Name: Chocolate Orange Baked Donuts
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 37 min
Ingredients: 175 g Caster sugar; 30 ml Vegetable oil; 175 ml Milk (cow's or plant milk will both work); 2 Eggs (large); 25 g Cocoa powder; 200 g Self raising flour; 1 tsp Orange extract; Butter or baking spread (for greasing); 225 g Icing sugar; 2 tsp Orange extract; 3 tbsp Water (you may not need it all); Orange food colouring; 12 Terry's Chocolate Orange segments

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I love making baked donuts and I've made several flavours already on my blog. I can't believe it's taken me so long to do Chocolate Orange Baked Donuts as chocolate orange is one of my favourite ever combinations! These Chocolate Orange Baked Donuts feature a chocolate orange sponge, orange icing and of course a piece of Terry's Chocolate Orange on top. They are moist, fruity, sweet and so delicious!

Ingredient Tips & Equipment Information

Make sure your ingredients, particularly the eggs, are at room temperature before you start baking.
You can use a different type of oil besides vegetable oil. I'd recommend one that doesn't have a strong flavour, canola and sunflower oil would both work well.
If you can't get hold of orange extract (it is sold in most supermarkets and online) you can use the zest of one orange in the donuts instead.
For the best results use a professional grade food colouring to colour the glaze. These types of food colouring provide excellent colour results, they are also easily available for purchase online. My favourite brands are Pro Gel and Sugarflair. Other good quality brands are Colour Mill and Americolor.
You could make extra glaze and dip the whole top half of the donuts into it. Or you could melt some chocolate orange segments and drizzle the chocolate over the donuts.
The donut batter is very wet, so I recommend using a piping bag or a jug to pour it into the tin.
You will need a 12 hole donut pan (or two 6 hole donut pans) to make this recipe. Check the recommend equipment section for a link to the one I use.
Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.

For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.

How to make Chocolate Orange Baked Donuts

Start by mixing together the caster sugar, milk, oil, orange extract, and eggs. Then add the self raising flour and cocoa powder. Put the batter into a piping bag or jug and then divide it between the tins.

Bake for 12 minutes, then remove from the tin and leave them to cool. Make the glaze by mixing together the icing sugar, water, orange extract and orange food colouring. Put the glaze into a piping bag and pipe it onto each donut, then while it is still wet, add a piece of Terry's chocolate orange on top of each donut. Leave to set.

Do you need a donut tin to make this recipe?

The simple answer is yes! I highly recommend investing in a donut tin* (or two!), they are not expensive and they’re easy to obtain from Amazon, plus there are so many yummy baked donut recipes on my website that you’ll be able to make with them!

Can you make the donuts with plain/all purpose flour?

Self raising flour, which is very commonly used in the UK where I am based, already contains a raising agent and a little salt too. Therefore if you want to swap it for plain or all purpose flour, you will need to add some additional baking powder and also a little salt if you like. Some people like to add salt to cake recipes and some don't, so I'll leave that up to you as it won't affect the bake. The general advice is to add 2 teaspoons baking powder (a measuring teaspoon, not the kind you stir your coffee with) per every 200g plain or all purpose flour. So for this recipe you'd need to add 2 teaspoons baking powder. Please note, I have not tested this recipe using plain or all purpose flour.

How long do baked donuts last for and can they be frozen?

Although baked donuts will last for a few days if stored in an airtight container in a cool place, they are best the day they're made. You can freeze the donuts without any of the decoration. Wrap them up well, with a small square of baking paper between each donut so they don't stick together, and freeze for up to 3 months.

Can the donuts be made gluten or dairy free?

Yes, to make these donuts gluten free, replace the self raising flour with a gluten free self raising flour blend. If you only have a gluten free plain flour blend, you will need to add baking powder. The general advice is to add 2 tsp baking powder per 200g flour, so for this recipe you'd need to add 2 teaspoons baking powder. You may also like to add ¼ tsp Xanthan Gum for better texture. They can easily be made dairy free by using a plant based milk. Make sure to also grease the donut tins with a dairy free butter.

How do you remove the donuts from the tin?

I use a spoon to gently loosen them around the edges and prise them out of the tin. If you are using a non stick tin and you have greased it well with butter, then they should just pop out with ease.

Do you need an electric mixer to make this recipe?

No, I actually never use an electric mixer to make this recipe as it's so quick and easy to do by hand. The dry ingredients and wet ingredients can be quickly combined with a hand whisk, and it is better to do it this way to avoid over m

Troubleshooting

If you have any questions about this recipe, or if something went wrong and you need help, please use the comment form below and I will get back to you. You can also get in touch with me on my Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. I'd love to hear from you!

Recommended equipment & ingredients*

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