Baked Pumpkin Donuts with Maple Cream Cheese Icing
Delicious Baked Pumpkin Donuts with Maple Cream Cheese Icing recipe is perfect for an easy fall breakfast that's great for busy weekdays, weekends, and holidays mornings.
Servings 12 donuts
Ingredients
Donuts
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup pumpkin puree - not pie filling
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Icing
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 ½ cups confectioner's sugar
Instructions
Donuts
- Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a full-size donut pan with nonstick baking spray or bakers release.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and baking powder.
- In another bowl, whisk together the egg, pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, milk, and vanilla.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk just until no large lumps remain-- you don’t want to overmix.
- Divide the batter between the wells of the donut pan. I add about 2 tablespoons of batter per donut.
- Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Transfer the baked donuts to a wire rack to cool.
Icing
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, maple syrup, and pumpkin pie spice until smooth.
- Then add the confectioner's sugar slowly, whisking as you add.
- Continue whisking until no lumps of confectioner's sugar remain.
- Dip the cooled donuts in the icing and enjoy.
- Store any leftover donuts in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days.
Notes
- All-purpose flour is a great neutral flour to use in this recipe. Just makes sure you’re measuring it correctly using the spoon and level technique.
- I opted for light brown sugar because it sweetens the donuts but adds a little more depth of flavor than granulated sugar. Feel free to substitute granulated sugar if you don’t have brown sugar on hand.
- The pumpkin pie spice adds great warmth and spice to the donuts. You can substitute 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and ½ teaspoon nutmeg if needed.
- The baking powder helps the donuts rise.
- The egg holds the donuts together.
- The pumpkin puree adds the pumpkin flavor and color. Please don't use pumpkin pie filling.
- Vegetable oil adds richness and helps keep the donuts moist.
- I used whole milk because it’s what I had on hand-- feel free to use any kind of milk you like.
- The vanilla enhances the flavor of the pumpkin and spices.
- The cream cheese is the base of our icing and the tanginess pairs perfectly with the pumpkin.
- The maple syrup gives our icing a great earthy sweetness.
- The confectioner's sugar is the base of our icing-- if your icing seems too thin, feel free to add a bit more sugar. If it seems too thick, feel free to thin it with a tablespoon of milk or water.