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Carrot Cake Baked Doughnuts

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These Carrot Cake Baked Doughnuts are a quick treat for anytime of the day. Light, moist doughnuts are loaded with flavor and have three different finishes or none to choose from. You can serve them as is, with a pecan topping, dipped in cinnamon sugar or fill the hole with cream cheese - your choice.

Four finishes on the Carrot Cake Dougnuts are plain, pecan topped, sugared and filled with cream cheese.

Top doughnuts: Plain and with pecan topping. Bottom: Dipped in cinnamon sugar and a plain doughnut filled with cream cheese.

Completely made in the processor, you don't even have to grate the carrots. Just whiz it all together, fill the pans, bake and you're ready to finish them as you choose or not.

Here are a few other quick treats: Pumpkin Cake Doughnuts, Apple Fritters with Speculaas Spice, Apple Cake Doughnuts, A Perfectly Easy Basic Muffin Mix, Crumb Topped Orange Date Muffins, the always popular, Easy PBJ Muffins and the Crumbed Baked Cake Donut Recipe.

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Baking gets better when you subscribe to receive this PDF on getting the most out of baking including information on equipment, ingredients and baking equipment.

Two Types of Doughnuts

There are basically two types of doughnuts although fritters are sometimes considered doughnuts.

Cake Doughnuts are just that. They are often miniature cakes made in doughnut pans as is this recipe. I simply cut down the carrot cake my bakery made and baked it in the doughnut pans. We used the same recipe to make adorable little carrot cake petit fours that people loved.

Yeast Doughnuts use yeast to rise and are generally fried quickly in oil but can also be baked. They are lighter in texture but take longer due to having to rise. There is an interesting article, Baked or Fried Doughnuts which is based on my Fresh as a Daisy Doughnuts.

The doughnut pan or not

There is a special pan for cake doughnuts made by Wilton. It has six doughnut cavities and comes 2 tins to a package. They are most reasonably priced on Amazon. However, if you don't have these or there is extra batter, I just put it in standard size muffin pans and it works fine. See the bottom photo.

The doughnut pan consists of 6 cavaties that makes cake doughnut with a hole in the middle.

What makes these so appealing

  • Easy is the word made for this recipe.
  • Flavor packed and fun to make.
  • Great for beginners to baking.
  • Fun for children to help with (they can grate the carrots)

Recipe Ingredients

Pecan Filling

The pecan topping for the carrot cake doughnuts is made of granulated sugar, pecans, flour, melted butter and vanilla.

FRONT ROW: Melted unsalted butter, vanilla

BACK ROW: Granulated sugar, pecans, all-purpose flour

Carrot Cake Doughnuts

The doughnuts consist of carrots, all-purpose flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, eggs, oil, buttermilk, honey and brown sugar.

FRONT ROW: Cinnamon, baking soda, honey, salt

MIDDLE ROW: Vegetable oil, buttermilk, eggs

BACK ROW: Carrots, all-purpose flour, brown sugar

Cream Cheese Filling

The cream cheese filling uses unsalted butter, vanilla, cream cheese and powdered sugar.

FRONT ROW: Unsalted butter, vanilla

BACK ROW: Cream cheese, powdered sugar

Be sure to see the recipe card below for the exact ingredients & instructions.

Step by Step Instructions

Pecan Topping

The first collage shows the pecans, flour, and sugar in the processor bowl, processed, the melted butter added and the topping made.

Step 1. Place the pecans, sugar and flour in the bowl of a processor. Step 2. Process until very fine. Step 3. Transfer to a bowl and add the melted butter. Step 4. Toss the butter and pecan mixture together to make small crumbs. Refrigerate while preparing the remainder of the recipe.

This collages shows the carrots in the ofod processor, processed, the dry ingredients for the doughnuts in the food processor and processed.

Step 5. Place the cut carrots in the food processor. Step 6. Process until finely cut. Step 7. Without cleaning the processor bowl, add the dry ingredients. Step 8. Process until completely mixed.

The eggs, oil, buttermilk, honey, brown sugar, and flour are added and processed to a smooth batter, the mixture is spooned into the pans and baked.

Step 9. The eggs, oil, buttermilk, and honey are added to the bowl. Step 10. Process to form the batter. Remove to a bowl and stir in the carrots. Step 11. Spoon the batter into the cups filling almost to the top. If you aren't using the pans, these can be made in standard muffin cups. They just won't have the doughnut shape. Step 12. Bake until set. Cool for 5 to 10 minutes and turn out of the pans.

The last collage shows the cream cheese frosting ingredients in a mixing bowl, beaten, pipied into the well of a doughnut and a doughnut finished with cinnamon sugar.

Step 13. Combine the ingredients for the cream cheese filling in a mixing bowl. Step 14. Beat until light and completely combined. Step 15. Fit a bag with a # 3 or 4 star tip and pipe the filling into the hole of a plain doughnut. Step 16. Or roll the outside of the doughnut in cinnamon sugar.

Recipe FAQS

Why are they called cake doughnuts?

They are often small version of cakes or have a cake like texture when baked.

