Baked doughnuts are super simple to make with a non-stick mini ring doughnut muffin pan. In this yeast-free recipe, lemon zest, lemon extract and lavender flowers are combined to make delicious, fluffy, moist, perfectly baked doughnuts with a fragrant lavender icing sugar glaze.
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- A floral Spring bake challenge
- Ingredients needed for this easy yeast-free baked doughnuts recipe
- Equipment needed for this fresh & floral recipe
- How to make baked doughnuts – step by step instructions
- Tips for making this doughnut recipe
- Make your own lavender sugar
- I don’t have lavender sugar, what can I use instead?
- Tips for making the lavender frosting/glaze
- Baked doughnuts recipe variations
- Lemon and Lavender Baked Doughnuts
- Pin this baked doughnut recipe for later
- Other recipes you might like
A floral Spring bake challenge
Hands up – who else loves doughnuts! I know I do, and my kids absolutely love them too.
Baked doughnuts are a (slightly) healthier alternative to traditional fried doughnuts, and they’re a lot easier (and quicker!) to make, too. All you need are a few simple ingredients and a good-quality non-stick doughnut pan, like this 12-cup mini doughnut pan.
This pan, made from robust commercial-weight steel, is ideal for perfectly sized mini-baked doughnuts. Its double-layered non-stick coating is safe to use with metal utensils, and it ensures that your doughnuts will turn out perfectly every time.
To put this pan to the test, I have been invited to participate in a Fresh & Floral Spring Bake Challenge. The theme: to create the ultimate baked doughnuts recipe featuring gorgeous spring flavours and flowers.
For my baked doughnuts, I was inspired to create a lemon and lavender doughnut with a fragrant lavender icing glaze, and I am so excited to share this recipe with you!
The doughnut itself is a yeast-free cake-style doughnut with a perfect texture. It is flavoured with lavender sugar, lemon zest and lemon extract for an extra fresh Spring kick. Don’t be tempted to replace this extract with lemon juice, as it won’t have the same taste.
To create the glaze, I used a blender to grind my homemade lavender sugar into a fine powder and tinted it purple. The resulting flavour combination is deliciously fragrant, but in just the right quantities, floral-themed baked doughnut—and I’m ridiculously pleased with how delicious they are!
Ingredients needed for this easy yeast-free baked doughnuts recipe
- self-raising flour
- lavender sugar
- bicarbonate of soda
- salt
- lemon zest
- semi-skimmed milk
- butter
- sunflower oil
- free-range egg
- lemon extract
- lavender icing sugar (see recipe notes)
- purple food colouring
- sprinkles
Equipment needed for this fresh & floral recipe
- 12-hole mini doughnut muffin pan
- large mixing bowl
- measuring jug
- whisk
- silicone headed spatula
- large piping bag with a large open-tip nozzle
- wire cooling rack
How to make baked doughnuts – step by step instructions
- Place the flour, lavender sugar, bicarbonate of soda, salt and lemon zest into a bowl and whisk together.
- Measure milk into a jug and add the egg, oil, melted butter and lemon extract. Whisk thoroughly.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry, a little at a time, mixing well to eliminate lumps.
- Transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a wide nozzle.
- Pipe the batter twice around each lightly greased doughnut ring.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and decorate as desired.
Tips for making this doughnut recipe
- While filling the piping bag, fasten a food bag clip just above the nozzle to prevent the mixture from escaping through the tip.
- Place the piping bag inside a pint glass, turning the opening out and over the top of the glass to keep it open while you fill it.
- Undecorated baked doughnuts can be frozen for up to a month—just cover them with plastic wrap when they are cool and separate the layers with another layer of wrap.
Make your own lavender sugar
Lavender sugar is a very flavoursome, versatile ingredient. Make your own by combining 500 grams/2 cups of granulated or caster sugar with one tablespoonful of dried culinary lavender.
Store in an airtight container until needed.
I don’t have lavender sugar, what can I use instead?
If you don’t have lavender sugar for your baked doughnuts, or dried lavender to make some, use a few drops of food-grade lavender extract/oil.
Remember: less is more when it comes to flavouring food with lavender – if you use too much your bake will taste soapy. Use it sparingly.
Tips for making the lavender frosting/glaze
You can make your own lavender icing sugar by processing lavender sugar in a high-speed blender until fine. This will result in an off-white coloured icing due to the plant material, but it makes for a deliciously fragrant icing for your baked doughnuts. Tint with purple food colouring to hide this.
Baked doughnuts recipe variations
- original flavour – use regular sugar, omit the lemon zest & extract
- strawberry & lemon – omit lavender and fold 1/3 cup (around 4) chopped fresh strawberries into the batter. Decorate with freeze-dried strawberries.
