craftsy entry. Gosh are these things good. To make them even more apple cider-y, I made a glaze that had apple cider in it, too. They really came out splendidly.

But I wondered, as I was cutting out the doughnuts for the third or fourth batch of frying three at a time, "what would happen if I baked these puppies?" so I decided to give it a try. I set the oven to a temperate 350, placed some pre-cut doughnuts on a baking sheet, and popped it in the oven.

I let them bake for about 20 minutes. And when I took them out, here's what I found:

To give more of a comparison, here's a side by side with a baked and a fried doughnut. Same exact dough, two distinctly different end results.

So how do they stack up, flavor-wise?

Short answer? They taste good. But in terms of a comparison? That is tougher, because they are more different than you'd think, based on the fact that the only difference is the cooking method, and I used a flavorless vegetable oil. Here's a picture which features a few variations: top, a fried and glazed doughnut, then going clockwise, a fried doughnut unglazed, then a baked and glazed doughnut. 

The baked doughnuts are tasty, but if you did a blind test, you'd never even guess they're a doughnut. They kind of have the texture of a Starbucks scone--you know what I mean when I say that, don't you? Sort of like a slightly coarse, sweet bread? Pleasant enough, and they tasted like they'd be great with cream and jam, or lightly buttered. But they weren't as much of a stand-alone indulgence as the fried doughnuts. They were more like lightly sweet apple biscuits.

Once I added the apple cider glaze, however, they were more of a stand-alone treat. If you're looking for a healthier way to enjoy doughnuts, you might want to give it a try. They don't taste exactly like a doughnut, so I won't make that claim, but they don't taste like suffering. 

As a final observation, the baked version seemed to keep better (especially when glazed). You know how a fried doughnut that is more than a few hours old just starts to taste sad? That didn't happen with the baked version--they maintained their flavor for at least a couple of days at room temperature, whereas the fried ones had to be frozen to keep well.

If you'd like to see the doughnut recipe and try baking them for yourself, visit Craftsy. But instead of frying the doughnuts, bake them in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until golden. Baked or fried...enjoy!

What's your most recent baking experiment? 

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CakeSpy for Craftsy: Four Famous Cake Designers You Should Know

Do you know who’s who in the world of cake decorating and designing?

Here’s a chance to discover some of the famous cake designers who are shaping (literally) the culture of custom cake design, one sugary creation at a time.

Since there are too many great designers to name in just one post, we’ll take it a few at a time so that you can really get to know these inspiring artists, including an inside look at who they are as well as an exploration of the amazing art they create with buttercream, fondant, gum paste and cake.

Read profiles of four wonderful cake designers you should know on Craftsy! 

CakeSpy for Craftsy: Tart Recipes

First things first: let’s not confuse tarts with pies. While the pastries are certainly related, and often share flavors, they are not the same thing.

Basically, their difference comes down to crust. A tart generally has either shallow sides or no sides at all, and only a bottom crust (though some bakers can’t resist a little lattice or decoration on top). A tart crust also differs from pie crust. Often, a tart crust will be more “short” than pie crust–that is to say, more crumbly and rich. The ingredients include flour, unsalted butter, cold water, sometimes sugar, sometimes egg (confusing caveat: sometimes tarts employ a puff pastry type crust, too). And, tarts are baked in a pan with a removable bottom, or in pastry ring, so that they can be served unmolded; a pie is usually served right in its baking dish.

For the full post and a tasty roundup of tart recipes both sweet and savory, visit Craftsy!

The Bake-Off is Coming: Breakfast Panini with Caramelized Bananas in Coffee Syrup

CakeSpy Note: OMG! The 46th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off is coming! Since I so deeply loved attending the 45th Bake-Off, I thought I would get you excited early by sharing some of the finalists' recipes. Narrowed down from zillions of entries, I'll profile some of the 100 finalists--but of course, based on the subject matter of this site, I will focus on sweets! You can follow them by clicking the bakeoff tag below the post to see which ones have been posted so far. Enjoy! 

Monday! It does not have to be no fun-day. Nope. Not when you start the day right, with a sweet breakfast sandwich made with bananas, choco-hazelnut spread, and some coffee liqueur sandwiched sweetly between biscuits. 

It's not hard to see why this tasty morsel is a finalist in the Pillsbury Bake-Off. Let's all take a moment to silently thank Lisa Speer of Palm Beach, Florida, for dreaming it up.

Breakfast Panini with Caramelized Bananas in Coffee Syrup

Prep Time: 25 Min Total Time: 40 Min Makes: 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 can Pillsbury® Grands! Flaky Layers refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup coffee-flavored liqueur or brewed coffee
• 2 ripe firm large bananas, cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 1/2 cup Chocolate Flavored Hazelnut Spread
• 8 small strawberries, halved

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Bake biscuits as directed on can. Cool 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in 10-inch nonstick skillet, cook brown sugar, butter and coffee liqueur over medium heat, stirring constantly, 3 to 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir in bananas; cook 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat; keep warm.
3. Heat closed medium-size contact grill or panini maker for 5 minutes. Spray grill plates with Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray.
4. Split biscuits. Spread 1 tablespoon of the chocolate hazelnut spread on cut side of each biscuit bottom to within 1/2 inch from edges; top with remaining biscuit halves. Place filled biscuits 3 to 4 at a time on grill; close grill. Cook 1 to 2 minutes or until golden brown. Repeat with remaining 4 filled biscuits.
5. Top panini with bananas and syrup. Garnish with strawberries.

