Description
Fluffy baked vanilla chai doughnuts with buttermilk and warm chai spices, topped with a sweet vanilla chai glaze. These easy no-fry chai spiced donuts are a quick bake, tender and flavourful.
Ingredients
Donut
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 3/4 tsp (3 g) baking powder
- 1/2 tsp (2.5 g) baking soda
- 1/4 tsp (1.5 g) salt
- 1.5 tsp (4.5 g) ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp (1.5 g) ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp (1.5 g) ground cardamom
- 1/4 tsp (0.75 g) ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp (0.3 g) ground black pepper
- 2 (100 g) large eggs
- 1 (18 g) large egg yolk
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) buttermilk
- 1/4 cup (56 g) unsalted butter (melted)
- 1.5 tsp (7.5 ml) vanilla extract
Vanilla Chai Glaze
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
- 3/4 tsp (2.25 g) ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp (0.75 g) ground cardamom
- 1/4 tsp (0.75 g) ground ginger
- 1/8 tsp (0.3 g) ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
- 2–3 tbsp (30–45 ml) milk
Chocolate Glaze (Optional)
- 100 g (3.5 oz) dark chocolate
- 1/4 cup (56 g) unsalted butter
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 190°C (375°F). Grease two donut pans.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, and black pepper.
- In a large bowl, mix the eggs, egg yolk, buttermilk, melted butter, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, stirring until just combined. Avoid overmixing to maintain a tender crumb. The batter will be thick.
- Scoop the batter onto a large piece of plastic wrap and form it into a log. Fold the top and bottom of the wrap around the batter horizontally so that it is covered. Grab both ends of the wrap firmly and spin the log of batter in a circular motion to tighten the ends. Cut one end of the log just before the batter and slide the log into a piping bag.
- Cut the tip of the piping bag roughly 3/4 the thickness of the donut shape in the pan. Pipe the batter into the greased donut pan, filling each cavity about 75% full. Use a lightly oiled spoon or spatula to evenly distribute the donut batter.
- Bake for 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the donuts comes out clean.
- Allow the donuts to cool in the pan for 5 minutes upside down on a cooling rack. Use a toothpick to gently remove the donuts from the pan.
- For the Vanilla Chai Glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, vanilla extract, and 2 tablespoons of milk until smooth. Adjust the consistency with more milk or powdered sugar as needed.
- For the Chocolate Glaze: In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine the dark chocolate and butter. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring after each, until completely melted and smooth.
- Dip each cooled donut into the glaze, allowing any excess to drip off.
- Let the glaze set for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
Don’t overmix! This is the golden rule for tender baked goods. Stir the batter only until the dry ingredients are just incorporated; a few lumps are totally fine. Overmixing develops gluten, leading to tough doughnuts.
No piping bag? No problem! A large zip-top bag with one corner snipped off works perfectly. Just make sure the opening is wide enough for the thick batter.
The ideal glaze consistency is thick enough to coat the doughnut but thin enough to drip a little. If it’s too thick, add a tiny splash more milk; too thin, stir in a bit more powdered sugar.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Category: Donuts
- Method: Baking