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4.34 from 3 votes

Easter Donuts

Celebrate Easter with these adorable Baked Easter Donuts! These light and fluffy vanilla doughnuts are oven-baked (no frying required!) and topped with a stunning speckled vanilla glaze that looks just like a Mini Egg. Finished with a chocolate nest and a trio of pastel eggs, this easy Easter doughnut recipe is a festive showstopper.
Servings 12 servings
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Cooling time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

For the donuts

  • 1 large egg
  • 80 ml (¼ cup + 1 tbsp) milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 4 tbsp melted unsalted butter
  • 150 g (1 cup + 1 tbsp) plain (all purpose) flour
  • 65 g (¼ cup + 1 tbsp) caster sugar
  • 0.5 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
  • 0.5 tsp salt

For the speckled egg glaze and decoration

  • 150 g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) icing (powdered) sugar
  • 0.5 tsp vanilla
  • 2-4 tbsp milk
  • 0.25 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 0.25 tsp vanilla
  • 3 flakes (or roughly chopped chocolate)
  • 130 g (½ cup + 2 tbsp) mini eggs

Instructions

For the donuts

  • Brush the donut pan with some melted butter and set it aside. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F whilst making the donut mixture.
  • Mix together the egg, milk and vanilla in a small bowl or jug until smooth. Drizzle in the melted butter, whisking as you do, to combine everything together smoothly. Set aside.
  • In a separate large bowl, sift together the plain (all purpose) flour, caster sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) and salt.
  • Tip the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix through until just combined and smooth. Transfer the mixture into a piping bag, if using.
  • Spoon or pipe the mixture into the donut pan, making sure it is no more than ⅔ full. Bake in the preheated oven for 9-10 minutes until springy to touch and a skewer comes out clean. Cool for a few minutes in the pan, then gently remove and leave on a wire rack to cool completely before glazing and decorating.

For the speckled egg glaze and decoration

  • Place the icing (powdered) sugar and vanilla into a small bowl with 2 tbsp milk and whisk to combine until smooth and thick. Add more milk, depending on how thick you like the glaze. I prefer it quite thick, so it sets on the donuts, but if you prefer it to drip off, add a little more milk. Add the food colour according to how strong you want the colour to be.
  • Carefully dip the top of each cooled vanilla donut into the blue glaze, then place on a wire rack to settle and firm up slightly.
  • Once the donuts have been dipped in the glaze, make the speckle paint by mixing the cocoa and vanilla with a little water. Dip the tip of a pastry brush in the cocoa paint and flick it over the donuts to create a splattered speckle effect on the glaze.
  • Lightly break the flakes into chunks, or roughly chop some chocolate if not using flakes. Arrange over the donut hole to look like a nest, then top each donut with mini eggs to finish. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

  • When making the donut mixture, mix the wet and dry ingredients together only until combined, do not over mix. Over mixing the cake mixture will result in a tougher more gummy cake donut, not a light and fluffy one.
  • Sift the icing (powdered) sugar to remove any lumps before mixing with the liquids to make the glaze. This will give you a much smoother glaze to dip the donuts into.
  • A small whisk or fork is best when mixing the glaze together, to ensure all the ingredients are well combined, smooth and the glaze is lump free.
  • I would recommend using a gel food colour in this recipe. Gel food colours give a much stronger colour than liquid colours do, and they do not affect the flavour or texture as much. This is important so you can maintain the consistency of the glaze for donuts.
  • Add extra milk a few drops at a time to achieve the glaze consistency you prefer. I like my glaze quite thick, but do add more milk to make it thinner if this is your preference.
  • You do not need very much cocoa speckle paint for these donuts. Lightly dip the brush in once made and flick over from a height to get a lighter speckled effect. If you want larger flecks, flick nearer the donuts or try adding a little more cocoa paint to the brush.
  • Author: Andrea
    Calories: 479kcal
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American, British
    Keyword: Baked Easter Donuts with Mini Eggs, Best Baked Donut Pan Tips, Creating a Speckled Glaze Effect, Easter Mini Egg Doughnuts, How to tell when baked donuts are done, Speckled Glaze Easter Treats, Speckled Pastel Vanilla Glaze

    Nutrition

    Calories: 479kcal