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Hard to believe these super-tasty, homemade Pumpkin Cake Donuts are baked instead of fried in oil. The recipe ingredients are pretty simple to mix together & in the end you’ll get moist, fluffy cake donuts that are irresistibly cinnamon pumpkin-spiced and perfect for Fall and breakfast!

Toss them in luscious cinnamon and sugar topping, powdered sugar or finish with a simple cinnamon maple glaze — you can’t go wrong! Delicious pumpkin spices make this a real treat and we’re ready for it! These Easy Baked Apple Donuts and Delectable Glazed Blueberry Donuts are also Fall inspired!

Why We Love These Baked Pumpkin Cake Donuts

Who doesn’t love donuts? Now imagine donuts made with pumpkin and spice and everything nice – that’s right, we’re talking about pumpkin cake donuts! Bake up a batch of these delicious donuts and enjoy the incredible fall flavors of pumpkin spice including cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.

You’ll need a donut pan to make actual donut shapes. We are making a thick batter for our donuts, so there is no rolling out dough and making donuts with a donut cutter.

We will be piping the dough into our donut pans and it’s super easy, once you get the hang of it! You can choose between a mini donut pan or regular sized donut pan.

I love baked donuts, like these Oreo Chocolate Cake Donuts, these Red Velvet Cake Donuts and these Glazed Fluffy Chocolate Donuts! What’s your favorite?

What Kind of Pumpkin To Use

Canned pumpkin puree is a pantry staple for me, especially for the holidays. It adds the pretty pumpkin flavor and beautiful orange color to these awesome donuts. Once the pumpkin donuts are baked, they have the perfect cakey texture I love when I bite into them! My fave!

I especially like them with the Buttery Cinnamon and Sugar Topping! Or do I like them better with the Cinnamon Maple Glaze? Enquiring minds want to know, right?

Ingredients You Need

Baked Pumpkin Spice Cake Donut Recipe

all-purpose flour
baking powder
pumpkin pie spice
salt
baking soda
granulated sugar
brown sugar
vegetable or canola oil
eggs
canned pumpkin puree
vanilla extract

Cinnamon Sugar Topping

granulated sugar
ground cinnamon
unsalted butter, melted

Cinnamon Maple Glaze

powdered sugar
maple syrup
ground cinnamon
heavy cream or milk
Pinch of salt

How to Make Baked Pumpkin Spice Cake Donuts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a donut pan with nonstick spray or Baker’s Joy. Set aside.
In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking soda, set aside.
Using mixer, beat granulated sugar, brown sugar and oil on medium-high until well combined, about a minute.
Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well combined.
Beat in pumpkin and vanilla until just combined.
Gradually add flour mixture to sugar mixture at low speed, beating just until incorporated. You should have a nice, thick batter.
Using a piping bag fitted with a round piping tip or a large Ziplock bag with the corner cut off, pipe the batter evenly into the donut pan.
Place into oven and bake for 10-11 minutes for regular sized donuts and 5-6 minutes for mini donuts or until donuts are slightly browned and spring back when touched.

How to Make Cinnamon Sugar Topping

Cinnamon Sugar Topping

In a medium bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar and cinnamon.
When the donuts are done, cool for 10 minutes and brush the tops with butter, gently tossing in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Place the donuts on a wire rack and serve donuts warm or at room temperature.

How to Make Cinnamon Maple Glaze

Cinnamon Maple Glaze

Cool the baked pumpkin donuts on a wire rack.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, heavy cream or milk and pinch of salt together.
Dip donut tops into the glaze and place them back on wire rack until glaze has set.
Place in fridge for quick glaze set. Serve.

Baked Pumpkin Cake Donut Tips

Spray your donut pan! I love using Baker’s Joy. If you’ve never tried it, it works better than any manual greasing and flouring pans and no mess. If you don’t have a donut pan, you can use muffin pans.
Use a piping bag to fill your donut molds. Piping the batter into a pastry bag or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off makes adding the batter into the donut molds a breeze!
Fill the donut molds with the donut batter to the top. The donuts will have a nicer, rounder shape if you do this, instead of sad looking thin donuts with a large hole in the middle.
Do not overbake your donuts. For best results, just check your donuts for doneness a minute or two before the recommended baking time is up. Since baked donuts sometimes become dry, when you test them, you want to have a few moist crumbs attached to your toothpick after poking it into the center of the donut. That way the donuts will remain moist and fluffy.
Sugared toppings are best added while the donuts are still hot from the oven. The hot steam from the donuts is released and helps the sugar stick to the outsides of the donuts. I like to double dip them. However, if you are brushing them with melted butter, then rolling them in sugar and cinnamon, like I did, the donuts do not have to be hot out of the oven. The cinnamon sugar will stick to the melted butter just fine.
Glazes and frostings should be added when the donuts are completely cool. Cool the donuts on a wire rack.

These tasty donut treats can be prepared and baked in less than 20 minutes if you’re in a rush! Who doesn’t love freshly baked donuts right from the oven, especially when they include pumpkin!

This pumpkin donut recipe is perfect breakfast, snack or fall donuts that everyone loves! Can you feel the pumpkin vibes? Don’t forget the Homemade Pumpkin Spice Syrup & Pumpkin Spice Latte! Check out these 3 Easy Halloween Cupcake Ideas too!

More Glorious Pumpkin & Donut Ideas!