Creepy Cinnamon-Spiced Donuts

We love all donuts, but cake-style donuts are heartier than yeast donuts, so they really take glazing well - and they’re great for dunking! Lurking under the smooth, sweet icing, these light, baked donuts are spiced up for fall and winter. Plus, you can customize your colours for any occasion. They’re so delicious, it’s scary!

Prep Time
15 minutes
Bake Time
8 to 10 minutes
Servings
  • 1½ cups (188 g) all-purpose flour 1½ cups (188 g) all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup (90 g) cake flour ¾ cup (90 g) cake flour
  • 2 tsp (6 g) ground cinnamon 2 tsp (6 g) ground cinnamon
  • 1½ tsp (7 g) baking powder 1½ tsp (7 g) baking powder
  • ¾ tsp (2 g) ground ginger ¾ tsp (2 g) ground ginger
  • ½ tsp (3 g) salt ½ tsp (3 g) salt
  • ½ tsp (2 g) baking soda ½ tsp (2 g) baking soda
  • ½ tsp (1 g) ground nutmeg ½ tsp (1 g) ground nutmeg
  • ⅔ cup (145 g) Redpath® Golden Yellow Sugar, packed ⅔ cup (145 g) Redpath® Golden Yellow Sugar, packed
  • ¼ cup (57 g) butter, melted and slightly cooled ¼ cup (57 g) butter, melted and slightly cooled
  • 2 tbsp (30 ml) canola or vegetable oil 2 tbsp (30 ml) canola or vegetable oil
  • 2 egg yolks 2 egg yolks
  • 1 egg 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp (15 ml) pure vanilla extract 1 tbsp (15 ml) pure vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup (188 ml) buttermilk ¾ cup (188 ml) buttermilk

For the icing:

  • ½ recipe “The Best and Easiest Royal Icing” (omit vanilla extract for a pure white icing or use clear vanilla extract or lemon juice, in its place) ½ recipe “The Best and Easiest Royal Icing” (omit vanilla extract for a pure white icing or use clear vanilla extract or lemon juice, in its place)
  • 2 to 3 tbsp (30 ml to 45 ml) water 2 to 3 tbsp (30 ml to 45 ml) water
  • Orange, purple, green, red, or black gel food colouring Orange, purple, green, red, or black gel food colouring
  • Candy eyeballs Candy eyeballs

Instructions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 375°F (191°C). Lightly grease three 6-piece donut pans with softened butter.

Step 2

In a bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, cinnamon, baking powder, ginger, salt, baking soda, and nutmeg until well combined. Set aside.

Step 3

In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream together the Redpath® Golden Yellow Sugar, melted butter, and oil on medium speed until pale in colour; 2 minutes.

Step 4

Add in the egg yolks, egg, and vanilla extract. Mix on low speed until just combined. Increase speed to medium and cream until mixture is smooth.

Step 5

Add in ⅓ of the dry ingredients to the bowl of the stand mixer and mix on low until just combined. Add in half of the buttermilk and blend on low speed until liquid is absorbed into the batter. Repeat the process with the remaining dry ingredients and buttermilk, ending with the dry ingredients; do not overmix.

Step 6

Transfer batter into a piping bag fitted with a large plain/round piping tip. Pipe batter into the prepared pan until each depression is about ⅔ full.

Step 7
Step 8

Allow donuts to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning them out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

To decorate:

Step 1

Make Royal Icing according to the directions, adding the extra water to the icing when mixing. If icing is too thick, add a teaspoon (5 ml) of water or more as necessary. If the icing is too thin, sift in about 1 tablespoon at a time of Redpath® Icing Sugar into the glaze until the desired thickness is reached. The icing should be opaque when applied onto the cooled donut.

Step 2

Remove about ¾ cup (188 ml) of icing for 3 colours, or 1 cup (250 ml) for 4 colours, and transfer to a bowl. Carefully thin the royal icing with water 1 teaspoon at a time until icing is a runny consistency.

Step 3

Divide the thinned out royal icing into 3 or 4 small bowls. Read the Chef’s Tips for advice on how to get the desired colour. With a toothpick, add in a few drops of one of the gel food colourings into one of the bowls and stir into the icing until the desired colour is achieved. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside. Repeat the process with the other colours and bowls of icing. Colours will also deepen as the icing sits.

Step 4

Dip the bottom side of the completely cooled donuts into the white glaze. Place donuts back onto the wire cooling rack over a baking sheet to allow the glaze to set; 30 minutes.

Step 5

Once the glaze is set and dry, place the donuts on the wire cooling rack over a newspaper or plastic tablecloth covered work surface. Using a dry bristle pastry brush or a fork, flick and splatter the donuts with the coloured icing. Place the candy eyeballs if desired, onto the donuts. Set aside to dry before serving.

Cinnamon Halloween donuts with colourful icing and eyeball candies on a purple plate

Chef's Tip

*These donuts can be served for any occasion. Just change the colour of the splatter according to the theme. You could use orange, yellows, greens, and/or brown for Thanksgiving or a Fall event. Try pastel colours for a birthday party.

*Gel food colouring, especially red and black, tends to darken as it sits, so if possible make the royal icing a day or more ahead of time to avoid needing to use a large amount of food colouring, which may impart a bitter aftertaste. Royal icing can be kept in an airtight container, with plastic wrap or a piece of parchment laid on the surface of the icing or resealable plastic bag, for up to 2 weeks at room temperature. Make sure to mix well before using as it tends to separate.

*For blood-splattered donuts, colour thinned out icing with red food colouring. Omit eyeballs. 

*For red icing: add pink gel food colouring to the icing before adding red. This will make it easier to get to the blood red colour desired. For a deeper red, add an extremely small amount of black gel colouring to the icing.

*For black icing: sift about 1 teaspoon (2 grams) of unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably black cocoa powder) to the bowl of icing. Stir until thoroughly mixed in. Add a ½ teaspoon (2 ml) or more of water, if necessary. Add and mix in a few drops of black gel food colouring to the icing.

*Candy eyeballs can be found at bulk food stores, and/or the baking section in craft stores.  

*If a stand mixer is not available, a handheld mixer and a large bowl can be used. Creaming and mixing may take a few minutes longer as a handheld mixer is not as powerful as a stand mixer.