Are cake doughnuts or yeast doughnuts easier to make?

Cake doughnuts are generally easier and faster to make and go from mixer to pan to oven very fast. Yeast doughnuts require rising, rolling out and cutting before frying.

Is a cake doughnut better for you than a yeast doughnut?

It depends upon the batter for the cake doughnut and how it is finished. While the yeast doughnut is usually lighter in texture, it is fried which adds a lot of calories. It can also be finished and filled added more calories.

This photo shows three carrot cake baked doughnuts in muffin tins finished with swirls of cream cheese frosting.

These were made in standard muffin tins.

Other Quick Recipes for You

Four finishes on the Carrot Cake Dougnuts are plain, pecan topped, sugared and filled with cream cheese.

Carrot Cake Baked Doughnuts

Helen S Fletcher
These Carrot Cake Baked Doughnuts are light, moist doughnuts loaded with flavor and have three different finishes or none to choose from. You can serve them as is, with a pecan topping, dipped in cinnamon sugar or fill the hole with cream cheese - your choice.
No ratings yet
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Course Doughnuts
Cuisine American
Servings 17 doughnuts
Calories 273 kcal

Equipment

  • 2 baked doughnut pans
  • 1 or 2 regular size muffin tin if not using doughnut pans.

Ingredients

Pecan Topping

  • ½ cup pecans (58 grams)
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour (35 grams)
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar (50 grams)
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (30 grams)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Carrot Cake Baked Doughnuts

  • ½ pound carrots, peeled
  • 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour (175 grams)
  • 1 ¼ cup brown sugar (250 grams)
  • 2 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
  • ⅓ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¼ cup + 1 T vegetable oil
  • ¼ cup + 1T buttermilk
  • 2 tablespoons honey

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 2 tablespons butter, softened (60 grams)
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened (114 grams)
  • 1 ¾ cup powdered sugar (225 grams)
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions
 

Pecan Topping

  • Place the pecans, flour, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Process until everything is finely cut together.
  • Remove from the processor bowl and add 2 tablespoons melted butter. Mix with a fork until it forms crumbs. Add a bit more butter if necessary.

Carrot Cake Baked Doughnuts

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • Cut the carrots into ½" pieces. Without cleaning the bowl of the processor place them in the food processor and process until very finely cut into very small pieces. Remove from the processor.
  • Without cleaning the bowl, place the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and baking soda in the processor bowl. Pulse several times to mix.
  • Add the eggs, oil, buttermilk, and honey to the bowl. Process to mix everything well.
  • Return the carrots to the processor and pulse several times to mix everything completely.
  • Spray the baked doughnut pans with a non-stick baking release. Spray 5 muffin cups. If using the pecan topping, add it to the pans first. Make sure the pans are well sprayed or the topping will stick. Spoon the carrot cake mixture almost to the top of the doughnut pans. Fill the muffin tins about ¾ full.
  • Bake the doughnut pans 13 to 15 minutes until they are set and spring back when lightly touched. Bake the cupcake pans for 15 to 17 minutes.
  • Cool for about 5 minutes. Remove from the molds, turning the doughnuts upside down.
  • This makes about 17 doughnuts.

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • Combine all in the bowl of a mixer. Beat on low until combined. Raise to medium speed and beat until smooth and the volume increases.

Finishing the Doughnuts

  • If finishing with cinnamon sugar (combine sugar and cinnamon to taste), coat them immediately while the doughnuts are warm. After a few minutes, repeat the cinnamon sugar.
  • For the cream cheese frosting, fit a pastry bag with a #4 open star tip. Fill the bag with the cream cheese frosting and pipe a swirl into the hole of the doughnut or on top of the ones baked in the muffin cups.

Notes

There is always an abundance of photos to guide you in the post above.
As always, I recommend using a scale for accuracy and consistency.  Flour, in particular, is difficult to measure by volume.  For my recipes, I use 140 grams per cup of unsifted  all-purpose, bread or whole wheat flour and 125 grams of cake flour. Others may use different weights so use whatever they suggest.
_____________________________________________________
The pans for cake muffins are from Wilton.  They come packed 2 tins (12 muffins) together. Amazon. has the best price I saw.
The batter should cover the top of the pan enclosing the hole in the center.  I love this because it allows me to put something delicious in the hole instead of glazing them. 
Standard size muffin tins can also be used.  The yield will be less.
Cut the peeled carrots into about ½ inch slices before processing.
This seems like a lot of cinnamon, but the doughnut is very balanced in flavor. 
 

Nutrition

Serving: 17doughnutsCalories: 273kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 3gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 142mgPotassium: 113mgFiber: 1gSugar: 34gVitamin A: 2402IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 39mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @helensfletcher or tag #pastrieslikeapro!
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  1. Jeff the Chef @ Make It Like a Man! says

    I've never made a baked doughnut, but these look so worth making! Thank you!

    Reply

    • Helen S Fletcher says

      Hi Jeff - I love the name. Carrot cake anything is good I think. And these are so easy. Do me a favor and give the recipe a star rating. It helps a lot with ratings.

      Reply