Do you spell it donut or doughnut? I feel like doughnut is correct, but after spending 10 years living in Boston and being surrounded (literally surrounded on every side) by Dunkin' Donuts, the latter feels more natural. Regardless, I got a mini "donut" pan from Deb, my mother-in-law, for Christmas last year and as soon as it was open I was SO excited to break it in. And then it got put into the cabinet with my hundreds of other pans and I forgot about it. This minor tragedy is proof of how much of a major organization overhaul is needed in the cookware cabinet. But the missing donut pan won't happen again. Not after having these fun and sweet and tart and cute little lemon poppy seed donuts. They taste more like a cake than a donut (or maybe a cake donut) because they are baked instead of fried. But that's not a complaint. Especially with the glaze made entirely of lemon juice and powdered sugar. Jake loved them immediately, and Lily ate them after the initial shock of lemon flavor wore off. This recipe made a couple dozen and they didn't last long.
And speaking of my MIL's good deeds, she is coming to visit this weekend with Katie, Jake's sister, to walk with us in PurpleStridePittsburgh. It is an amazing event to raise money for pancreatic cancer research and patient support. Please consider joining us or making a donation to the cause!
Lemon Poppy Seed Baked Donuts
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon whole milk 2 tablespoons sour cream 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature 1/2 cup sugar 1 large egg zest of 1 lemon 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
For the icing: juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tablespoons) 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and coat the donut pans with cooking apray.
In a small bowl, whisk together milk and sour cream. Set aside. In another small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In large bowl, or stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar, until light and fluffy. Add egg, lemon zest, and poppy seeds. Beat for 30 seconds, scrapping down the bowl as needed.
Add about half of the flour mixutre, half of the milk mixture, the remaining flour, and then the remaining milk. Mix until just combined.
Transfer the batter into a ziplock bag and make a small cut at the corner. Fill each indention in the donut pan about 1/2 full. Bake until the donuts are slightly browned and spring back when touched (about 8 minutes for me). Remove from the oven and cool completely on a rack.
For the icing: Put the cooling rack on top of a baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and powdered sugar until smooth. Dip the top of each donut into the glaze and dry on the rack.
Source: The Novice Chef
