Air Fryer Pumpkin Spice Donut Holes Recipe

Fall is in the air and all of a sudden I’m craving soup, squash, and pumpkin everything. There’s nothing that makes me happier right now than sitting down with a steamy cup of coffee and a few of these air fryer pumpkin spice donut holes.

It took me a few tries to get this recipe perfect, but it was well worth the effort (and even the rejects were still super tasty!). These air fryer donut holes hit all the right notes. They’re:

Crispy on the outside

Fluffy and cakey on the inside

Yeast-free

Ready in under 30 minutes

You can even make them with whole wheat flour! They do come out a little fluffier with white flour, but they’re 100% delicious either way. I love these donut holes rolled in cinnamon sugar, but you can also glaze them if you prefer them a little sweeter. 

Looking for something a little more unique? Give my chocolate pumpkin baked donut recipe a try! You’ll also love this pumpkin dump cake or keto pumpkin cheesecake.

Can you make donuts in an air fryer? 

Absolutely!

Most air fryer donut hole recipes use a yeast-based dough or biscuit dough since it’s sturdier and won’t lose its shape. But you can make cake donuts too as long as you use a thick dough.

No fussing with hot oil or yeast is definitely a win-win in my book!

If you want to try your hand at yeast-risen donuts, this recipe from Cooking Light is excellent. 

How to make air fryer donut holes:

Making these pumpkin spice donut holes is so easy! Start by mixing together flour, coconut suagr, baking powder, pumpkin puree, warm spices, eggs, and milk into a soft dough. 

The dough should be very soft, but still firm enough to easily roll into balls. If you need to, add more flour one tablespoon at a time until the dough is easy to work with. If your house is very warm, you can also pop the dough into the refrigerator for 15 minutes to help it firm up.

Next, roll tablespoon-sized pieces of dough into balls. They’ll look a little small, but they’ll puff up and rise when they cook so don’t make them too big now! I like to use a small cookie scoop to ensure the donuts are all the same size. 

If you want, roll the donuts in cinnamon sugar now. Unlike with traditionally fried donuts, you’ll need to do this before they cook – they sugar won’t stick to them after. 

Finally, spray your air fryer basket with cooking oil – I love using either coconut oil or ghee. Add a few donuts holes to the basket and cook at 370 degrees for 9 minutes. 

Be sure to let these pumpkin spice donut holes cool for a few minutes after you take them out of the air fryer – they’ll be very hot inside!

If you want to glaze the donuts, you’ll want them to cool completely first. 

Can I make my own pumpkin pie spice? 

You can buy premixed pumpkin pie spice at the store, but if you don’t want to commit to that quantity you can also make your own from spices you likely already have.

Just mix together 1.5 Tablespoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ginger, 1 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon allspice, and 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves.

Use what you need for this recipe, then keep the rest in an airtight container. I love sprinkling it over my morning cappuccino! 

Can I make these Gluten Free?

Yes! They come out great when made with measure for measure gluten-free flour blends. I personally love the ones from Kind Arthur and Trader Joe’s.

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Air Fryer Pumpkin Spice Donut Holes

Is there anything better than piping-hot pumpkin spice donut holes, fresh from the air fryer? Whether you roll them in cinnamon-sugar or drizzle them with glaze, this donut recipe will definitely put a smile on your face.

Recipe updated 8/2021 to make these donut holes even softer and fluffier!

Course Healthy Dessert Recipes

Cuisine American

Keyword air fryer donut holes, donut holes recipe, pumpkin spice donut holes

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 27 minutes minutes

Total Time 37 minutes minutes

Servings 24

Calories 46kcal

Author Lauren Keating

Equipment

• Misto Brushed Aluminum Oil Sprayer
• Prep Solutions by Progressive Quick Release Cookie Scoop – 1 Tbsp.
• Crux 2.6 Qt. Touchscreen Air Convection Fryer

Ingredients

• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ⅓ cup packed coconut sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
• ¼ cup almond milk or nondairy milk of your choice
• ⅔ cup pumpkin puree

Instructions

• In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, ie spice, and salt. Mix well. Stir in the coconut sugar and mix until combined.
• Stir in the egg, milk, and vanilla to form a batter, then mix in the pumpkin puree until fully combined.
• Divide the dough into 24 tablespoon-sized balls, adding in additional flour 1 tablespoon at a time if necessary until the dough is thick enough to hold together.
• Spray with olive oil. If desired, roll the balls in cinnamon-sugar.
• Add the donuts to your air fryer in a single layer, be careful not to crowd the basket or let the donuts touch. Bake at 370F for 9 minutes. Repeat with remaining donuts.
• If desired, let the donuts cool completely, then glaze with a combination of 1/2 cup powdered sugar or powdered sugar substitute, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and 3 tablespoons nondairy milk.

