#SecretRecipeClub: Cinnamon Roll Donuts

Secret Recipe Club time again! For those who haven’t seen my previous Secret Recipe Club posts, this club includes three group of bloggers who are assigned a different blog each month and secretly make a recipe to post on their specified Monday reveal day. I look forward to my assignment email every month and discovering new blogs. It is also fun to see what someone chooses from your blog.

This month I was assigned to Cook with Sara. Sara lives in the Midwestern part of the US and has been cooking since a young age. Her interest grew by watching her mother in the kitchen. On her blog, Sara shares old and new family-friendly recipes with everyday ingredients. I decided on her Cinnamon Roll Donuts immediately when I saw them, but also pinned her Avocado Strawberry Spinach Salad, Mango Ice Cream, Double Coconut Muffins, Caramelized Peach and Brie Quesadillas, S’mores Brownies, Bistro Mac & Cheese, Melon Breeze, and Goat Cheese Guacamole for later.

These donuts have the amazing cinnamon roll flavor with only a fraction of the work. No yeast, no rolling, no rise times, just a delicious baked donut with a cinnamon brown sugar topping and powdered sugar glaze. I used this heart-shaped donut pan and ended up making two batches- 6 in the first pan and 4 in the second. Before reusing the pan, be sure to clean out the topping thoroughly before regreasing and refilling. Any leftover topping will burn during the second baking time.

The batter can be spooned into the donut pan, but due to the shape of the hearts I always use a piping bag. I can work so much more quickly and keep the batter more even.

It hasn’t happened to me, but others have commented that the topping may bubble over and make a mess of the oven. Place the donut pan on a rimmed cookie sheet just in case to catch anything.

If you happen to have any extra topping, it can be swirled into the batter right before baking.

Here is what everyone else made from Group C:

 

Cinnamon Roll Doughnuts
Adapted from Cook with Sara, from Buns in my Oven
~10 doughnuts

Cinnamon Topping:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Doughnuts:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk
1 egg
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Glaze:
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk or heavy cream

 

To make the cinnamon topping: In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the brown sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch, and milk. Once it has almost come to a boil, remove from heat and whisk in vanilla extract.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and grease a doughnut pan. Pour around 1 tablespoon of the cinnamon topping into each cavity of the greased doughnut pan.

To make the batter: In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Stir in the buttermilk, egg, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Spoon the batter into the cavities of the pan over the cinnamon topping. The batter can also be piped in with a pastry bag or ziplock bag with the corner snipped off.

Bake in preheated oven until lightly golden and the doughnut springs back with touched, 10-14 minutes. Allow to cool in pan 5-10 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool further. A small spoon or knife around the edges will help release them.

To make the glaze: In a small bowl, whisk the milk into the powdered sugar until smooth. If too thin, add more powdered sugar. If too thick, add a little more milk. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled doughnuts and serve after it sets slightly.