These easy Baked Pumpkin Cardamom Donuts are tender and light and are filled with pumpkin puree and warm spices! Just what your fall morning cup of coffee or tea needs!
These donuts have been a long time coming to the blog. I noticed awhile back that it’s almost been two years since I’ve shared a donut recipe! That’s not because we haven’t been making donuts, it’s just that we don’t make them that often.
That, and I haven’t come across a really good one in awhile. I’m usually disappointed in the results of a lot of baked donuts. They’re usually too dry, too fluffy, or too bland. Not these.
These baked pumpkin cardamom donuts came about because my husband had a cardamom donut and told me how good it was.
I instantly thought about how I wanted to try to make my own, but make them with pumpkin. And make them baked.
Because even though I don’t like a lot of baked donuts, I really don’t like many fried ones! Grease coating my mouth just isn’t my favorite.
After making a few batches, we finally came across a recipe that was moist, light without being fluffy, and loaded with flavor! Pumpkin puree combines with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom to create the base flavor of the donut.
To give it more flavor and to make the cardamom flavor really shine through, we coated the donuts with a light cinnamon cardamom sugar mixture.
Cardamom is one spice that I don’t use nearly enough. I always love the flavor, but it usually ends up hidden in most baked goods. Not these donuts!
You’ll notice in the directions that you brush butter over the donuts instead of dipping them in the butter or using no butter at all before coating the donuts with a cinnamon and cardamom sugar mixture.
After trying a few different methods for getting the cinnamon cardamom sugar to stick to the donuts, my husband and I both decided that the donuts tasted the best with the butter brushed onto them.
I placed them all on a wire rack and used a pastry brush to lightly brush butter on one side of all of them, then flipped them over and brushed the other sides.
If the butter is warm, you should be able to do at least 6 donuts at a time before it starts to harden. If your house is warm or the butter is hot (be careful!), you should have time to butter all of the donuts before it hardens too much for the sugar to stick.
We both thought that dipping the donuts in the butter made the donuts heavy and soak up too much of the sugar mixture. If you like really sweet donuts, you can do it this way, but the extra step of brushing on the butter keeps the donuts light and not too greasy and sugary. (You’ll also need a tablespoon or two more of butter and about 50% more of the sugar mixture.)
Make them for weekend brunch, make them for a fun morning breakfast, make them just because. Whatever your reason, your fall mornings will get tastier!
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Baked Pumpkin Cardamom Donuts
Ingredients
For the Donuts
For the Sugar Coating
Instructions
Recommended Products
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12
Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 206Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 200mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 3gSugar: 15gProtein: 5g
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says
Pumpkin donuts are my absolute favorite and I’m loving the cardamom in here! I bet these smelled so good when baking. Looks perfect for breakfast!
Ashley@CookNourishBliss says
I’m never been a huge donut person but every now and then I enjoy a baked one! These look perfect for fall – I love that you used cardamom!
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen says
Jessica, holy cow is all I can say right now. Cardamom is my all-time favorite flavor and combining with pumpkin, in DONUTS no less, is a stroke of brilliance. Now I just need to decide if I should scrap my baking plans for the day and make these instead 🙂
ASHLEY - THE RECIPE REBEL says
Baked donuts can be so tricky but I’m glad these turned out so well for you! They look AMAZING — love that cinnamon sugar coating!
Maria says
I wait all year for pumpkin donuts because otherwise I’m not that interested in donuts. These look so good. And I am so so glad they are baked!! YUM! The texture looks perfect!
Taylor Kiser says
Loving everything about these donuts! They look perfect!
marcie says
This is a great reminder because I haven’t made donuts in a long while either! I love that you made these whole wheat and the cardamom with pumpkin sounds so delicious!
Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes) says
These baked donuts are a healthier option than the traditional fried donuts. Thanks for sharing!!!
Carolyn Ingram says
Fall ins’t complete without donuts! I will have to try making this recipe!
Jessica@A Kitchen Addiction says
I hope you like them!
Christina says
I bought a donut pan a while back and have failed almost every donut recipe I’ve attempted. I really want to nail baked donuts!! Your recipe looks and sounds amazing, so I’m going to try making donuts again. Wish me luck!
Jessica@A Kitchen Addiction says
I hope you like them!
Paula says
Can these be made with ap flour instead of wheat?
Jessica@A Kitchen Addiction says
Yes! 🙂