Nutrition

Serving: 1donut hole | Calories: 46kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 63mg

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of OXO

What do you get when you cross one of my favorite cookbook authors (Dorie Greenspan), one of my favorite kitchen product companies (OXO), and one of the best places I’ve ever visited (Sweden)?

These delicious Swedish visiting cakes, topped with crispy almond meringue, in support of Cookies for Kids Cancer.

I’ve supported this fundraiser for the last few years, sharing everything from hazelnut spritz cookies to apple butter blondies.  This time around, OXO is partnering with chef-supporters to share recipes we hope will inspire people to host their own Cookies for Kids’ Cancer bake sales.

I’m sharing Dorie Greenspan’s Swedish Visiting Cakes. They’re a mash-up of two recipes: almond-meringue topping that you’d typically put on a fruit tart, and Swedish Visiting Cake, a subtle almond-flavored cake that’s usually pretty plain.

Together, they form a great sweet treat that would be perfect for your afternoon fika (a Swedish mid-afternoon coffee and cake break that’s just one of the many reasons I adore Sweden.)

These visiting cakes are a cross between a cake and a cookie, with a soft, tender layer of sweet cake topped with a layer of egg whites, powdered sugar, and almonds that bakes into a crisp, meringue-like finish. The result is elegant, but they’re shockingly simple to make!

I used measure for measure gluten-free flour in place of all-purpose flour and they came out perfectly!

OXO sent me a few products to use while I made these: their non-stick pro cake pan (I love how heavy it is!), 11-inch balloon whisk (the handle feels great in your hand), non-stick cooling and baking rack (I love these for baked goods and for making the crispiest baked chicken wings), and a 5 pound food scale with pull out display (the pull out design is great – you can move the display around so you can see it even when you’re using a giant mixing bowl.)

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Dorie Greenspan's Swedish Visiting Cake Bars

Course Gluten-Free

Servings 18

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

• For the topping
• 1 cup 120 grams confectioners’ sugar
• 3 large egg whites
• 1½ cups 150 grams sliced almonds, blanched or unblanched
• For the bars
• ¾ cup 150 grams sugar
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon pure almond extract
• 1 cup 136 grams all-purpose flour (I used a gluten-free blend)
• 1 stick 8 tablespoons; 4 ounces; 113 grams unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• Confectioners’ sugar for dusting (optional)

Instructions

• Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter a 9-inch square baking pan and line it with parchment paper.
• To make the topping: Put the sugar in a medium bowl and pour over the egg whites. Using your fingers or a fork, mix until the sugar is moistened. If there are lumps, ignore them. Toss in the almonds and stir them around until they’re coated with the sugared whites. Set aside while you make the batter.
• To make the bars: Working in a large bowl, whisk the sugar, eggs and salt together until the mixture lightens in color and thickens a little, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the vanilla and almond extracts. Switch to a flexible spatula and gently stir in the flour. When the flour is fully incorporated, gradually fold in the melted butter. You’ll have a thick batter with a lovely sheen. Scrape it into the pan and use the spatula to work the batter into the corners. The layer will be very thin.
• Give the topping another stir, or a run-through with your fingers, and turn it out onto the batter. Use a spatula or your fingers to spread the almonds evenly over the mixture, making sure to get nuts into the corners too.
• Bake for 28 to 32 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with only a few crumbs stuck to it. The meringue topping will be pale golden brown. If you’d like a deeper color on the topping, run it under the broiler until you get the shade of gold you like best.
• Transfer the pan to a rack and let rest for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the cake and unmold it onto the rack. Very gently peel away the parchment and invert the cake onto another rack to cool to room temperature.
• Transfer the cake to a cutting board and, using a long, thin knife, slice it into nine 3-inch squares. For smaller portions, cut each square into two triangles. If you’d like, you can dust the bars with confectioners’ sugar just before you serve them.

These grain-free cupcakes were a happy accident. I was trying to make paleo brownies but they  came out light and fluffy. (That probably had a little something to do with my complete inability to follow a recipe as written.) Although the brownies were a bust, I was super excited about the prospect of cake!

