Baked Rainbow Donuts

Delicious bakery style baked donuts with rainbow colours and a double dipped vanilla glaze, perfect for St. Patrick’s Day 

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Baked Rainbow Donuts

You know what I love? Donuts! You know what I don’t love? Piping hot oil! It’s not because I’m all about being healthy (I mean, have you seen my blog?!) I’m just an incredibly clumsy person, me and hot oil don’t mix too well – you might say we’re like water and oil (sorry, that was a terrible joke!). That’s why I love baked donuts, they’re just as yummy as fried donuts but less burns!

Baked Rainbow Donuts

And these donuts are nothing short of delicious. They’re soft, fluffy and they taste just like a good bakery donut. Plus they have a yummy vanilla glaze which the donuts are double dipped in – because more is better  when it comes to glaze, and just like bakery donuts this glaze hardens as it sets, perfect! And, while not necessary for the yummy taste, aren’t the rainbow colours just so fun? 

Baked Rainbow Donuts

These donuts are so simple to make, you will need a donut pan {affiliate link} to make them but they’re pretty cheap and definitely worth the investment (donuts anytime, awesome right?). In the mean time if you don’t have a donut pan you can make muffins instead (you’ll just need to bake them for about 8 more minutes). They’re quick and simple to put together and only take a little time to bake. Then you just have to dip and dip again and you’re in donut heaven!

Baked Rainbow Donuts

 

St. Patrick’s Day isn’t really that big of a thing in Britain like it is in America, which is weird considering we’re a lot closer to Ireland than America is. I guess America does have a lot of Irish immigrants though and I suppose you’re more likely to want to celebrate your heritage when you’re further away from home, and then it just spread – because who doesn’t love a fun party? We do have parades and such here, but I can safely walk out of my house on March 17th not wearing a shred of green and there won’t be a pinch in sight! That doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy the food part though, and that’s the best part of any celebration, right? These rainbow donuts are perfect for a St Paddy’s Day celebration (that’s my one problem with how America celebrates it, it’s paddy not patty.. okay, moving on!) – they’re so colourful and fun, and while there’s usually a pot of gold at the end of a leprechaun’s rainbow, this rainbow is the pot of gold! How’s that for multi-tasking?

Baked Rainbow Donuts

Whether you’re going to a party or parade, or just having a mini celebration at the office, these donuts are gonna be a hit – not only are they yummy, but they’re super festive and look like you spent a lot more time in the kitchen than you did! These would also be a lot of fun to make with the kids, squeezing all that fun coloured donut batter into the pan and seeing that rainbow when you bite in (there is a lot of food dye in there, plus sugar, so might wanna limit those kiddies to just one donut unless you want them bouncing off the walls)

Baked Rainbow Donuts

No matter who or what you’re making these donuts for, they’re gonna go down a treat (even Gryff tried to sneak a taste)

Baked Rainbow Donuts

I adapted this recipe from Sally’s Baking Blog and I’m definitely gonna make these again, they were sooo scrummy. Perhaps next time I’ll play around with a few flavours too! These were a giant win for baked over fried (as much as I love fried donuts) so dust off those donut pans and get baking!

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Baked Rainbow Donuts

 

Baked Rainbow Donuts
Yields 8
Delicious bakery style donuts with fun rainbow colours and a vanilla glaze, baked not fried
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For the donuts
  1. 125g plain flour (all purpose)
  2. 1 tsp baking powder
  3. 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
  4. 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  5. 65g caster sugar (super fine granulated sugar)
  6. 60ml milk
  7. 60g natural yogurt
  8. 1 large egg
  9. 30g melted butter, slightly cooled
  10. 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  11. Food colouring (whatever colours you please, I went with green, yellow, red and blue) (gel or paste colouring is best, liquid will change the consistency too much to get a vibrant colour)
For the glaze
  1. 60ml milk
  2. 240g icing sugar
  3. 1 tsp vanilla exract
  4. sprinkles
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Grease your donut pan.
  2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, bicarb, nutmeg and sugar together in a bow, set aside.
  3. Whisk the milk, yogurt and egg together until smooth. Add the melted butter and vanilla and whisk to combine.
  4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until just combined, do not over mix.
  5. Divide equally into bowls (for however many colours you're using), add colouring into each bowl and gently mix until evenly coloured.
  6. Transfer mixtures to separate piping bags or zip lock bags and snip off the ends. Pipe a layer of colour at a time in each hole, one colour on top of the other, until the wholes are 3/4 full.
  7. Bake for 9-10 minutes until edges are browned, keep a close on them as they can over bake quickly.
  8. Turn onto a wire rack set over a baking sheet (to catch glaze drips)
  9. Soon as the donuts are out the oven, start making the glaze (you'll want to glaze the donuts while they're still warm). Add all the glaze ingredients in a small saucepan and put over a low heat, whisk until smooth. Heat for 1-2 minutes.
  10. Dunk the donuts in the glaze and cover both sides (you'll get nice and messy!) and place on rack while you do the others. Then dunk each donut again one side, then add sprinkles!
  11. Leave to set for about 10 minutes
Notes
  1. Best eaten the same day, but will keep in an airtight container for up to 2 days
  2. If you don't want to make them rainbow just omit the food colouring and colouring steps, they'll be just as yummy
Adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction
A Tipsy Giraffe https://www.atipsygiraffe.com/
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Baked Rainbow Donuts by Giraffes Can Bake

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41 comments

  1. Dini @ Giramuk's Kitchen says:

    HOLY CRAP!!! These look SO amazing! 😀 I love love it!! I have to admit, I do like the fried doughnuts over the baked (but that’s because I haven’t come across a good baked doughnut recipe!), but now I just have to try this!
    I am so insanely obsessed with these now! 😀

    • Michelle @ Giraffes Can Bake says:

      You know what, I’m definitely the same – sometimes only fried will do! But this is definitely a really good baked donut, it totally rivals the fried kind!
      So glad you liked these!! They’re so much fun to make, I felt like a little kid when I bit into them and saw the rainbow haha

  2. Loretta says:

    Golly day Michelle!!! I’ve never quite seen anything like it! You clever gal you!! A baked donut, and with all those colors? I might just even rush out to the store and buy one (after first figuring out the measurements) LOL! Actually, Americans celebrate anything and everything that they can. It’s an excuse to live it up – even though I’ve lived here for 35 years, I can’t wear the green, nor the red around Christmas time. Now they have pre-St.Patrick’s Day parties, and the bars and pubs are brimming. Marketing in this country is great, and everyone goes for it. 🙂

  3. Julie @ HostessAtHeart says:

    Michelle, the truth of the matter is that Americans are always looking for a reason to party. Every one is Irish on St. Paddy’s day. I don’t go out because the amateur partiers are all out making fools of themselves. When I saw these donuts they reminded me of the “King cake” for Mardi Gras. You have avery versatile treat here. I love donuts and have created a couple baked versions. These would be over the top!

  4. Amanda says:

    My kids (and let’s face it, me too) will go NUTS over these! Such bright, bold colors… plus, DONUTS! Hard to go wrong with a donut 🙂 I’ll have to pick up a donut pan and make these… they look delicious!

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