Pumpkin Cake Donuts with Cinnamon Sugar
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These Pumpkin Cake Donuts with Cinnamon Sugar are so fun and easy to make! They’re full of fall spices and packed with pumpkin flavor!
Say hello to fall with these perfectly spiced Pumpkin Cake Donuts! They’re loaded with a whole cup of delicious pumpkin puree and coated in a generous layer of cinnamon sugar all without the hassle of frying!
Ingredient Breakdown
All-purpose flour – this gives the donuts structure.
Baking powder & baking soda – unlike traditional donuts this recipe doesn’t use yeast so it relies on chemical leaveners to rise and get fluffy.
Pumpkin puree – adds flavor and moisture. Make sure to use pumpkin puree and NOT pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin puree has 100% pumpkin while pumpkin pie filling already has spices and sugar added to it.
Granulated & brown sugar – sweetens and tenderizes donuts. Either light or dark brown sugar will work.
Vegetable – adds moisture and makes the muffins soft!
Eggs – helps bind the ingredients.
Vanilla extract and salt – enhances flavor. Always use pure vanilla extract instead of imitation for best flavor.
How To Make Pumpkin Cake Donuts with Cinnamon Sugar
1. Make the pumpkin cake donut batter: In a small bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined.
3. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined. The batter will be thick and lumpy. Do not over mix!
4. Use a piping bag or a zip-top bag to pipe each donut ring 2/3 full. Do not fill to the top, the donuts will rise as they bake.
5. Bake pumpkin cake donuts at 350°F for 10 minutes. Allow to cool in donut pans for 5 minutes then unmold and finish cooling on a wire rack.
6. Cover the cake donuts in cinnamon sugar: combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a bowl then brush the cake donuts with melted butter and roll them in the cinnamon sugar. Pumpkin Cake Donuts with Cinnamon Sugar are best enjoyed the day they’re made but can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days at room temperature.
Pro Tips For Pumpkin Cake Donuts
- Weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale! Measuring ingredients by volume is not accurate; baking is a science after all!
- Do not over mix the batter after adding the dry ingredients otherwise the donuts will be tough.
- Don’t over fill the pan! Only fill each donut ring 2/3 full.
- If your donut holes closed up while baking you can use a small round cookie cutter to cut out the middle. The smallest ring from this set fits perfectly.
What To Do With Leftover Pumpkin Puree?
Did you know that you can freeze leftover pumpkin puree? Simply transfer it to an airtight container or a zip-top bag and place in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight when you’re ready to use it!
More Pumpkin Recipes
- Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Soft Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
- Jumbo Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
- Jumbo Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
If you try this recipe then please leave a rating/comment below to let me know how you liked it and feel free to ask any recipe questions you may have! 🙂
Pumpkin Cake Donuts with Cinnamon Sugar
Equipment
- Donut pan
- Piping bag or zip-top bag
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cake Donuts
- 300 g (2 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ginger
- 240 g (1 cup) pumpkin puree
- 200 g (1 cup) brown sugar
- 120 g (1/2 cup) vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Cinnamon Sugar
- 100 g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 56 g (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
Pumpkin Cake Donut Batter
- Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly grease donut pans.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined.
- Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined. The batter will be thick and lumpy. Do not over mix!
- Use a piping bag or a zip-top bag to pipe each donut ring 2/3 full. Do not fill to the top, the donuts will rise as they bake.
- Bake donuts at 350°F for 10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow the donuts to cool in the pans for 5 minutes then unmold and finish cooling on a wire rack.
Cinnamon Sugar
- Combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a bowl then brush the cake donuts with melted butter and roll them in the cinnamon sugar.
Notes
- Weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale! Measuring ingredients by volume is not accurate.
- Pumpkin Cake Donuts with Cinnamon Sugar are best enjoyed the day they’re made but can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days at room temperature.
