Easy Carrot Cake Donuts
These moist and fluffy baked carrot cake donuts are spiced and doused in tangy cream cheese frosting. The bake time is only 20 minutes and they are made with simple ingredients! These healthy baked donuts will be sure to cure your tweet tooth and will make for a perfect spring breakfast! The best way to eat these baked donuts are with the cinnamon cream cheese frosting! It's not too sweet and makes a perfect pairing with the delicate carrot cake texture!
Ingredients
- 4 whole carrots ( 1 1/2 cup), grated
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 2/3 cup milk
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ginger
- pinch salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1-2 cups powdered sugar adjust for personal preference
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp heavy cream
Instructions
- First, set your egg and milk out so they can get to room temperature before we start. Then preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
- Grate your carrots then set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together your flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.
- In a separate bowl, mix together your carrots, milk, sugar, butter (or oil) and eggs. I whisked the egg first then added it to the wet mixture.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently fold using a spatula. DO NOT OVER MIX!! You want to mix just until no more streaks of flour remain. If you over mix, your donuts will be dense and rubbery and we don't want that!
- If you want to add mix ins like nuts, dried fruit, or coconut, do it at this step.
- Spray your donut pan with cooking spray then fill the greased donut pan until 3/4 full. You can use a piping bag for this or just a spoon. This recipe makes about 12 donuts. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown on top. Let cool then transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely before adding your frosting.
For the Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- First, you want to make sure you use room temperature ingredients before you start. I usually leave my butter and cream cheese out 30 minutes before I start baking.
- First, mix the butter and cream cheese on medium high speed for about 4-5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add in the vanilla extract and honey.
- Add the powdered sugar in increments of 2 or 3 then continue mixing on medium high speed. Add the cream as needed. If you want it less sweet you can increase the honey and decrease the powdered sugar.
- Top on the cooled donuts and enjoy!
Notes
*If you do not have a silicone donut pan or regular donut pan, there are lots of videos on youtube that show how to make a donut molds for a muffin pan that works for this recipe!
*Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.