Hello hello hello! I just got back from New York yesterday! I feel like Tieghan from Half Baked Harvest when I say that, I feel like she’s always going to New York. But anyway I was there from Thursday-Monday, and I am VERY happy to be home. I see the appeal with all the shops and attractions but it is just far too crowded for me to handle.
While I was there however, I ate some pretty tasty food. I feel all inspired now, especially since I just had a baking break for five days. I got this Italian Cookbook while I was there, and I made a cake from it earlier today. Very tasty I must say.
As I’m writing this (very last minute because I do love to procrastinate) it is dark and stormy outside and I’m testing some fall recipes in the kitchen. I even have jeans and a sweater on. I am HEAVILY in the fall feels. I want to write about all that coziness, but this post is about a summer recipe.
I tested this recipe about a month ago and it has been sitting in my drafts waiting to be posted. I feel like it’s a perfect recipe for summer because it has both peaches and lemons, things that grocery stores are currently flooding with.
Describe These Donuts to me
Taste: The outside of these donuts is a lovely sweet vanilla sugar, which compliments the less sweet baked donut. The peaches offer their own unique flavor, emphasized by the lemon zest and buttery batter. It all mixes so perfectly for a summer treat!
Texture: You might think the peaches would make these donuts rubbery or soggy, but they don’t! These are perfectly soft and fluffy on the inside, and have a little crunch on the outside from that vanilla sugar.
Ease: These have a couple more steps than some baked donut recipes, but still aren’t very time consuming or difficult. Just make sure you leave time to cook down those peaches and let them cool before you add them in the batter.
Are These Soggy?
Nope! That wouldn’t be very tasty. When I first started testing this recipe, my biggest concern was that these would be flat, soggy, and rubbery. And on my first attempt, they were. But I made a few very important changes which fixed that up right away. First of all, we cook down the peaches with a little brown sugar and lemon juice. This not only concentrates the peach flavor, but it also removes a bunch of excess liquid that we don’t want. The second big thing to guarantee a soft donut is whipping egg whites. This adds air to the the batter, making these fluffy and soft.
The Batter
Aside from the peaches and whipped egg whites, this is a pretty standard batter. It’s got all the usual stuff, flour, baking powder and soda, eggs, vanilla and milk. We use one of my favorite baking tricks, which is mushing the lemon zest into the granulated sugar. This releases those flavorful oils in the zest, bringing out the best natural lemon flavor. And make sure to use salted butter for this recipe, as it provides the perfect contrast to the peaches.
The Vanilla Sugar
I debated between a sugar coating and a glaze for these in my head, but once the donuts came out of the oven it was pretty clear sugar was the way to go. It provides a little variety in texture with a little crunch on the outside. Plus, the donuts themselves aren’t very sweet so it really helps even everything out. It’s simple to throw together, just sugar and vanilla bean paste.
Oh one last thing! It’s best that you eat these on the first day as they do tend to get a little wet and rubbery as they age. This is unavoidable with peaches as they are very full of moisture. But I promise you won’t have a problem with finishing them all on day one!
Peach and Lemon Baked Donuts with Vanilla Sugar
Ingredients
Method
- In a medium sized saucepan over medium heat, bring the peaches, brown sugar, and lemon juice to a slow boil. Boil lightly for 10 minutes or until thickened and reduced. You should have about 1 cup of peaches. Place in a bowl and chill for 30 minutes before beginning on the batter.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and grease a 12 count donut pan. Make sure you grease all sides of the cavities, or else the donuts will stick.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the butter, brown sugar, egg yolks, lemon zest, vanilla, milk, and cooled peach mixture. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth.
- In a medium sized bowl whisking by hand or using a mixer, whip the egg whites to stiff peaks. This will take about 2 minutes with a mixer, and close to 4 by hand. Carefully fold the egg whites into the batter, trying not to deflate it too much.
- Pour the batter into a large piping bag fitted with a round tip (you can spoon the batter into the pan if you don't have a piping bag, but I find piping it is the most efficient). Fill almost all the way to the top of each donut cup. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean and the tops of the donuts are set and lightly browned.
- In a large shallow bowl, rub the vanilla bean paste into the granulated sugar until evenly moistened and combined.
- Once donuts are baked, immediately invert them onto a wire cooling rack. Then toss the hot donuts in the sugar. You may need to rub the sugar onto them so it sticks. It's important the donuts are hot when you do this, or the sugar won't stick. Return sugar coated donuts to the rack to cool completely, or enjoy warm after 10 minutes!
- Donuts will get a little soggy over time because of the peaches, so I recommend eating them on the first day!