Lemon doughnuts generally involve fried dough filled with sticky, tart-sweet yellow goo that tastes more of sugar than of serious lemon.
So we decided to reinvent the lemon doughnut as a baked treat that is at once lighter and more deliciously lemony.
We started with a golden cake-style baked doughnut that we flecked with the potent flavor of real lemon zest. We then top the doughnuts with a simple powdered sugar-lemon juice glaze. The result is wonderful.
Baked lemon doughnuts
1/4cup (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature
1/4cup vegetable or canola oil
1/2cup packed brown sugar
1/3cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4teaspoon baking soda
1/2teaspoon salt
1teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest of 1 lemon
2eggs
21/2cups all-purpose flour
1cup buttermilk
2tablespoons lemon juice
1cup powdered sugar
Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Coat two doughnut pans with baking spray; you can use pans designed for either large or small doughnuts. A mini doughnut pan will bake more quickly.
In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the butter, oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, vanilla and lemon zest.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping the bowl between additions.
Stir in half the flour followed by half the buttermilk, then the remaining flour and finally the remaining buttermilk.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pans, filling the doughnut wells to about 1/4 inch from the top.
If using a mini doughnut pan, you will need to bake in multiple batches. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden and cooked through. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a rack.
To make the glaze, stir together the lemon juice and powdered sugar. Dip the tops of the doughnuts in the glaze and allow to set or enjoy immediately.
Makes 12 servings.
Nutrition information per serving (assumes large doughnuts): 280 calories; 90 calories from fat (32 percent of total calories); 10 g fat (3.5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 40 mg cholesterol; 45 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 24 g sugar; 5 g protein; 210 mg sodium.
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