Carrot cake ‘doughnuts’
Makes: 6, roughly 8cm round doughnuts
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time: 
Recipe by Jenna LeiterPhotograph by Ria Osborne
Carrot cake ‘doughnuts’
Makes: 6, roughly 8cm round doughnuts
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time: 
See more recipes
Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
332Kcal
Fat
21gr
Saturates
9gr
Carbs
31gr
Sugars
23gr
Fibre
2gr
Protein
5gr
Salt
0.5gr
Sainsbury's magazine
Our team of trained chefs and skilled food writers love cooking up everything from innovative seasonal recipes or clever shortcuts, to step-by-step guides and classic recipes for friends and readers alike.
Sainsbury's magazine
Our team of trained chefs and skilled food writers love cooking up everything from innovative seasonal recipes or clever shortcuts, to step-by-step guides and classic recipes for friends and readers alike.
Ingredients
- 75ml semi-skimmed milk
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 50g butter
- 75g wholemeal flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- a generous grating of nutmeg
- a pinch of ground cloves
- 50g caster sugar
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 75g carrot, coarsely grated
- 25g walnut pieces, finely chopped
- vegetable oil for greasing the tin
For the maple cream cheese frosting:
- 50g cream cheese, at room temperature
- 15g unsalted butter, softened
- 40g icing sugar
- 2 tsp maple syrup
For the candied walnuts:
- 25g walnuts, chopped
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- a large pinch of ground cinnamon
Step by step
Get ahead
Make the doughnut cakes the day before, then ice and decorate the next day before serving. The uniced cakes can be frozen.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. In a small bowl, mix together the milk and lemon juice (it will look slightly curdled). Melt the butter in a small saucepan and pour into a medium bowl to cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves with a pinch of salt. Set aside.
-
Whisk the sugar, maple syrup and egg into the melted butter until evenly combined. Add the milk/lemon mixture.TipYou'll have to invest in a doughnut pan for this recipe, but it will be well worth it! Baked doughnuts are healthier and quicker to make than the deep-fried version, plus you won't have that fried smell in your kitchen or loads of used oil to get rid of.
- Add the carrots, walnuts and the wet ingredients to the dry mix and stir together until just combined. Try not to overmix, as this will create a dense dough.
- Grease a 6-hole, nonstick doughnut pan with some vegetable oil. Spoon the batter into a large piping bag with a 1cm nozzle and pipe evenly into the pan so each mould is about two thirds full.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes. Allow the doughnuts to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Meanwhile, make the frosting. Combine the cream cheese, butter, icing sugar and maple syrup in a small bowl and whisk together until smooth.
-
For the candied walnuts, mix the chopped walnuts with the oil, sugar and cinnamon. Spread on a lined baking tray and bake for 8-10 minutes until golden. Leave to cool, then finely chop.
- Once the doughnuts have cooled, ice the top of each one with the frosting using a small palette knife and decorate with the candied walnuts.
