With their brilliant orange color, pleasingly moist texture, and delightful pumpkin flavor, these baked (not fried) pumpkin doughnuts are the perfect on-the-go breakfast for a crisp autumn day.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two standard doughnut pans. If you don't have doughnut pans, you can bake these in a standard muffin pan; they just won't be shaped like doughnuts.
To make the batter: In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the oil, eggs, sugar, pumpkin, spices, salt, and baking powder until smooth.
Add the flour, stirring just until smooth.
Fill the wells of the doughnut pans about three-quarters full; use a scant 1/4 cup of batter in each well. If you're making muffins, fill each well about three-quarters; the recipe makes about 15 muffins, so you'll need to bake in two batches (unless you have two muffin pans).
Bake the pumpkin doughnuts for 15 to 18 minutes, or until a toothpick or sharp knife inserted into the center of one comes out clean. If you're making muffins, bake them for 23 to 25 minutes or until they test done.
Remove the pumpkin doughnuts from the oven, and after about 5 minutes, loosen their edges, and transfer them to a rack to cool.
To coat: While the pumpkin doughnuts are still warm (but no longer fragile), gently shake them in a bag with the cinnamon sugar. If you've made muffins, sprinkle their tops heavily with cinnamon sugar. Only coat the number of doughnuts that will be consumed that same day; otherwise, they'll get soggy.
Storage information: Cool completely, and store any untopped pumpkin doughnuts at room temperature for several days. Don't wrap them tightly in plastic; store them on a plate covered with a cake cover; or in a plastic bag that's not fastened shut. Add cinnamon-sugar coating just before serving.
Want to make these doughnuts with King Arthur Unbleached Self-Rising Flour? Reduce the salt to 1/2 teaspoon; omit the baking powder, and substitute 2 cups (8 ounces) self-rising flour for the all-purpose flour. Bake the doughnuts for about 18 minutes.
Want to make this recipe gluten-free? For great results, substitute King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour for the all-purpose flour in this recipe. Be sure to bake thoroughly; gluten-free baked goods often need a bit more time in the oven.
Can you make this batter into doughnut holes? Yes! Portion the batter into a lightly greased mini muffin pan or doughnut hole pan, filling the wells about 3/4 full; a teaspoon cookie scoop works well here. Bake in a preheated 425°F oven for 7 to 8 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the doughnut holes comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs. Remove from the oven, let the holes cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then toss them in cinnamon-sugar. Repeat with the remaining batter. Yield: about 5 1/2 dozen doughnut holes.
