Light and Airy Baked Cake Donuts

After baking the Magic Chocolate Flan Cake, I had every intention of stopping eating for at least a week.  Or maybe just massive dieting.  After all, the kids were leaving soon and I needed to get started on convincing my stomach that it does not require three big meals a day.  One meal and a few healthy snacks scattered throughout the day is adequate for me....really.  But then I was reading this book, Powdered Peril,  a few nights ago.  It is one of my favorite genres, murder with recipes!

These are also called cozies, because while someone always dies, you don't get (have) to experience the murder and mayhem up close and personal.   Someone no one really likes is found murdered and then the protagonist gets to help solve the mystery of who done it.  While making delicious food and finding a hot, usually a cop, guy to feed and fall in love with.  Love, food and murder.  A winning combination.  What's not to like?  Some of my favorite authors of mysteries with recipes include Diane Mott Davidson and Joanne Fluke.

I found this book while trolling the list of new books cataloged by the library system where I worked.  Why hadn't I read Jessica Beck before?  No idea. But I fired up my Nook and ordered the first four books in the series.  Right in my bed,  at night.  Love my Nook.   I like to start at the beginning and read a series chronologically. 

I also like when a recipe catches my eye and then I make it and I love it!  I wanted to try the donut recipe with chunks of apples, but that was a fried donut.  The one I chose is a baked donut and it made little ones.  Donut hole size.  So then I could just eat one and serve the others to the visiting family as a final treat.

You didn't buy that for a minute, did you?  Well, it made sixteen donuts and there are four of us.  Do the math.  I had four and if someone else didn't finish their share, I may have had another one.  Who's counting?

   

Light and Airy Baked Cake Donuts

1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/8 cup canola oil     Hey! Low fat, too!!!
1 Tablespoon butter, melted    Oh, well, it's only 1 Tablespoon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt


   

Heat the oven to 365.  If you have mini donut baker, you can use it with this recipe.  I used a mini muffin pan and they were just the right size for two bites...or three if you are polite and not too terribly hungry.  The recipe said it would make 6 - 10 small donuts. 

   

I used some Crisco on a piece of waxed paper to grease 10 little indentations in the mini muffin pan.  I saved the greasy waxed paper and it is a good thing, as I ended up needing 16 holes.  Don't grease holes you don't end up using.  Not good for the pan.

In a large bowl, whisk the egg and the sugar until blended.  Then add the buttermilk, oil, butter and the vanilla and whisk everything together.  Place your sifter on a small plate and fill it with the dry ingredients, flour, baking powder, nutmeg and salt.  I didn't measure the nutmeg.  I just finely grated what looked to me like the right amount.

   

Sift right into the bowl and then dump whatever is left on the plate into the batter.  Mix well.

I used the smallest cookie scoop and made a rounded scoop.  The recipe called for walnut sized portions and that looked about walnut size to me. 

   

Once again, the recipe called for baking 6 - 10 minutes.  That may work for a donut baker, but my oven took about 12 minutes.  They were just starting to get golden brown on top.

Serve with orange marmalade.  I didn't have marmalade but I did have some homemade blackberry jam leftover from this summer, so I used that!

These were a bit hit.  Really and truly, light and airy.  They were also delicious just plain with nothing on them.  They would also be good with some powdered sugar sifted on top.  I mentioned to Tara that the next time I make this (and I will) I may want to put in some lemon zest.  And then she suggested making some lemon glaze (powdered sugar with a bit of lemon juice) to pour over them.  Oh, man, does that sound good! 

 

   

Bad thoughts!  Go away!  Come again some other day, like when I have lost the weight I gained over Christmas!