A few months ago, I bought a doughnut baking pan.  I’ve been experimenting with different recipes, and most of them turned out doughnuts that were a little dry.  After some tweaking, I’ve come up with what I think is a pretty darn good baked doughnut; they’re moist, rich and finished with a delicious chocolate glaze. For this recipe, you will need to use a six-cavity doughnut pan.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2/3 cups buttermilk

For the glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 4 tbsp cocoa powder
• 2 tsp corn syrup
• 3-4 tsp milk
• sprinkles, for decorating (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a six-cavity doughnut pan with cooking spray.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, egg, sugar, vanilla and buttermilk.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and whisk until combined. The batter will be quite thick.
5. Spoon batter into the doughnut pan and bake for 10-12 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the centre of a doughnut comes out clean.
6. Cool the doughnuts completely on a wire rack before glazing.
7. For the glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, cocoa, corn syrup and milk. If the glaze is too thick, add a bit more milk. If it’s too runny, add a little powdered sugar. Mix until the glaze is smooth and shiny.
8. Dip the tops of the doughnuts into the glaze. Add sprinkles (if using.) Place doughnuts on a wire rack to allow glaze to set. These doughnuts taste best the day they are made.

*Yield: 6 doughnuts