Glazed Donut Muffins

There's one thing that I really miss over here . . . cake donuts. You know the kind I mean . . . all cakey, not a speck of yeast in sight, totally scrummy with the flavours of buttermilk and nutmeg. I can remember my Great Aunt Orabel standing at her wood range cooking donuts and how wonderful they tasted when they were done.

She would drop them . . . hot . . . into a brown paper bag and shake them together with cinnamon sugar, until they were well coated. Oh my but they were some good.

I have made muffins before that come very close to the flavour of these little gems . . . Jam Doughnut Muffins . . . if you were to close your eyes and take a bite you might be tempted to think you were eating a cake donut. Those ones are stogged full of jam though, which makes them quite, quite scrummy.

Today I wanted a cake donut . . . not jam filled, not yeast raised . . . a delicious cakey donut, tasting of butter and nutmeg . . . and sweetly glazed, not rolled in cinnamon sugar . . . but glazed . . . a sticky finger glaze coating the top, just like a buttermilk cake donut in a donut shop . . . except the recipe I found didn't call for buttermilk.

Meh! C'est la vie. I baked and enjoyed. So did Todd.

These are quite scrummy indeed, and yes . . . they do taste like donuts! And they're not fried, which can't be bad!

*Glazed Donut Muffins*

Makes 12

Tastes just like a cake type of donut, except it's not fried. Yummily glazed.

• 2 ounces butter, softened (1/4 cup)
• 60ml of vegetable oil (approximately 1/4 cup)
• 100g of caster sugar (1/2 cup)
• 60g soft light brown sugar (1/3 cup, packed)
• 2 large free range eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 3/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 232g plain flour (1 2/3 cup)
• 250ml of milk (1 cup)
• For the Glaze:
• 140g icing sugar, sifted (1 cup)
• 3/5 tsp vanilla
• 2 TBS hot water

Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Butter a 12 cup muffin tin or line with paper liners. Set aside.

Beat the butter, oil, white and brown sugars, and both eggs together in a bowl until light and fluffy. Sift together the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together. Add to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk, until all are mixed. Don't overmix. Spoon into the prepared baking cups, dividing the batter equally amongst them.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes until well risen and lightly browned. Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

Whisk together the glaze ingredients until you get a smooth drizzle. Spoon this drizzle over the warm muffins. Allow to set before serving. Store in an airtight container.

Over in The Cottage today, Grammy Woodworth's Molasses Cookies. (Delicious!)