- elderflower & lemon – use elderflower cordial instead of milk to make the glaze.
- cinnamon – replace the lemon extract with vanilla, omit the zest and add 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon and 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg to the batter. Dip cooled doughnuts in melted butter and then in cinnamon sugar.
- rose & almond – omit zest, replace lemon extract with almond extract. Use rose water to make the glaze.
Recipe Difficulty Levels
Easy
Requires basic cooking skills and ingredients you most likely already have in your kitchen.
Moderate
Requires more experience, preparation and/or cooking time. You may have to source special ingredients.
Challenging
Recipes requiring more advanced skills and experience and maybe some special equipment.
Lemon and Lavender Baked Doughnuts
Ingredients
for the baked doughnuts
- 200 grams self-raising flour
- 120 grams lavender sugar (see notes)
- 0.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 0.5 tsp Shetland sea salt
- 1 tbsp lemon zest finely chopped
- 200 ml semi-skimmed milk
- 50 grams butter melted
- 3 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 tsp lemon extract
- 1 free-range egg
for the lavender glaze
- 100 grams lavender icing sugar (see notes)
- 1 tbsp semi-skimmed milk
- hundreds and thousands sprinkles to decorate
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Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 160 degrees Celsius (320 degrees Fahrenheit), gas mark 3.
- Lightly grease your mini doughnut muffin pan.
- Place 200 grams self-raising flour, 120 grams lavender sugar, 0.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda, 0.5 tsp Shetland sea salt and 1 tbsp lemon zest in a large mixing bowl and whisk briefly to combine.
- Measure 200 ml semi-skimmed milk into a jug and add 1 free-range egg, 1 tsp lemon extract, 50 grams butter, melted, and 3 tbsp sunflower oil. Whisk to combine.
- Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the milk mixture bit by bit, whisking as you go to eliminate as many lumps as possible.
- Transfer the mixture into your piping bag fitted with a wide open tip nozzle.
- Hold the piping bag over the doughnut tin and half-fill each ring – twice around each ring should be sufficient.
- Place in the centre of the preheated oven and bake for 12 minutes until the doughnuts are well-risen, golden in colour and springy to touch.
- Remove from the oven and turn out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- To make the glaze, combine 100 grams lavender icing sugar with 1 tbsp semi-skimmed milk and stir until combined. Add a few drops of food colouring.
- Dip the cooled doughnuts topside down into the glaze. Turn upright and leave to set on the cooling rack.
- When the glaze is still sticky, cover with hundreds and thousands sprinkles, if desired.
- Store doughnuts in an airtight container.
Video
Notes
- Make your own lavender sugar by combining 2 cups/ 500 grams of granulated or caster sugar with 1 tablespoon of dried culinary lavender.
- Use a high-speed blender to blend lavender sugar into lavender icing sugar.
- While filling the piping bag, fasten a food bag clip just above the nozzle to prevent the mixture from escaping through the tip.
- Place the piping bag inside a pint glass, turning the opening out and over the top of the glass to keep it open while you fill it.
- Baked, undecorated doughnuts can be frozen for up to a month—just cover them with plastic wrap when they are cool and separate the layers with another layer of wrap.
Nutrition
Pin this baked doughnut recipe for later
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Made these for my wife’s baby shower. I’m not a baker but I was successful in following the directions! They turned out so beautifully amazing! Once, when I tried lavender in an ice cream I fell in love with the floral and light taste and thought to look up a donut and was lucky enough to find this recipe. Try it out, you won’t regret it!
What a beautiful dish. I like doughnuts. I will try this. Thanks for sharing this dish.
Oh how adorable do these look! I bet they taste absolutely delicious too. Kaz
It looks amazing!!! will certainly try this out. I have always eat fried doughnuts but have learnt a healthier alternative which is baked. Thank you Lizy
These are extremely interesting. I haven’t used lavender before in baking. I will give this a try. Its defo a 10/10 for unusual quirky baking with a twist
Love it! All the family love doughnuts but l never make them being so full of sugar but this is much healthier so would be lovely to have them as a treat without too much guil!
Love this recipe, would love to give this a try as my son is allergic to nuts so cant have store bought doughnuts.
It looks a great recipe, easy to follow and I will be giving it a try.
I gave 4 because I can’t eat gluten so couldn’t enjoy them but my daughter would love them!
It looks delicious. My family would love these xx
Great recipe we love making doughnuts in our house. They don’t last long though. this is a recipe we will try
they sound delicious and love the flavouring combination x
What a lovely recipe. So pretty and enticing
Easy to follow and the results looks amazing! Def going to try this.
