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I hope this doesn’t make you uncomfortable, but I have to share. In January, we went to New York City, and I had a spiritual experience.
I went here, and my life was changed forever:
Prior to my trip to the Doughnut Plant, I was lukewarm on the question of doughnuts. Sure, I’d been known to eat them, but usually under conditions of extreme hunger or boredom or to win a bet.*
*That never actually happened. But how great would it be to win money for eating doughnuts?
Point being, I’d had a lot of mediocre doughnuts, and didn’t think, in general, assembly-line fried dough was anything special. But then.
These doughnuts, at the Doughnut Plant? They are something special.
We actually made two trips to the shop, because the first time we went it looked like this:
MAYDAY MAYDAY. Doughnut Plant is closed on Mondays. Save yourself the heartbreak we experienced and check the days/hours before you go!
So after making two trips to the Lower East Side to try these doughnuts, we decided to go big and get a half-dozen flavors. Among those, we tried…
The distinctive square PB&J, filled with fresh raspberry jam and glazed with a chunky peanut butter glaze, which made Jason moan like this:
The Valhrona chocolate doughnut, full of chocolate pastry cream, which made me grin like this:
The carrot cake doughnut, packed with carrots, walnuts, raisins, and actual cream cheese frosting in the middle of the doughnut,
and the signature creme brulee doughnut, with a crackly, caramelized sugar top and a filling of vanilla pastry cream.
The Doughnut Plant’s gotten a lot of buzz and I’m sure there’s going to be a huge backlash soon (Magnolia Bakery anyone?) but for what it’s worth, all of our doughnuts were excellent and we seriously considered making the hike across town the next day to pig out on more doughnuts.So after my transformative doughnut experience, I was much more open to doughnuts in my life. And when I was at Sur La Table and saw this adorable mini doughnut pan, well…it had to be mine.
To be sure, the doughnuts you make with this pan aren’t “real” doughnuts. They’re cake-style, not yeast, and they’re baked instead of fried. In taste and texture, they’re really more like a doughnut-shaped chocolate cupcake. But what a cute doughnut shape they have!
These mini doughnuts have an intense chocolate taste that’s enhanced by the chocolate ganache glaze on top. They’re good for two (or possibly three, if you’re dainty) bites, and we can say from firsthand experience that they’re the perfect sweets for munching on during game or movie nights.
Okay, so they’re not Doughnut Plant doughnuts. But they’re still tasty, and they bake in five minutes, and they’re a good excuse to go crazy with my sprinkle collection. And isn’t that enough?
Mini Chocolate Doughnuts
Ingredients
For the donuts
- 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup buttermilk
- 1.5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the ganache glaze
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup chocolate, chopped
Instructions
To make the donuts
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a mini doughnut pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, buttermilk, and melted butter.
- Stir the wet ingredients into the dry. Use a pastry bag fitted with a round 1/2" tip to pipe the batter into a thin layer in each doughnut mold. (It will rise a great deal, don't add too much or your doughnuts will puff out of the mold.)
- Bake for 4-6 minutes, until they spring back when lightly pressed. Allow to cool in the mold for 5 minutes, then gently remove and cool completely.
To make the ganache glaze and to the donuts
- Heat cream to a simmer in a small saucepan. Pour hot cream over the chopped chocolate, and gently whisk to combine. Let ganache cool slightly so that it gets a bit thicker, then dip the tops of the doughnuts in the glaze. If it's getting too cool and thick, you can microwave it briefly to thin it out again. Sprinkle the tops of the doughnuts with sprinkles while the ganache is still wet.
MEASURING TIPS
Our recipes are developed using weight measurements, and we highly recommend using a kitchen scale for baking whenever possible. However, if you prefer to use cups, volume measurements are provided as well. PLEASE NOTE: the adage “8 oz = 1 cup” is NOT true when speaking about weight, so don’t be concerned if the measurements don’t fit this formula.
Click here to learn more about baking measurements and conversion.Nutrition
I've heard of that place! One day a PB&J doughnut will be mine. That will be a good day.
Ohmygosh. I'm planning a trip to NYC and was just looking over the list of bakeries I didn't make it to last time. Looks like we need to work in a stop at Doughnut Plant!
Super cute! Have to agree on eating lots of mediocore doughnuts. Try the recipe for the farm-buttermilk-something-or-another-ones that we did a month or two ago on the baked sunday morning blog. they were fried, but more of a cake doughnut. i really liked the flavor.
They look tempting and so perfect!
Please show us how to make real donuts like the ones you enjoyed at the donut plant which are fried and not baked cakes which you are calling donuts. You are a sugar hero right.
Hi! Here is a recipe for fried chocolate doughnuts: https://www.sugarhero.com/chocolate-blackout-doughnuts/. Let me know if that’s not what you’re looking for.
Hello what is the size of the mini donut pan? 12 cavities or 18 ? I have a 18 hole pan how long should I bake them? Thanks
Hey Maria, even though I used a 12 cavity pan they should be about the same size. I would say 4-6 minutes is still correct. I would just check them like you would a cupcake. You can lightly press the top to make sure it gently bounces back, or use a toothpick and make sure it comes out clean. I hope that helps, I would love to see pictures and hear how it goes! Thanks!
hello , thank you for your help Elizabeth I baked them for 4 min. they were great everyone loved them. sorry the picture isn’t very clear. I have another question I want to make white chocolate gamache next time . How can I make it? how much choco and cream ? thanks
Hey Maria, I am so glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for your feedback! As for the white chocolate ganache I would suggest following the recipe but using 1/2 a cup of cream and then a 1 cup of white chocolate. Generally you will want to use about double the amount of white chocolate you would of regular chocolate or else it will be to thin. If it is a little too thick you could add a little more cream but that would be a good place to start. Then you can see how it dips and sets! I would love to hear how it goes!
Mini doughnuts turned out very tasty and the chocolate icing ganache was easy to prepare. Will make again for my family.
Hey Kaycee, I am so glad to hear you enjoyed it so much! Thank you for your feedback, I will secretly be jealous the day you make these for your family! So good!
Holey moley, Sugarhero!
These are the best, fudgiest chocolatey donuts EVER!
These donuts turned out amazing! my brother and sisters loved them. I recommend baking them for a little less time, around three minutes. Thank you!
Hi Eliana! Thanks for sharing your baking tips. I love reader comments. Glad your family liked them. Happy baking!