Blueberry and Cardamom Baked Donuts

This week-end, Canadians were rejoicing the return of NHL hockey.  I, however, was busy ignoring those overpaid babies and was up to my elbows in donuts!   I finally broke in my new Wilton baked donut pan...with great success! 

There is a moment in every person's life when they realize that they are/aren't a person who can handle a crisis.  My moment came when I heated the oil too hot for my Risotto Croquettes and it came to the point of nearly igniting.  I ran around freaking out and literally waving my hands in the air while my boyfriend calmly put on the pot lid and put the pot outside.  Wow.  Definitely NOT a calm person under pressure.  I shudder to think what I would be like as a contestant on the Amazing Race.

Because of my post-traumatic stress and new found fear of spontaneously combusting oil, I would never dream of making donuts....until I recently realized that you can make an oil-free, healthier version which involves baking them.  MUCH more up my alley!

I didn't realize how easy baked donuts are to make.  The batter for these donuts came together in a matter of minutes, and they don't take long at all to bake.  Where have these things been all my life?

I was really winging it with this recipe, but the donuts turned out great!  They were light, fluffy, and mildly sweet (mostly from the cardamom-sugar topping), which is nice.  I wouldn't say this is the same texture as a Krispy Kreme donut, but I liked it just fine.

The cardamom flavor is great...kind of peppery but without the bite, which adds a really nice dimension to these donuts.  The blueberry flavors weren't as strong, but when you hit a blueberry it was very nice.  I would like to try these with fresh as opposed to frozen blueberries...maybe once summer hits.  Sadly I will be waiting a loooong time.

Blueberry & Cardamom Baked Donuts (makes 12)

• 2 cups cake flour, sifted 
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 cup of blueberries (if frozen, 1 cup after thawing and draining excess juice on paper towel)

• 3 tbsp butter, melted
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom

Recipe adapted from Wilton.

Preheat oven to 425 F.  In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom and salt.  In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, eggs and melted butter.  Mix liquid ingredients into dry ingredients until just combined.  Stir in blueberries.

Spoon mixture into a greased donut pan (2/3 of the way full).  Bake 7-9 minutes until tops of donuts spring back when touched.  Allow donuts to cool around 5 minutes in the pan before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

For topping:  Melt butter and set aside.  In a small bowl combine sugar and cardamom.  Brush top of a donut with melted butter.  Roll donut in cardamom-sugar mixture to coat the top.  Repeat with the rest of the donuts.

Note: these donuts are best served fresh!