Homemade Doughnuts Made Special: Easy Sweet Recipes for Topping These Yeasted Goods

The arrival of mid-May brings a sweet occasion – a celebration dedicated to the treat that is the doughnut! Starting from the 18th, it's a week-long festivity honoring this circular dough with holes in the center. Whether you're inclined to cook, bake, or adorn doughnuts with sweet glazes, this is the perfect time to indulge in such activities. If you happen to have a stash of plain doughnuts from a store, we have a plethora of easy topping ideas to transform them into gourmet snacks to gift. Doughnuts make for a great birthday surprise idea for sisters, brothers and friends.

And if the baking bug has bitten you and you wish to try your hands at making doughnuts from scratch, we've got the perfect delish dessert recipe for you!

Classic Doughnut Recipe

Ingredients:

• 200 gm all-purpose flour
• 170 gm granulated sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• 55 ml vegetable oil
• 150 ml buttermilk (room temperature)
• 1 egg (room temperature)
• 85 gm unsalted butter melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Ingredients:

1. Preheat your oven to 230°C. Now, take out all the ingredients you need from your fridge. Namely the buttermilk, vanilla essence and egg. Let them reach room temperature.
2. Grab a big bowl. Mix the sugar and melted butter until smooth using a whisk. Add the egg, oil, and vanilla. Whisk until combined.
3. Take another bowl. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt. Mix them.
4. Add half of the dry mixture to the wet mixture. Whisk until some flour strands remain. Then add all the buttermilk, mix a little, and add the rest of the flour. Mix until just combined. It’s okay for the batter to be wet and have a few lumps.
5. Scrape the batter into a plastic bag with a corner cut off. Alternatively, to avoid the fuss of piping, you can also use a spoon and smooth out the tops. 
6. Grab a doughnut tray then grease it. To grease the tray, you will need cake goop (a mix of shortening or butter combined with flour and vegetable oil, in equal parts). Then fill each cavity half to three-quarters full with the batter.
7. Bake for 10 minutes or a little lesser to be on the safe side. The tops will be firm and bounce back when you touch them, that’s how you’ll know they're done. Let the doughnuts cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Then flip them out on a clean surface to cool completely. 

Now, that the doughnuts are done, it's time to consider some simple glazing options, here are some you can easily cook or make with minimal frills. 

1. Strawberry Frosting

• 100 gm fresh strawberries (tops removed and chopped)
• 210 gm caster sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla essence
• 1 tbsp pulpy strawberry jam

Ingredients:

1. Take the cleaned and chopped strawberries. Puree them in a blender till smooth. 
2. Pour the strawberry puree into a bowl scraping every bit from the mixie into a bowl. Then to the puree, add the confectioner's sugar (adjust the amount as needed), vanilla extract, and strawberry jam. Mix with a spoon or whisk to combine. 
3. Dip the doughnuts into the strawberry frosting 2 or 3 times (if it's thinner than the others).
4. Shower with rainbow sprinkles for that classic doughnut look.

2. Vanilla Frosting

• 45 gm unsalted butter (melted)
• 180 gm caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 45 ml milk
• ⅛ tsp salt

Ingredients:

1. Whisk the melted butter, caster sugar (adjust the amount as needed), vanilla extract, 30 ml of milk, and a pinch of salt, in a bowl.
2. If you like your glaze to be thick, chuck the remaining milk, but if you desire a thinner consistency, pour and whisk the additional 15ml milk.
3. Dip the doughnuts into the vanilla frosting.
4. Grab a bunch of rainbow sprinkles and sprinkle over the still-wet glaze. 

3. Chocolate Frosting

• 135 gm chocolate chips
• 45 gm unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp corn syrup
• 1 tbsp water

Ingredients:

1. Add the chocolate chips, butter, corn syrup, and water to a heat-proof bowl, preferably a glass one and pop it into the microwave. 
2. Microwave in 20-second intervals, making sure to mix with a spatula in between. By three to four rounds, you will have a bowl full of smooth liquid. 
3. There are two ways to do this: First, dip the doughnut tops into the chocolate frosting. Or you could pour the molten chocolate over the doughnuts like you see in those cooking videos. Make sure to place it on a wire rack with something beneath to collect the excess chocolate. 
4. Sprinkle with rainbow sprinkles like moments before serving for that professional look.