Spice Donuts
These donuts are baked in a pan with 6 donut molds like this one. I call them spice donuts because they have the cinnamon-y and clove-y taste of the typical spice cakes you expect in fall, but with a bit of a twist.
I add cardamom, whose peppery citrus flavor is often paired with cinnamon and has played a prominent role in Scandinavian baking since the Vikings brought it back from Asia 1000 years ago (like in these traditional buns). You can also find it in Kulich, a Russian Easter bread (x). In its native western India it’s used in a variety of sweet and savory dishes - perhaps most famously as an integral component of the spice blend garam masala - and it’s a popular addition to coffee throughout the Middle East.
I also add Chinese 5 spice for a subtly sweet licorice note and a bit of heat. Typically, Chinese 5 spice is comprised of fennel, cloves, star anise, Szechuan peppercorns, and cinnamon. It really just lends the donut a HINT of licorice; I don’t like licorice by itself at all and I love these donuts. Most people who try them say “Oooh there’s something in here that I like but I can’t put my finger on it” rather than “Oh these def have licorice in them.”
Recipe:
1 1/4 cups flour 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 2/3 cup oil 1/2 cup buttermilk 1 egg 1/2 tsp vanilla 1/2 tsp cardamom 1/2 tsp ground allspice 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp cloves 1/4 tsp black pepper 1/4 tsp Chinese 5 spice
Sift all the dry ingredients. Mix the wet ingredients together and add to the dry. Pipe into donut tins and bake at 177C/350F for 10-12 minutes.