Have not tried the recipe yet but have saved it to pinterest for later. It looks nicely set out and clear to follow instructions. I have eaten lavender in cakes before (scones) and I can just remember the bits sticking in my sisters teeth!
this sounds really delicious – I’m not sure on the lavender myself as it always gives me a headache but they look fabulous and I’d try them without it
They look amazing but not sure about Lavender.
5 star recipe all sound delicious and mouthwatering x
They look amazing!
Never tried making anything lavender flavoured before – or any doughnuts. this recipe looks do-able and really lije the tip about stopping the batter coming out of the nozzle!
I’m not a fan of lavender in food but I’m tempted by the idea of baked doughnuts. I think I’d use a different flavouring though
I love donuts but I think I would leave out the lavender as I’m not keen on that
O….m….g!! This looks lush
I love the sound of these, would I do them in my donut maker
They look delicious. I especially love the presentation. I have never made doughnuts before, especially not baked ones. I might give this a try with my niece, if I can find some culinary lavender.
Sounds and looks lovely!
they look lovely
I have yet to use lavender in my baking, these look scrumptious
they look so pretty and sound very tasty indeed
These look perfect – unlike my attempts which always look a mess (but taste ok!)
I’d love to try this doughnut recipe, it looks delicious
They sound yummy! i havent tried making them before so i may try now!
Love the look of this. Have never had much success with doughnuts but maybe this time!
I would love to make my own doughnuts the recipe sounds great.
These look and sound delicious. I’d really love to give them a try.
They look absolutely amazing…I love the colour! I would need to taste them to assess the flavour combinations as I just can’t imagine it!
These look lovely, mine wouldn’t look like that though
I have had Lavender biscuits, but never really tired it in any other sweet dish. Would love to try these
theysound really lovely esp as I have a sweet tooth
The recipe looks delicious im going to try it xx
The recipe sounds delicious and i shall definitely be giving a try.
I think this doughnut recipe sounds so good and i bet it tastes amazing too!
Sound delicious, would like to try. Will be saving the recipe
I like that they are baked not fried in oil. Not sure about lavender scent and flavour.
I will use this receipe and use som either flavour.
it looks really scrummy and also really different
Look amazing but not sure about lavender as a flavour ? Me and piping are not friends so mine would not turn out so good looking !
it looks like a great recipe, I love the idea of baked doughnuts & I must get myself one of those pans. I won’t be using the lavender in the glaze though as i can’t tolerate it in any form, so I’ll probably do cinnamon or something else
I have never made doughnuts but this recipe looks like something I could try
I think the doughnut recipe is marvellous!!
Yummy! Can’t wait to try out this recipe!
They look delishous and i will be making some
The lemon sounds great but not keen on the lavender
They sound yummy.
Interesting recipe. Will have to try this as my Grandchildren are a bit bored with normal doughnuts
They look very pretty!
I used to make doughnuts with my Gran when I was little but have never made them since.
It’s great to have the calorific value for the Donuts – thank you. However, knowing my lack of will power, it’s probably best not to cook them in the first place.
It looks absolutely delicious and I would love to try it
they look yummy
OMG these are so pretty! Personally I can’t do lavender, but I am so making these for my Mum, she’ll ADORE them!
Thanks Elizabeth 🙂
Sound lovely and lite and summery
it looks fab and is making me very hungry i’ve never had a go at making doughnuts before
they look delicious!
Oh my gosh, this looks and sounds amazing! I’ve never really considered or thought about making doughnuts before – I thought they had to be deep fried and calorific!
Oh my goodness, these sound absolutely divine. A sophisticated, summery take on a classic. I’ve never tried making doughnuts but I NEEEEED these in my life. Am bookmarking this recipe coz I’d love to make them (not sure they’ll look as perfect as yours though)
So scrummy
Loving the idea of baked doughnuts, especially with the interesting flavours suggested. I’m not very confident with hot oil so doughnuts is not something I’ve ever thought I could make.
Never made doughnuts myself but the recipe looks great!
I love doughnuts and have never tried to make my own because I thought it would be too difficult. This recipe has given me the confidence to give it a go – just hope mine end up looking as delicious!
gorgeous flavour combinations, great way of making them, and they look really pretty
A WINNER for our family – sure the bundle of beauties will entice my neices to bake too – great recipe
I might try to make a vegan version of these.
They look and sound delicious.
LOVE THEM
I found it very easy to follow.
This recipe looks simple and delicious. I would love a doughnut kit to make doughnuts with my children
Wow what a great idea, looks really mouthwatering and it certainly is inventive
5 star recipe! Delicious – I have bookmarked it for future reference! Thank you!