It only took a little bit of tweaking to come up with a final recipe that I’m absolutely obsessed with. These grain-free chocolate peanut butter cupcakes taste like a richer, more mature version of Funny Bones, which are basically the most perfect junk food ever.

It never ceases to amaze me how a few real-food ingredients can come together so easily to make something this delicious. I’d take one of these wholesome cupcakes over traditional cake any day.

I tested this grain-free cupcake recipe a few times to make sure it wasn’t a fluke and I’m happy to report that it’s just as delicious when you make it with cashew butter or sunbutter. (Let’s be honest, I also really wanted an excuse to eat more cupcakes.) Whichever you use, be sure to look for a natural butter without any added sugar or oils. And remember, if your nut better is salted, you don’t need to add any additional salt to the batter!

Along with the nut butter, these cupcakes use unsweetened cocoa powder. I love Ghirardelli’s cocoa powder and have been going through it like it’s my job between these, my Coconut Cranberry Chocolate Cups, and hot chocolate. Natural maple syrup adds the perfect kiss of sweetness. I also added a few scoops of collagen peptides for good measure. I’ve started sneaking them into everything lately and for the first time in my life I have decent nails! (You can use my affiliate code HEALTHYDELISH10 for 10% off your first purchase of Further Foods Collagen Peptides if you want to try them out.)

While these cupcakes are made with good-for-you ingredients, they still aren’t something you want to eat all the time – the calories in all of that nut butter adds up fast! I scaled the recipe down to make six cupcakes, so it’s easier to resist temptation. You can also use the same batter to make mini cupcakes – just adjust the baking time to 12 to 15 minutes.

Top the chocolate peanut butter cupcakes with a simple peanut butter glaze, sprinkle them with chopped nuts or chocolate if you’re feeling fancy, and you’ll be well on your way to happy snacking.

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Grain-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

To make these cupcakes paleo, swap out your favorite nut or seed butter for the peanut butter. Cashew butter is my favorite, but Sunbutter also works really well (and is more affordable!)

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 18 minutes minutes

Total Time 28 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Calories 406kcal

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

• 1 scant cup natural peanut butter or other nut/seed butter of your choice
• ⅓ cup natural maple syrup
• 2 Tablespoons ghee
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 scoops collagen peptides optional
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda

For the glaze:

• 1 Tablespoon peanut butter or nut/seed butter of your choice
• 1 ½ teaspoons melted coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

• Heat your oven to 350ºF. Line a muffin tin with six cupcake liners. 
• In a large bowl, beat together the nut butter, syrup, ghee, egg, and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the cocoa powder, collagen peptides, and baking soda. 
• Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until the tops are firm and a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. 
• Remove from the oven and let cool completely. 
• For the glaze, stir together the peanut butter, coconut oil, syrup, and vanilla until smooth. Refrigerate 4-5 minutes, to thicken slightly. 
• Drizzle the glaze over the cupcakes. If desired, top with grated dark chocolate and/or chopped nuts. 

Notes

If using unsalted nut butter, add 1/4 teaspoon salt to the batter along with the cocoa powder. 

Nutrition

Calories: 406kcal | Protein: 11g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 177mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 14g

I created this recipe for my client, GO VEGGIE. As always, thank you for supporting the brands that keep me inspired in the kitchen. 

The end of daylight savings time has me dragging this week, but the arrival of fresh cranberries in the produce section of our corner market has kept a little pep in my step. I love  cranberries – I use them in sweet recipes like cranberry cheesecake parfaits and in savory ones like Coffee-Rubbed Steak with Cranberry Salsa. I even have an entire Pinterest board devoted to cranberry recipes.

I bought three bags last weekend and prepared for cranberry nirvana. As it turns out, I ended up needing all three bags to perfect this dairy free cranberry cake. Sometimes my stubbornness is a good thing – when I set my sights on making this cake, I had no idea how difficult it would be to get just right.

It took a few attempts, but I finally achieved what I set out to make: a sweet-tart cranberry cake blanketed with a layer of dairy-free vanilla bean cream cheese glaze. It’s the perfect sweet nibble to serve at the end of Thanksgiving dinner or at a holiday party this winter. If you’re feeling extra indulgent, it wouldn’t be entirely out of place at Christmas breakfast either. I won’t tell.

Most fruit filled cakes like this one rely on a heavy, butter-laden batter to hold the everything in place. Obviously that wasn’t an option for this dairy-free version.

