A couple of weeks ago, I went to our local bakery. I was craving pumpkin donuts. Everything I’ve seen lately was pumpkin flavored so I was sure they would have pumpkin donuts. But nope, no pumpkin donuts there. I’m telling you, I had to have some pumpkin donuts. My husband recently bought me some awesome donut pans. He got the hint when I left the Amazon page opened on the computer for days. I guess my donut craving was actually more serious than I realized. I’ve been wanting to make baked donuts for sometime now, but somehow never got around to it. How was I going to fit donut baking into my already busy schedule? Yep, these 3 ingredient donuts were just what the doctor ordered. The key ingredient was the pumpkin puree…making them moist, soft and delicious. Oh my, the ultimate ticket to my craving! 
Recipe Card
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 1 3/4 cups pumpkin puree or 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- cinnamon-sugar coating (optional)
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- glaze (optional)
- 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1¼ cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon maple extract
- 1 tablespoon half-n-half or milk
- Preheat oven to 350 and spray donut pans with cooking spray .
- In a large bowl mix together cake mix, pumpkin puree, and pumpkin pie spice. Transfer mixture to a large zip-lock bag, press the excess air out, and seal.
- Snip one bottom corner of the bag off and pipe the batter into your prepared donut pan.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes. Allow to cool for about 5-10 minutes in the pan before transferring to a cooling rack.
- For the cinnamon-sugar coating, simply whisk together cinnamon and sugar, and toss slightly cooled donuts in the mixture to coat.
- For the glaze, cream together cream cheese, powdered sugar, extract, and milk. Warm it in the microwave for a few seconds to make it runny. Dip cooled donuts in glaze. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar if desired. Allow to cool completely.
Lisa, these sound heavenly! Now, I have to buy a donut pan! Errr.
You could always do what I did…hint to your husband about wanting a donut pan.
I’m not sure that will work, especially since I’m on a diet to lose some weight. But, it’s definitely worth a try! I’ll let you know how it goes. Lol