CakeSpy for Craftsy: How to Melt White Chocolate

Have you ever tried to melt white chocolate, only to end up with a scorched, lumpy mess? I feel you, so I made a tutorial on how to do it right.  Find the full tutorial and writeup on Craftsy!

CakeSpy for Craftsy: Coffee Themed Cakes

Photo via That's Very Fun

Coffee is certainly a powerful brew. It’s the stuff of waking up, of mid-morning gossip sessions, of afternoon pick-me-ups, of after-dinner dessert bliss. Whether it’s in a mug, a takeaway cup or a carafe, it’s a part of our everyday lives. So why not celebrate its influence on cake decorating?

This collection of beautifully decorated cakes may not always include actual coffee but the majority include plenty of cream and sugar. See the full article with some beautiful coffee themed cakes on Craftsy!

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CakeSpy for Craftsy: Say Hello to Apple Season

(Above: a note from a CakeSpy sponsor. Now, on to the tasty stuff.)

To say hello to apple season, I made a fantastic roundup of delicious apple recipes for Craftsy.com. Here's a preview:

When it comes to cooking, apples are most commonly used as an ingredient in pies or applesauce. But there are many more sublime flavor experiences to be found with apples, in recipes both sweet and savory. From morning breads to bright salads to filling meals to cake and yes, some pie too, you’ll find plenty of culinary inspiration with this collection of thirteen recipes starring apples. 

For the full roundup, visit Craftsy!

Nacho Mamma's Cake: Nacho Cakelets inspired by Bake and Destroy

This is nacho mamma's cake. Well, unless that is your mom is prone to making savory nacho cake. 

(crickets)

Listen. My bloggy BFF Natalie of Bake & Destroy has a book out. Bake and Destroy: Good Food for Bad Vegans. This book is totally vegan, but I don't care about that. What I do care about, and what is even more important, is that it is wonderful. When the book came, I all but had to restrain myself from doing a happy dance. 

 It's funny, it's creative, it's edgy, it's covered in tattoo art...just like Natalie. It's illustrated by Betty Turbo. There's a blurb on the back written by...well, me. Awesome!

So when her publicist (I love casually mentioning how my friends have publicists) contacted me to see if I'd help promote the book by posting a recipe on my site, I said of course. Because Natalie is pretty awesome and she's always supportive of what I do. 

The recipe for Nacho Cupcakes caught my eye right away, because it sounded...interesting. And I like keeping things interesting.

If you're expecting a real nacho-infused cake, think again. As the headnote reads, 

"technically this is a muffin. I think I just enjoy the horrified look on people’s faces when I say things like, “Have you tried the nacho cupcake?” Sadistic. Anyway, serve these with a bean salad and a side of guacamole and you’ve got yourself a fiesta. Better yet, bake the muffins and let your guests top their own!"

Now. I don't know why exactly, but probably because I couldn't find cupcake liners at the moment of baking, but I baked the cornbread batter in a 9x13 inch pan instead of as cupcakes, and treated them as cakelets. I chose my own adventure with the decoration, garnishing with "cheez" sauce, green chile (I'm in New Mexico at the moment, and when in Rome...), corn, salsa, and...of course, a nacho chip on top. 

These are a wonderful snack cake, and could even make a nice light lunch with a salad. A candy salad, that is!

Bake and Destroy: Good Food for Bad Vegans

Makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 cup (235 ml) soy milk
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup (127 g) yellow cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon (14 g) baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 medium-size jalapeños, diced with seeds
• ⅓ cup (50 g) corn kernels (thawed, if frozen)
• ¼ cup (60 g) blended silken tofu
• ⅓ cup (67 g) sugar
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil
• Unhydrogenated vegetable shortening, for greasing pan

TOPPINGS:

• 1 (15-ounce [425 g]) can refried beans
• Sliced olives
• Additional jalapeño slices, ground seitan, guacamole, etc. (optional)
• Tortilla chips
• Nacho Chee-Zee Sauce

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) and grease a twelve-cup muffin pan or a 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a measuring cup, combine the soy milk and apple cider vinegar and set aside to curdle for a few minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
3. In a medium-size bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and pepper. In another bowl, whisk together the soy milk mixture, jalapeños, corn, tofu, sugar and oil. Add to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
4. Fill the prepared muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes.
5. Remove from the pan and let cool completely on wire rack.
6. To nacho-fy the “cupcakes”: Warm the refried beans on your stovetop; spread a layer of beans on top of each muffin. Sprinkle with olives and additional peppers or other toppings, if desired. Top it with a tortilla chip, serve with Nacho Chee-Zee Sauce, and get ready to party.