After some experimenting, I discovered that my favorite replacement for was to use a combination of applesauce and GO VEGGIE vegan cream cheese. The applesauce keeps the dough moist and fluffy, while the cream cheese adds the density that I was looking for. From there, I swapped in coconut milk for the dairy milk that my great-grandmother’s recipe I based this cranberry cake off of called for , and added a hefty glug of orange liqueur for good measure. The result is a moist, springy cake with a little bit of a pound cake vibe and the added benefit of being slightly lower in calories and saturated fat.

The cake itself isn’t super sweet, and the cranberries add pops of puckery tartness, so you’ll definitely want to add a frosting or glaze on top. I went with a super simple dairy free cream cheese glaze flavored with vanilla bean paste. Using cream cheese in the glaze pulls out the subtle cream cheese flavor in the batter, and I love the more complex flavor it has compared to a more traditional glaze that’s mostly just sweet. GO VEGGIE’s cream cheese is super smooth, which makes whipping this glaze up a snap! I kept mine pretty thick, adding just a few drops of coconut milk to make it spreadable. If you prefer a thinner glaze, you can add more coconut milk until it takes on the consistency that you ‘d like.

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Cranberry Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze

Course Healthy Dessert Recipes

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Calories 295kcal

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

For the cake

• 1 ½ cups + 1 Tablespoons flour divided
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
• 2 Tablespoons GO VEGGIE classic plain cream cheese
• ¾ cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 Tablespoons orange liqueur
• ½ cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 2 cups fresh cranberries

For the glaze

• 4 Tablespoons GO VEGGIE classic plain cream cheese
• 4 Tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
• 1-2 Tablespoons unsweetened coconut milk

Instructions

• Heat your oven to 350ºF.
• In a small bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, the baking powder, and salt.
• In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the applesauce, cream cheese, and butter until smooth and fluffy. Slowly beat in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the orange liqueur.
• Slowly beat in half of the flour mixture, then the milk, then the remaining dry ingredients. Gently toss the cranberries in the remaining 1 tablespoon flour, then stir into the batter.
• Pour the batter into a 9-inch round cake pan. Bake 40-50 minutes, or until the top of the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely.
• To make the glaze, whisk together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth. Add coconut milk until you achieve your desired consistency. Spread the glaze over the cooled cake.

Nutrition

Calories: 295kcal | Protein: 5g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 290mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 26g

Do you ever get a craving that you just can’t shake? I’m not exaggerating when I say I’ve been craving banana cake since December. It came out of nowhere and just would. not. go. away. Of course every recipe for banana cake that I could find was incredibly rich and full of buttermilk, sour cream, and calories.

Of course every recipe for banana cake that I could find was incredibly rich and full of buttermilk, sour cream, and calories. Luckily, this cold weather that we’ve been having practically necessitates having cake in the oven, so I’ve been working on a lighter version of banana cake! These banana cupcakes are perfectly portioned and definitely hit the spot.

These banana cupcakes are definitely still a treat – they clock in at just under 300 calories a piece – but they’re a significant improvement over other banana cake recipes out there. To lighten them up (and make them dairy free!) I swapped the butter for coconut oil and the buttermilk for Silk cashew milk! Whipped egg whites add volume to the batter and keep it tender, so there’s no need for sour cream.

Then came the difficult decision of that to frost them with? I couldn’t decide between brown sugar buttercream, whipped mocha ganache, or peanut butter frosting. The crowd on facebook was just as indecisive as I was: the vote was just about tied between brown sugar and peanut butter. I ended up opting for a dairy-free version of the brown sugar buttercream that I originally used on my baked chocolate pumpkin donuts and I was very happy with my decision. They frosting is delicious, but doesn’t distract from the cake itself.

Enjoy your cupcake with a cold glass of Silk cashew milk! It’s a lot easier to find now than it was back when I first used it in my cashew-chai French toast casserole and I’ve been keeping it around because it’s awesome in coffee. It’s rich and creamy in a way that most other non-dairy milks aren’t. The creaminess reminds me of 2% milk, but the unsweetened version only has 25 calories per serving. it also makes a great swap for dairy milk in recipes like these cupcakes, raspberry oatmeal pancakes, or smoothies.

