Cherry Lemonade Donuts
Lemonade and cherry pieces give a light and refreshing flavor to these easy baked donuts.
Lemonade and cherry pieces give a light and refreshing flavor to these easy baked donuts.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- for the glaze
- sanding sugar
- for the donuts
- 2/3 cup plain greek yogurt
- 1/3 cup lemonade concentrate
- 3/4 cup chopped maraschino cherries (10 oz. jar)
- 5 tablespoons lemonade concentrate
- Carbohydrate 44.0057885524987 g
- Cholesterol 61.4656250188121 mg
- Fat 23.2345002155208 g
- Fiber 0.835572903180011 g
- Protein 0.99411062456223 g
- Saturated Fat 14.6578049524739 g
- Serving Size 1 1 -18 donut (118g)
- Sodium 1339.66602421413 mg
- Sugar 43.1702156493186 g
- Trans Fat 1.67609585466765 g
- Calories 375 calories
Step-by-step
- Cream the butter and sugars. Add the egg, vanilla, and yogurt and beat again.
- Sift together the baking powder, baking soda, and flour and add alternately with the lemonade concentrate. Gently stir in the cherries. Spoon the mixture into a plastic baggie and cut one tip off.
- Spray a donut pan with non stick spray. Fill the pans 1/2 way full with the donut batter. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 2-3 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Whisk together the powdered sugar and lemonade concentrate. Dip the tops of the cooled donuts in the glaze. Let the excess glaze drip off before setting back on the wire rack. Sprinkle with the sanding sugar. Let set. Store in a loosely sealed container on the counter or refrigerator. Makes 16-18 donuts.
Lemonade concentrate drives the flavor profile here, supplying both concentrated citrus acidity and high sugar content that requires careful management in baked goods. Acidic components react rapidly with chemical leaveners, meaning batters containing commercial concentrates must be baked immediately after mixing to capture maximum carbon dioxide release. Professional kitchens adjust scaling factors carefully when expanding or reducing batches containing dense mix-ins like fruit pieces, ensuring proportional distribution without overloading standard pans.
Scaling Batches Proportionally
Halving or doubling a pastry formula requires weighing ingredients in grams rather than relying on volumetric cups to maintain structural integrity. Butter and flour ratios shift unpredictably when halved using volumetric measurements, so convert components to a metric scale before adjusting yield. Standard donut pans require filling precisely halfway to allow proper central hole formation during the 375 degree Fahrenheit thermal rise. Overfilling seals the center opening, producing misshapen rounds that bake unevenly across the 12-minute window.Common Pitfalls and Glazing Mechanics
Excess moisture from improperly drained maraschino cherries remains the primary cause of soggy crumb structures in fruit-studded pastries. Blot chopped cherries thoroughly on paper towels before folding them gently into the batter at the very last stage. Cool baked rings on a wire rack for exactly three minutes before inversion; removing them prematurely causes tearing, while leaving them too long makes them stick permanently to greased indentations. Whisk the powdered sugar and citrus concentrate until completely smooth, dipping the tops once the pastry reaches room temperature to achieve a crisp, opaque finish.
