I am not much of a cake person at all. It is one of the desserts I’m easily able to pass up on. That is unless the cake is carrot cake. I absolutely LOVE carrot cake. I have a recipe that was handed down to me that I love to make when ever I get the baking bug. So it is no surprise to me that these Carrot Cake Donuts are amazing!
- Donuts:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups carrots, shredded
- Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Optional: shredded carrots and chopped nuts for garnish
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease a donut pan and set aside until needed.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, eggs, milk, and vanilla. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until fully combined. Fold in the shredded carrots.
- Transfer the batter to a zip lock bag and cut off a tip. Pipe the batter into each donut cavity, filling 2/3 of the way up.
- Bake the donuts for 8-10 minutes. Allow the donuts to cool in the pan for 2 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to completely cool.
- To make the cream cheese frosting, mix the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a stand up mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Add the confectioner’s sugar and mix (gradually increasing speed) until the sugar is fully incorporated.
- Add the vanilla and whisk until the frosting is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Frost the top of the donuts, and garnish with carrots and chopped nuts.
What really makes these Carrot Cake Donuts the best is the cream cheese frosting and toppings!
Did I mention I’m also not much of a donut person? My husband and boys could grab a dozen donuts every day and have them gone in a matter of minutes. However nothing tastes as good as a homemade donut.
Do you have a favorite donut?