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Dairy Free Banana Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Buttercream

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Calories 290kcal

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

• 1 egg separated
• ⅓ cup coconut oil
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 cup mashed banana about 2 bananas
• ½ cup Silk unsweetened cashew milk
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt

For the brown sugar buttercream

• 3 tablespoons vegetable shortening
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• ¾ cup powdered sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons Silk unsweetened cashew milk optionla

Instructions

• Heat oven to 350ºF. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
• In a large mixing bowl, use an electric beater to beat the egg white until soft peaks form. Set aside.
• In a second mixing bowl, cream together the coconut oil and sugar until it resembles fine, wet sand. Beat in the egg yolk. Stir in the bananas, cashew milk, and vanilla.
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients to make a thick batter; gently fold in the whipped egg white.
• Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until the tops of the cupcakes are gently domed and light golden brown.
• Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
• While the cupcakes cool, prepare the frosting: Use an electric mixer to beat the shortening until it's light and creamy. Add the sugars and vanilla and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy. If desired, beat in up to two teaspoons of cashew milk to thin out the frosting.
• Frost cupcakes after they've completely cooled.

Nutrition

Calories: 290kcal | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Fiber: 1g

This conversation is sponsored by Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.

There used to be a bakery on the main street of the town I grew up in that made the best cakes and pastries. Every time we had out of town guests, we’d order a few of their coffee cakes to have for breakfast (and afternoon snack, and dessert.) My favorite was the apple version.

Unfortunately the bakery has been closed for a few years and my memories of their apple cake (they called it apple edelweiss) are fuzzy. I’ve spent hours scouring the internet for anything that looks even remotely similar, but I always come up empty.

This coffee cake isn’t the one I grew up eating, but it’s a pretty amazing substitute. The flavors and texture are so perfect that I have a hard time believing it came out of my own kitchen!

Like the cake I remember, this one is thin with the perfect ratio of tender cake to crunchy topping. Tiny pieces of apple practically melt into the cake batter, giving every bite subtle apple flavor. The topping is sweet and faintly scented with cinnamon and nutmeg – not enough to be overpowering, just enough so that you know it’s there.

I used two special ingredients to help give this cake it’s “fresh from the bakery” taste: Red Star Platinum Yeast and LorAnn Buttery Sweet Dough Baking Emulsion.

I don’t bake yeasted recipes very often, but I do like making fresh baguettes when I have the time. I’ve been using Red Star Platinum Yeast for the past year, and I love it. It makes baking pretty much fool proof. It also helps your dough raise very quickly. I can be pretty impatient in the kitchen, so I love that about it. From start to finish, this cake takes an hour as long as I use platinum yeast (instant yeast takes an additional 20 minutes or so).

The Buttery Sweet Dough Emulsion is something I’ve been eying for a long time, but only just got around to trying.  I first noticed it on the King Arthur site, which described it as being the vanilla/butter/citrus flavor that gives store bought danishes their distinct flavor. I received a sample recently, and I’m obsessed. You know the amazing smell you’re greeted with when you walk into a great bakery? This is that smell, in a bottle. I’ve been putting it in all of my baked goods (I made an awesome pumpkin monkey bread last weekend) and it definitely takes them to the next level.

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Apple Coffee Cake

Apple Coffee Cake is delicious warm from the oven but, in my opinion, it's even better the next morning. This recipe makes two cakes - wrap the second one in plastic and foil and freeze for up to 3 months if you don't plan to eat it right away.

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 16

Calories 151kcal

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 packet 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast (I use Red Star Platinum)
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ⅓ cup coconut or almond milk warmed
• ⅓ cup water warmed
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
• 1 teaspoon buttery sweet dough emulsion or vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 apple peeled and cut into 1/8-inch pieces

For the crumb topping:

• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup all purpose flour
• ¼ cup walnut pieces
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted

Instructions

• Butter two 9-inch round cake pans; set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Mix in the milk, water, butter and baking emulsion. Beat in the egg and apple. Mix on medium speed for 3 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic (it will still be very wet).
• Divide the dough between the prepared cake pans.
• Prepare the crumb topping by combining the flour, walnuts, and spices. Mix in the melted butter until the topping resembles wet sand. Sprinkle the crumb topping in an even layer over both cakes. Cover and let rest in a warm place until doubles in size – about 20 minutes if using Platinum yeast or 45 minutes if using instant yeast.
• Bake at 350ºF for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Notes

Adapted from Red Star Yeast

Nutrition

Calories: 151kcal | Protein: 2.9g | Fat: 5.1g | Fiber: 1.2g

Fluffy white cupcakes filled with tart lemon curd and topped with marshmallow frosting and toasted graham cracker crumbs. 

