These are baked cake doughnuts made with 1½ cups of pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, finished with a cinnamon sugar coating applied while they’re still warm. The whole batch — 18 doughnuts — takes about 40 minutes, no yeast, no hot oil. If you have a doughnut pan and a can of pumpkin puree sitting in the pantry, this is a genuinely easy weekend bake.
Why this recipe works
Two things make this recipe reliable. First, the high ratio of pumpkin puree — 1½ cups — does double duty: it adds real flavour and replaces most of the fat you’d need in a standard cake batter, which is why canola oil is kept to just half a cup. Second, the cinnamon sugar coating is applied while the doughnuts are still warm. The residual heat from the doughnut slightly melts the sugar against the surface, so it sets into a thin crust rather than just sitting as loose powder. That crust is what gives you the contrast between the coating and the soft crumb inside. Let the doughnuts cool completely before coating and you lose that effect.
Substitutions that actually work
- Pumpkin puree: Canned butternut squash puree works as a straight swap — same texture, slightly milder flavour. Homemade pumpkin puree works too, but drain it in a fine mesh strainer for 20 minutes first if it looks watery; excess moisture will make the doughnuts gummy.
- Canola oil: Any neutral vegetable oil works. Melted coconut oil is fine but adds a faint coconut note. Skip olive oil — the flavour is too strong here.
- Brown sugar: If you’re out, use all granulated sugar. The doughnuts will be slightly less moist and the flavour a little flatter, but they’ll still work. You can also make brown sugar by mixing 1 cup granulated sugar with 1 tablespoon molasses.
- Individual spices: If you have a jar of pumpkin pie spice, use 1¼ teaspoons in place of the cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger combined — skip the extra cinnamon in the coating and just use plain sugar, or the cinnamon flavour gets heavy.
- Piping bag: A sturdy zip-top bag with one corner snipped works just as well — skip the garnish of a proper piping tip, not worth the extra equipment.
What can go wrong
- Doughnuts stick to the pan: Non-stick coating alone isn’t enough here — the sugar in the batter makes these prone to sticking. Grease every well thoroughly, including the centre post, before each batch. If a doughnut tears coming out, the pan wasn’t greased enough.
- Uneven baking across batches: The pan heats up between batches, so your second and third rounds may bake faster than the first. Start checking at 12 minutes from the second batch onward rather than waiting the full 13–16 minutes.
- Coating won’t stick: This happens when the doughnuts have cooled too much before coating. Work quickly — coat each doughnut within the first 10 minutes out of the oven. If a batch cools before you get to it, a very light brush of melted butter on the surface will help the sugar adhere.
- Dense, gummy crumb: Usually caused by over-mixing after the dry ingredients go in. Once you start folding, stop as soon as the flour streaks disappear. A few extra stirs past that point develops gluten and tightens the texture noticeably.
- Flat tops with no spring: This means the baking powder is old. Test it by dropping half a teaspoon into hot water — if it doesn’t bubble immediately, buy a new tin before you bake.
Pumpkin Doughnuts with Cinnamon Sugar Coating
Ingredients
Pumpkin Donuts Ingredients
- 3¾ tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1¾ teaspoons baking powder level
- 1¼ teaspoons salt
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup brown sugar packed light
- ½ cup canola oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1½ cups pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- as needed butter for greasing
Coating Ingredients
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F / 175°C (160°C fan-forced). Grease the wells of a non-stick doughnut pan with butter or non-stick cooking spray.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger until evenly combined. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the granulated sugar and brown sugar, breaking up any lumps of brown sugar with your fingers. Add the canola oil, eggs, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract. Beat with a hand mixer on medium speed for 1–2 minutes until smooth and well combined. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a spatula, stirring just until no streaks of flour remain — do not over-mix. Transfer the batter to a piping bag or large zip-top bag with one corner snipped off, and pipe into the prepared doughnut wells, filling each about ¾ full.
- Bake at 350°F / 175°C (160°C fan-forced) for 13–16 minutes, or until the tops spring back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted into the thickest part comes out clean. Allow the doughnuts to cool in the pan for 3–5 minutes before carefully turning them out. You will need to bake in 3 batches of 6 with a standard 6-cavity doughnut pan.
- While the doughnuts are still warm, add the coating sugar and cinnamon to a large resealable plastic bag and shake to combine. Place one warm doughnut at a time into the bag, seal, and gently shake until evenly coated. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and repeat with the remaining doughnuts. Allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container at room temperature.
Nutrition
Frequently asked questions
Can I make these without a doughnut pan?
You can’t replicate the shape without the pan, but the batter bakes well as muffins in a standard 12-cup tin — fill each cup about two-thirds full and bake at the same temperature for 16–19 minutes. The cinnamon sugar coating still works on warm muffins; just roll them gently in the sugar mixture instead of shaking in a bag.
Can I use pumpkin pie filling instead of plain pumpkin puree?
No — pumpkin pie filling is pre-sweetened and already spiced, and using it will throw off both the sugar balance and the spice levels in this recipe. Plain canned pumpkin puree is the one ingredient worth checking the label on before you open the can.
How long do these keep, and can I freeze them?
Stored in an airtight container at room temperature, they stay soft for up to three days. For freezing, skip the cinnamon sugar coating, freeze the plain baked doughnuts in a single layer, then transfer to a bag once solid — they keep well for up to two months. Thaw at room temperature and coat in cinnamon sugar while they’re still slightly warm from a quick 10-second microwave.
More recipes to try
- Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes
- Fluffy Cinnamoroll Milk Bread Cinnamon Rolls
- Slow-Cooked Spiced Apple Butter
- Ultimate Banana Bread
