Baked Red Velvet Donuts – Red velvet meets baked donuts in this striking breakfast treat.
Ok, I’m breaking one of my rules with this recipe. I try really hard to make sure that the majority of the recipes on my blog are accessible for everyone. And yes – this one requires a special baking pan. I almost didn’t make them, just because of that. But – I’ve been wanting an excuse to buy a donut pan for a long time now, and well – this gave me the perfect excuse!! Plus, I’ve been cleaning out our spare room to get ready for baby, and I ran across a gift card that I got for Christmas 2 years ago that I hadn’t spent! So, I am the proud owner of a donut pan!
So, I apologize right now if you don’t have a donut pan. But this is the perfect excuse for you to invest in one!! (Really, it was only around $10, so it’s not a huge investment!)
I am a donut lover. In fact, they are one of my big “splurge” things that I don’t have very often, but it’s a real treat when I do get them. I’ve made them before, but it’s not something that I do all the time. And I had some serious doubts when it came to baked donuts. Don’t get me wrong – I’m all for trying something “healthier” than the original. Were these as good as a fried donut? Well, I wouldn’t go that far. But – I was pleasantly surprised at how much these did taste like donuts! And if it means I can have more, or have them more often, I’m all for it!!
A few notes about the recipe – the dough is pretty stiff. I had to get in and use my hands to fill the donut pan with the dough. And you want to make sure you don’t over bake these – they dry out pretty quickly! And the glaze is pretty thin. I had to double – or triple – the glaze on the donuts to get them where I wanted them.
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Baked Red Velvet Donuts
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 1 dozen donuts 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Description
Baked Red Velvet Donuts – Red velvet meets baked donuts in this striking breakfast treat.
Ingredients
Donuts
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
- 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon red food coloring
Icing
- 2 tablespoons hot water
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Donuts
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray a donut pan with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In another bowl, mix together the sugar and egg. Add the melted butter and melted chocolate to the egg/sugar mixture. Add in the vanilla and buttermilk and red food coloring.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing just until combined. Fill the donut pan with the batter, filling each about 2/3rds full. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes.
Icing
- In small bowl, stir together all ingredients until sugar is completely dissolved. Use immediately to glaze donuts. You can either toss them in or dip just the tops. If the glaze starts to harden you can add more hot water.
Keywords: baked red velvet donuts, red velvet donuts
Grace says
Made these using 1 teaspoon of baking powder instead of 1 tablespoon (I just could bring myself use that much baking powder!), and they turned out great with a cream cheese frosting. The dough was very thick, as everyone has mentioned, but I mixed it with my hands at the end and formed it into donuts without a pan (just cooked them on a cookie sheet like bagels), and they held their shape well.
trixy says
baked them today. definitely think that there is too much flour in the recipe and there was too much batter for pan (so the strange look) but they turned out great!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4377923443360&set=a.2224360205625.2130878.1146357306&type=3
Eric says
Lots of comments about pans but no comments about ever making these.
I did and something is NOT right with the recipe. Too much flour and not enough liquid.
It’s not a batter, its dough !
Had to add almost 1 additional cup of buttermilk and still very thick.
Deborah says
@Eric, in the post, I stated that the dough is pretty stiff. I had to use my hands to put it into the donut pan, so no, it’s not like a typical baked donut or muffin batter.
Stephany says
These are excellent, I love cake donuts but these red velvet ones turn me into Homer Simpson…donuts, donuts, donuts…………….redvelvet donuts…… I will have to get one of those pans so I can make them at home rather than paying $1 apiece.
Marilyn says
Posted a link to this on my blog….love it!
http://4you-withlove.blogspot.com/2012/02/red-velvet.html
Katie says
Wow–these look amazing! I must make these asap! 🙂
Marcia says
If you spoon the batter into a zip loc bag, close it, then cut off one corner, you can easily squeeze the batter evenly into the donut depressions. You could use a pastry bag, too.
Yvonne says
Eureka! I cannot wait to haul out my donut pan this weekend and try these! Thank you!!!
Sandra Ponycat says
I can’t wait to try this out! Thank you so much for the tips (:
eatme_delicious says
You did a beautiful job with these doughnuts!! I've been dying to get a doughnut pan… My splurge item is cinnamon rolls. It's my favourite baked good but I eat it less often than anything else, kind of strange haha.
Rick says
Glad you liked it 🙂
kat says
I'm going to Nordic Ware next week & buying a donut pan!
grace says
those pans are awesome–one of the best ideas ever. this is a particularly terrific red velvet creation, deborah!
Heather of Kitchen Concoctions says
Oh, my! I have never seen red velvet donuts before! So glad you picked these donuts for one of your red velvet recipes!
Dagmarette Yen says
These are so cute especially for valentines day right around the corner! I'm going to try to make them heart shaped 🙂
http://www.thefinishing-school.com
electricbluebaking says
I make baked donuts almost every week and I love them. The great thing about donuts is you can incorporate so many cool flavors in the dough and the glaze. I do pumpkin, chai, strawberrry rhubarb, black forest…the possibilities are endless!
Stephanie says
These look and sound amazing!
Nicole says
Donut pans are the best thing ever. These would make a great Valentine treat.
Ashley says
Oh my goodness, these look divine!
Abby says
I've had a donut pan on my Amazon wishlist FOREVER. Now I have at least two recipes to use with it. These donuts are gorgeous!
Laura says
My husband loves donuts, and I love red velvet. I think these will be a perfect treat around Valentine's Day. This is also my excuse to buy a donut pan!
teresa says
my husband just love donuts, so i might just have to get that pan. LOVE the red velvet, what a delicious variation!
Rhondi says
Oh YUM! The more glaze, the better! Now I have an excuse to get a doughtnut pan since my hubby's favorite cake is red velvet. I'm sure I can find some room for it somewhere in my kitchen…Amazon wish lists are the best.
Jennifurla says
Gorgeous, I just love them. This could also be a very cool idea for valetines dessert..just put a candle in the center.
Joanne says
I definitely NEED a donut pan. I've wanted one for a while. And now I have a real serious excuse to buy one!
keepitsweet says
If I had more storage space, I'd buy a donut pan just for this!
beyondthepeel says
Red velvet is my weakness. Darn it. Cruel and evil:)
Katie says
Oh wow they look fabulous. I love the contast between the white dripping icing and the red doughnut. So tempting
Laura says
I am now on the hut for one or maybe two. I just saw another post with a heart shaped donut pan from Wilton.
Deborah says
Laura – I got mine at Bed, Bath & Beyond. I know they sell them on Amazon for pretty cheap, too!
Laura says
Ok, YUM, now I need a donut pan. Where did you end up buying yours?
Rebecca (Indecisive Baker) says
Ya know, I have a doughnut pan. I think I might whip these babies up! I bet my husband's job would enjoy some doughnuts with all this darn snow!
Holly says
Holy moly!! I am soo making these this weekend! Ive never even heard of red velvet donuts!! Im so excited to try them : )
Kristy {Sweet Treats and More} says
These look amazing! I could really go for a red velvet donut right now:)
Kim says
I've never seen a red velvet donut before. I bet they're delicious!
ARLENE says
I've never seen a donut pan. They certainly look like "the real thing."