I’m not going to lie – these cupcakes take a little more effort than most of my recipes. They’re worth every last dish they’ll dirty though. They’re my new gold standard for cupcakes.

The white cake is light, fluffy, and has the most delicate crumb I’ve ever experienced in something homemade. The cake is mild and sweet – similar to angel food cake – making it the perfect backdrop for the shocking tartness of lemon curd hidden inside. Each cupcake gets topped off with a dollop of sticky-sweet marshmallow frosting and a sprinkle of graham crackers before it gets toasted to perfection under the broiler, giving them a subtle campfire taste.

If you haven’t already planned your Easter dessert, these cupcakes will be perfect. (Plus, if you’re like me and forgot to buy white eggs to dye instead of instinctively grabbing an extra carton of brown ones, you’re in luck because this recipe uses about a million egg whites. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can use the yolks to make your own homemade lemon curd for the filling.)

These cupcakes were inspired by a recipe for lemon s’mores that I found on Pinterest. I’m obsessed with lemon (have you checked out my lemon love board yet?), so lemon curd and toasted marshmallow sandwiches between graham crackers seemed even more amazing to me than the traditional chocolate. And as smitten as I was with the original concept, it seemed to be screaming to be made into a cupcake.

The ingredients are simple: flour, sugar, milk, egg whites, butter, vanilla, and cream of tarter. The cream of tarter helps stabilize the eggs whites to make the cake extra light and fluffy. It also gives the cake that elusive “birthday cake” flavor that always seems to be missing in cakes made from scratch.

Since I’ve been making an effort to use more whole wheat and whole white wheat flour in my savory recipes lately, I’ve been really into buying these little 2-pound bags of Gold Medal all purpose flour to use for baking. Whole wheat flour just won’t work in a recipe like this and I love that the small bags last a while but don’t take up too much room in my cabinet.

Once the cupcakes are cooled, they get filled with lemon curd. This is my favorite part of the recipe! I used a sharp paring knife to cut out a cone shape from the center of each cupcake, then spoon in a little curd before replacing it. Don’t worry if it doesn’t look perfect – it’ll get hidden under the frosting anyway.

For these cupcakes, you’ll have to whip egg whites twice – once for the cake and then again for the frosting. If you plan ahead, you can use the same bowl both times and save yourself from having another dish to wash. Just make sure to grab a heat proof bowl when you’re whipping the eggs whites for the cake!

This frosting is so good. It tastes like marshmallow fluff, but it’s way easier to make than marshmallows (plus you don’t need gelatin, just egg whites and sugar). It’s pretty sweet, but like the cake it goes really well with the lemon curd. Plus once it gets toasted, it’s just about the best thing ever!

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Lemon S'mores Cupcakes

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings 24

Calories 357kcal

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

• 2 ⅓ cup Gold Medal® all purpose flour
• 2 ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 ¾ cup sugar
• ¾ cup unsalted butter softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup reduced fat milk
• 5 egg whites
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tarter
• ½ cup lemon curd

For the frosting

• 6 egg whites
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• ½ teaspoon cream of tarter
• pinch salt
• 3 whole graham crackers crushed

Instructions

To make the cupcakes:

• Heat oven to 350ºF. Line 2 cupcake pans with 24 liners.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer or a medium mixing bowl, beat the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and 1/2 cup of milk until just blended. Add half the flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined. Add the remaining milk; mix until combined. Add the remaining flour and mix until just combined.
• In a second bowl, add the egg whites and cream of tarter. Beat with an electric mixer on high until the egg whites are glossy and form stiff peak when the mixer is lifted. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter, one quarter at a time.
• Divide the batter between the prepared cupcake pans. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

To make the Icing:

• Fill a pot with 1inch of water; bring to a simmer. Combine the egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt in a heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over the pot and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the mixture reaches 160ºF, whisking constantly. Remove from heat and whisk on high for 7-10 minutes, or until the frosting holds stiff peaks.

To Assemble:

• Heat broiler on high.
• Use a paring knife to cut a cone out of the center of each cupcake. Spoon 1 teaspoon of lemon curd into the hole, then replace the cake that you removed.
• Spoon or pipe 1 tablespoon of frosting onto the top of each cupcake. Sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs and place on a baking sheet.
• Broil for 1-2 minutes, or until graham cracker crumbs and marshmallow frosting are golden and toasted, but not burned (keep a close eye on them!)

