It Pays to Glaze: A Mickey Mouse-Inspired Treat for National Donut Day

Apple Mickey Donut!
Apple Mickey Donut!

Happy National Donut Day! Ready to add a little whimsy to your fare? Turn a batch of homemade cider donuts into chocolate-dipped Mickey Mouse treats. Because the donuts are baked instead of fried, there's no hot oil involved, making this a great recipe for kids to help prepare. They'll also get a kick out of glazing the "faces" and "ears.

Cake Ingredients:
Baked donut pan (lightly greased)
Mini muffin pan for making donut "holes" (lightly greased)
2 mixing bowls
Whisk and wooden spoon
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon & 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup apple cider & 1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons canola oil & 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cooling rack

Glaze Ingredients:
Chocolate
Small heavy saucepan
Whisk
6 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour, 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
Bowl of medium hot water (to set the pan of finished glaze on)
Wooden kitchen skewer

Related: 14 awesome cake recipes that won't disappoint

Directions:

1. To make the donuts, heat the oven to 325 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set the bowl aside for now.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, cider, brown sugar, buttermilk, canola oil, and vanilla extract.

3. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until the batter is evenly blended.

4. Fill the donut cups (for the Mickey faces) and the mini muffin cups (for Mickey ears) three quarters of the way. Bake the donuts and donut "hole" muffins until they spring back when you touch them, about 8 to 10 minutes.

5. Let the donuts and donut holes cool in the pan slightly before transferring them to a cooling rack.

6. Now make the glaze by combining the butter, milk, corn syrup, and vanilla extract in a small heavy saucepan. Heat the pan over medium heat until the butter melts. Add the chocolate and stir until it is all melted. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the confectioners' sugar until the glaze is smooth.

7. Set the pan over a bowl of medium hot water to keep the glaze fluid. Immediately dip the donuts halfway into the glaze and place them on a wax paper covered tray. Next, dip each donut hole by pushing it onto the end of a wooden kitchen skewer and submerging it in the chocolate (Tip: Use a fork to push it off the skewer and onto the tray once it's glazed.). Allow the glaze on the donuts to set up (30 minutes or so).

8. At serving time, place each whole donut on a plate and set two of the donut holes in place (at the top of the donut) for ears.

-By Cindy Littlefield

For 9 more homemade donut recipes to drool over, visit Spoonful!

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