Bet You Can’t Eat the Hole Thing!

Move over cupcake, there’s a new trendy dessert in town and her name is the donut. Don’t get me wrong — I like a good cupcake just like the next sweets-loving gal.

 

But I have been particularly excited to watch as the cupcake has been de-throned while the donut has taken over as the next “it” dessert.

 

Trendy, delicious donuts have been cropping up all over the country for the last few years. But you don’t need to venture out of your own kitchen to make awesome donuts.

 

Recently I got it into my head that I wanted to combine chocolate and halvah into a donut creation. I wanted to fry the donut, but my friend Danielle (a trained pastry chef) convinced me to consider a baked version. I was skeptical. But she was right, and I am embarrassed to admit how many of these donuts I managed to eat in one day.

 

Baked not fried, but every bit as decadent and delicious as their greasier fried cousin, these donuts were actually much easier to throw together than making a yeast dough and waiting to let them rise.

 

 

For the donuts:

1 cup flour

1⁄2 cup sugar

1⁄4 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp. instant espresso powder

1⁄2 tsp. cinnamon

1⁄2 tsp. baking soda

1⁄2 tsp. vanilla

1 egg

6 Tbsp. Greek yogurt (full fat)

1⁄4 cup milk

1⁄4 cup vegetable oil

For the glaze:

2⁄3 cup tahini

4 Tbsps. powdered sugar

3-4 Tbsps. milk

For topping:

crumbled halva pieces

sesame seeds and/or pearl sugar (optional)

 

Preheat oven to 375˚. Grease the donut pan.

 

Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, cinnamon and baking soda in a mixing bowl.

 

In another smaller bowl, whisk together the vanilla, egg, yogurt, milk and oil.

 

Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined; do not over-mix.

 

Spoon batter into greased donut pan.

 

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until tops spring back when you touch them.

 

While the donuts are baking, make the glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar, tahini and 2 tablespoons of milk. If glaze seems too thick, add another 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk.

 

Let the donuts cool in the pan for 10 minutes.

 

Remove and glaze immediately. Top with crumbled halva and sesame seeds if desired.

 

Makes 6 donuts.