Nutrition

Calories: 357kcal | Protein: 3.7g | Fat: 8.2g

For the past three months, a few blogging friends and I have been planning something huge: a whole week filled with awesome doughnut/donut recipes and some amazing giveaways. I’m so excited that Doughnut Week is finally here! I’m absolutely blown away by all of the creative ideas that everyone came up with.

Now before you run away screaming, don’t worry. Between the doughnut ice cream sandwiches and doughnuts with nacho chili cheese (OMG), someone has to be the voice of reason. Enter, spiced banana donut holes. These sweet and spiced fritters are made with mashed banana, whole wheat flour, and just enough oil to fry them to perfection. Their small size means they’re only about 70 calories each (although I bet you cant eat just one!)

Now, what good is a doughnut without a good cup of coffee? Not much, if you ask me. (Then again if you ask me, nothing is very good without a cup of coffee.) We have you covered though, because we’re giving away a Keurig brewing system and some Green Mountain K-cups. Pretty sweet, right?! You can enter using the widget at the bottom of this post.

Be sure to check out everyone else’s great creations today. I’ll see you again later this week with another new doughnut recipe!

Salted Maple Doughnut Ice Cream Sandwiches from Bakeaholic Mama
Strawberry Cheesecake Donuts from Baked by Rachel
Triple Coconut Donut from Table for Two
Chocolate Pumpkin Donut Holes with Amaretto Glaze from Running to the Kitchen
Irish Cream Filled Doughnuts from Pass the Sushi
Chai Spiced Donut Muffins from Jelly Toast
Peanut Butter and Jelly Doughnuts from Nutmeg Nanny
Spiced Baked Doughnuts with Nacho Chili Cheese from Climbing Grier Mountain
Chocolate Stout Maple Bar from Country Cleaver
Kahlua and Cream Doughnuts from Farmgirl Gourmet

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Spiced Banana Donut Holes

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 30

Calories 72kcal

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

• 2 cups Gold Medal® white whole wheat flour
• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• dash salt
• 2 cups mashed banana about 5 bananas
• 2 tablespoons skim milk
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• ½ teaspoon coconut extract
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon cardamom
• vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

• In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the banana, milk, and extracts to form a thick, smooth dough.
• In a second bowl, combine the remaining sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom.
• Pour about 1-1/2 inches of oil into the bottom of a large pot; heat to 360ºF. Working in batches so you don't overcrowd the pan, drop teaspoons full of dough into the hot oil; fry for 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oil and immediately drop into the spice mixture; toss to coat.
• Repeat with remaining dough.

Notes

The nutritional data for these is an estimate. I measured my oil before and after drying the donuts and found that all but 1/4 cup remained, so that's the amount I used for the nutritional calculations. I had quite a bit of the sugar and spice mixture left over, but calculated the nutritional information using all of it.

Nutrition

Calories: 72kcal | Protein: 1.2g | Fat: 2g | Fiber: 1.1g

Life has been insane lately and I haven’t had the time or energy to post, but I couldn’t wait any longer to post these.

I hadn’t had pineapple upside down cake in forever. I actually kind of forgot that it existed! But a few months ago, a little pineapple upside down bundt cake at Panera caught my eye. i bought one and was happily surprised when the cakes were fully of crunchy little poppy seeds. I loved the texture that they gave the cake! I immediately knew that I wanted to recreate them at home.

These came out great! The pineapple reminds me of summer and makes even the dreariest winter day seem immediately tropical. The pineapple and brown sugar almost melts into the cake, which is moist and doughy with the great crunch.

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Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cakes

Servings 12

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

• ¼ cup packed brown sugar
• 1 can pineapple rings
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¾ stick unsalted butter softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 1
• tablespoon dark rum optional
• ½ cup milk
• 2 tablespoons pineapple juice
• ¼ cup poppy seeds

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Spray a cupcake pan with non-stick spray. Sprinkle 1/12th of the brown sugar into the bottom of each cup, then top with a pineapple ring.
• Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Add the butter and sugar to another bowl and beat until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing in between additions. Beat in the vanilla and rum.
• Add half of the flour mixture and mix to combine. Mix in the milk and pineapple juice, then stir in the remaining flour. Gently fold in the poppy seeds.
• Divide the batter among the cups of your pan, so that the pineapple ring is on the bottom. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until fully cooked.
• Allow to cool, then invert pan onto a baking sheet to remove cakes.