Baked Carrot Cake Donuts Recipe

When you're craving carrot cake but don't actually want to whip up a whole extravagant dessert, these baked donuts are the perfect solution. Of course, these aren't just any donuts — these are carrot cake donuts, so you can count on all of that warming goodness, topped off with a nice layer of cream cheese frosting. If that description isn't tempting enough, you may be pleasantly surprised to learn how quick it is to whip up these delightful pastries, something of which recipe developer Jessica Morone is a big fan. "I love that these are ready in less than 30 minutes, and they are so easy to make," she describes. "The spices in the donuts go so well with the tangy cream cheese frosting." 

While donuts typically get a deep-fried treatment, these carrot cake donuts opt for a lighter, oven-baked approach. Not only does this mean that your donuts will be ready to go in record time, but you also won't have to worry about fussing with hot oil. "I tried making fried carrot cake donuts recently and they were so much work! Baking these is so much easier — there's really not much that can go wrong," Morone assures us.

For the donuts themselves, you'll need flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice, brown sugar, vanilla extract, melted butter, an egg, shredded carrots, and a somewhat unexpected inclusion: orange juice. "The special ingredient in these is the orange juice," Morone explains. "It seems like a lot of juice to add, but the orange flavor is actually very subtle, and it really brings out the flavor of the carrots. These don't taste like you are eating orange donuts at all."

Of course, no carrot cake (donut) would be complete without cream cheese frosting, so for the glaze, you'll need room-temperature cream cheese, confectioner's sugar, melted butter, and milk. And if you're the type of person who prefers carrot cake with nuts, then be sure to have some chopped walnuts on hand to top off your donuts.

Get your oven preheating to 350 F and spray a couple of 6-cavity donut pans with nonstick spray. "Make sure you grease the pans enough so the donuts come out easily after they are baked," Morone advises.

Then, turn your attention to making the donut batter. Start by whisking together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and allspice. In a separate large bowl, mix together the brown sugar, vanilla extract, orange juice, melted butter, and egg. Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ones and mix to combine, then add in the shredded carrots, mixing once more until just combined.

While you could simply spoon the batter into your prepared donut pans, it's easier to pipe it in instead. "Piping the batter is a mess-free way to get the batter into the pans," Morone explains, adding, "If you don't have a piping bag, just use a Ziplock bag with the corner cut off." Fill each cavity about ¾ of the way — you should have enough batter to make 12 donuts.

Once you've filled up your donut pans, go ahead and pop them into the oven for 10-12 minutes. You'll know the donuts are done baking when they bounce back when you press into them. Allow the donuts to cool for 5 minutes in the pans, then transfer them to a wire rack to finish the cooling process.

While the donuts cool down, make the cream cheese icing. Start by microwaving the cream cheese for about 20 seconds, or until it's warm and soft but not melting. Then add in the confectioners' sugar, melted butter, and milk, whisking to form a smooth glaze. If the glaze is a bit too thick, add ½ teaspoon of milk at a time until you reach your desired consistency. "If you add too much milk and it gets too thin, the glaze won't set hard, but it will still taste delicious," Morone advises.

Once the donuts have fully cooled, you're free to ice them. Simply dunk one side of each donut into the bowl of glaze, then place it dry side-down onto the wire rack. If you want to top your donuts off with walnuts, be sure to sprinkle those on while the glaze is still wet and sticky.

Once the glaze on the donuts has set (or even before it's set, if you can't resist), it's finally time to enjoy your baked carrot cake creation. "With their warm spices like cinnamon and allspice, these are a great autumn breakfast or dessert," Morone says, adding, "I like to eat these with a cup of coffee or tea on the side."