Anything pumpkin – I am here for it! And I assume you are too if you’re here now reading this! We made some delicious pumpkin donuts using our vanilla cake mix. We topped half of them with a maple glaze using our vanilla frosting mix and half topped with cinnamon sugar. They are both really tasty and easy to make. This recipe would also work well to make as muffins too!
Top 14 allergen free, gluten free and vegan. And of course require no eggs to bake.
Before we get started I want to know if you’re team maple glaze or cinnamon sugar?! (Honestly we are team both – we just can’t decide!)
The first step to making these donuts is to gather all your ingredients and supplies.
Pumpkin Donuts with a Maple Glaze or Cinnamon Sugar Topping
makes ~12-15 donuts
Donut Ingredients Needed:
- Kate’s Safe & Sweet Vanilla Cake Mix
- 2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1/4 cup of your safe Milk
- 15 oz Pumpkin Puree
- 1 tablespoon of your safe Oil
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
(above amounts are what is need to make a full batch of both. If you are making a smaller batch adjust ingredient measurements as needed.)
You may also use Chocolate Cake Mix for these as well!
Maple Glaze Ingredients Needed:
- 1 cup of Kate’s Safe and Sweet Vanilla Frosting Mix
- This is about 1/2 of the bag. You may make more or less if you would like to. We glazed 6 donuts with this amount.
- 2 tablespoons of your safe Butter
- 1/3 cup pure Maple Syrup
Cinnamon Sugar Topping Ingredients Needed:
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1/4 cup Sugar
*both of these amounts can be adjusted based on your taste preference
Tools Needed:
- Mixing bowl(s)
- Spatula
- Whisk
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring cups
- Stove
- Small Saucepan
- Donut Pan(s)
Our mixes are so versatile and we know you’re gonna love this!
Cake Mix Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray the donut pan(s) with the non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Stir together vinegar and milk. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, blend the cake mix, pumpkin puree, oil, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and vinegar and milk mixture together until smooth. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Pour batter into prepared donut pan. It is best to fill the pan cavities about 3/4 of the way full.
- Bake on middle rack as directed below until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. These are quick to bake so will take about 11-13 minutes.
- Remove pan from oven and place on a wire rack. Allow donuts to cool for about 5 minutes before removing from pan and placing directly on wire rack.
- If you are covering them with the cinnamon and sugar mixture make sure to do that while they are still hot to assure that it sticks. I give it about 5 minutes before coating them. See below for the directions on how to do this.
The easiest way to fill the donut pans with the batter is with a piping bag. Fill the piping bag and then snip the end off and pipe the bag into the donut pan.
While these are baking we like to make the maple glaze and the cinnamon sugar topping. Remember you can make these with glaze or not. We did half with glaze and half with cinnamon sugar.
Maple Glaze Instructions:
- Place safe butter and maple syrup in a small saucepan on stove. Using low heat them melt them together whisking occasionally. Once butter is melted remove from stove.
- Whisk in the vanilla frosting mix and up to one teaspoon at a time of your safe milk. Be sure not to add too much milk at a time – it won’t require much.
- Stir until it is throughly mixed and forms a glaze. Note: you’ll want the glaze to be thin but not really runny. Allow it to cool about 2-3 minutes.
- Dip the warm donuts into the icing and place them on a cooling rack so the excess icing drips down. Go ahead and do a double dip if you want!
Cinnamon Sugar Topping Instructions:
- Stir together cinnamon and sugar in a medium bowl. Set aside until ready to top.
- You can cover them in a bowl with the mixture or place the mixture in a zip lock back and shake them very gently to coat. If you are covering them with the glaze give them more time to cool down before glazing them.
Here is a look at these close-up the racks. So good!
Making both kinds of donuts was fun. When I told my children that they could only have one (because it was close to dinner time) they just couldn’t decide! One went for the glazed topped and the other the cinnamon sugar topped.
Both kids after dinner did decide that they wanted to try the other flavor. And I happily obliged.
Donuts are best eaten shortly after baking them and on the same day. If you are going to eat these the next day too I recommend storing in the fridge to extend the shelf life. If you want them to keep longer then you may freeze them and add the glaze after they have thawed.
What a delicious glaze this makes!
Nothing beats a cinnamon sugar topped donut – yum!
Hope you get this delicious recipe a try! Don’t forget to check out our entire selection of recipes here.
And if you do give these a try let us know what you think and if you’re team maple glaze or team cinnamon sugar!
