I love the fall season, mainly because it means pumpkins are in season and I can make some of my most favorite desserts, among them these delicious and moist pumpkin cake donuts. But why wait for fall to enjoy these sweet treats? With canned pumpkin puree readily available, you can make these donuts whenever you like. Why not bake up a batch today? I think you’ll like it.

This recipe makes about 4 dozen donuts. The ingredients below can easily be cut in half. I usually don’t, however. Half of my family likes cinnamon sugar coated donuts, the other half likes chocolate glaze. This way, there’s enough donuts to please everyone.

Donut Ingredients: • 1 cup vegetable oil • 6 large eggs • 3 cups sugar • 2 cans (15-oz) pure pumpkin pureé (do not use pumpkin pie filling) • 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice • 2 teaspoons cinnamon • 1 tablespoon salt • 1 tablespoon baking powder • 3 & 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Coating Ingredients: • 1/2 cup white sugar • 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Frosting Ingredients: • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips • 4 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions: 1. Preheat your donut maker.

2. Place all of the donut ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Add the oil…

Add the eggs… (The photo below shows only 5 eggs; I only had 2 large eggs and the rest were extra large, so I used 3 extra large and 2 large eggs instead of 6 large eggs.)

Add the pumpkin…

Add the cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking powder…

Add the sugar…

And finally, add the flour to the bowl.

3. Mix with a whisk until you create a smooth batter.

4. Spoon the batter into the wells of your donut maker, filling according to manufacturer’s instructions. I use a small cookie scoop to fill my donut maker with about 2 tablespoons of batter. (Hey, look! I captured my reflection in the cookie scoop!)

5. Bake per your donut maker’s instructions, or until the donuts feel slightly firm to the touch, about 5 minutes. Remove the donuts from the donut maker.

6. Coat the donuts: To coat with Cinnamon Sugar: Place the coating ingredients in a ziplock bag; shake to mix. While the donuts are still warm, place each donut (one at a time) the bag of cinnamon sugar; shake gently to coat. Repeat until all donuts are coated.

To coat with Chocolate Glaze: Place the chocolate chips and heavy cream in a small, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 45 seconds. Stir until the mixture is completely smooth. Dip the top half of each donut into the chocolate glaze. Place on a wire rack to allow excess chocolate to drip off.

“My name is Annie. Food and I get along so well! Cooking and baking are more than a hobby for me – they’re a passion. I come from the beautiful island of Guam, U.S.A. The recipes you’ll find here are my creations, or those of my children, who are also budding foodies. I hope you like them. Drop me a comment or two to let me know how you like our island and other delicacies. Enjoy!”

- Annette Merfalen

Step into Annie’s Chamorro Kitchen via Facebook. Search for: “Annie’s Chamorro Kitchen”

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