Baked Espresso Donuts

Oh man, I am such a complete sucker for donuts. One of the most perfect NYC mornings I ever had when Marc and I were staying in the city was when we grabbed donuts from Dough Donuts and then walked the High Line. We haven’t gone to the city in a while now, and we sure don’t have anything like the High Line near us in NJ. I wanted to try and capture some of that magic anyway though with these amazing baked espresso donuts. The dough was just like making an easy cake batter with a sensational glaze to dip them in once they baked.

So I used instant espresso in this recipe in both the donut batter and the glaze. 2 tablespoons dissolved in a 1/4 cup of boiling water made it nice and strong for the batter without it being overpowering. You could also of course just brew a 1/4 cup of strong espresso.
Once I let the espresso cool, I just used my stand mixer to mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients for a fantastic batter. I used brown sugar and cinnamon to really deepen the flavor of these babies.
I refuse to give up my sweets. However, I am trying to be healthier. So baking the donuts made me feel a little less guilty about them. I’ve always fried mine before. Pssst, if you want to check out my other donut recipes that are fried, I’ve made pumpkin spice donuts, lemon lavender donuts and apple cider donuts!
The baked espresso donuts were so fluffy and cakey when they came out of the oven. While they cooled I just stirred more instant espresso, powdered sugar and water together to make a lovely glaze. Then I just dipped the donuts in the glaze and let it set.

That was all there was to having one of my all time favorite treats! I absolutely loved how cakey they were from being baked instead of fried. The glaze just made them though. With a great cup of coffee, it was love at first bite for a great morning jolt. Hope you all love them too! xoxo

Baked Espresso Donuts
Baked Espresso Donuts
4.6 from 10 votes
Baked Espresso Donuts
Baked Espresso Donuts
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
12 mins
Total Time
32 mins
 

These are such simple and wonderful baked espresso donuts with an espresso glaze! They are so perfect for a pick me up treat in the morning.

Course: Breakfast
Keyword: Baked Espresso Donuts, Donuts
Servings: 6 donuts
Calories: 168 kcal
Author: Jeanie and Lulu’s Kitchen
Ingredients
FOR THE DONUTS
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons instant espresso grounds
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
  • 1 whole egg
FOR THE GLAZE
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 tablespoon instant espresso grounds
  • 1-2 dashes water
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 375 and spray a 6 well donut pan with unflavored cooking spray. In a small pot, bring the 1/4 cup of water to a boil. Stir in the espresso powder and let it dissolve in while you keep stirring for a minute. Take it off the heat and let it cool. While it cools, whisk the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together in a bowl for the dry ingredients. Get out a stand mixer and fit it with the paddle attachment. Combine the cooled espresso (keep the pot out), vegetable oil, vanilla, and egg in its bowl. Mix them together until smooth on low. Then slowly pour in the dry ingredients until you have a very soft batter. 

  2. Scoop the batter into a piping bag or a ziplock bag and cut the tip. Pipe the batter evenly among the 6 donut wells so that they are all about a little over halfway full. Bake them for 10-12 minutes, until puffy and springy. While they bake, make the easy glaze. Bring the 2 tablespoons of water to a low boil and dissolve the espresso in it just like you did before. Pour it into the powdered sugar and stir it together. Pour in a dash or two of water to thin it out and make it an easily pourable glaze. If you find it got too watery, just add a little more sugar. Let the donuts cool for 2-3 minutes once they are done and turn them out onto a rack to cool some more. Submerge the top half of each donut in the glaze and transfer them to a plate to top side up to harden. Serve immediately and enjoy! They also keep for a day or two in a sealed container. 

Nutrition Facts
Baked Espresso Donuts
Amount Per Serving (1 donut)
Calories 168 Calories from Fat 48
% Daily Value*
Fat 5.3g8%
Saturated Fat 1.1g7%
Cholesterol 27mg9%
Sodium 44mg2%
Potassium 135mg4%
Carbohydrates 27g9%
Fiber 0.4g2%
Sugar 22.3g25%
Protein 1.5g3%
Calcium 40mg4%
Iron 0.5mg3%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
These are such simple and wonderful baked espresso donuts with an espresso glaze! They are so perfect for a pick me up treat in the morning. #donuts #breakfast #espresso #bakedespressodonuts #jeanieandluluskitchen
Baked Espresso Donuts

18 thoughts on “Baked Espresso Donuts”

  1. 5 stars
    I, too, am I huge sucker for doughnuts (and coffee!). I will definitely be adding this to my list of recipes to try. And I need to get my hands on a donut mold!

  2. This is the best of two worlds: it brings me back to my childhood, but it’s full of espresso! Yummy!

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