Have you seen or tasted Matcha Donuts (抹茶ドーナツ) before? They are actually pretty popular in Japan. From matcha latte, and matcha tiramisu, to green tea KitKat and Pocky, the Japanese like to make sweets and desserts with matcha (green tea powder).
Well, I’m definitely not an exception; I’ve made cookies, ice cream, Crème Brûlée, and steamed cake with matcha on Just One Cookbook so far. And guess what, there will be more green tea dessert recipes coming up soon (call me matcha lady!).
We only eat donuts once in a while, like when there is a fundraising bake sale at my children’s school. We like good donuts but we haven’t quite found one that we love around where we live. In Japan, we love it when seasonal matcha donuts are available at Mr. Donuts!
I bought my donut pan a few months ago thinking that baked donuts are an easier alternative to make at home. Since there is no deep-frying, they are a little healthier too. Have you had baked donuts? They are pretty awesome! I actually didn’t think it was going to be so easy to make; otherwise, I would have tried baking these a long time ago.
Baked Donuts vs. Deep Fried Donuts
Since some of you might have not tried “baked” donuts yet, I thought I should quickly compare how different they are.
First of all, baked donuts will NOT taste the same as donuts right out of the deep fryer. Like how deep-fried fries are different from baked fries… but they are both good in their own ways.
The texture is more cake-like and moist. And you can skip the chocolate glaze if you prefer less sweet. I’m happy with just plain matcha donuts. Of course, my children have to have chocolate on theirs!
We needed to buy a donut pan (about $10) to make these donuts, but I think it’s a good small investment. Compared to fried donuts, it’s much easier and quicker to make baked donuts, not to mention they are fewer calories! The recipe is for 6 donuts so don’t worry about over-consuming! You can double or triple the amount you want to prepare easily with this recipe.
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Matcha Donuts
Ingredients
- ¾ cup cake flour (weigh your flour; for weights, click the Metric button above; or use the “fluff and sprinkle“ method and level it off; you can make homemade cake flour)
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp matcha (green tea powder) (1 Tbsp matcha is 6 g)
- 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell) (beaten)
- ⅓ cup whole milk
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter (melted)
- 1 Tbsp honey
For the Chocolate Glaze
- ¼ cup chocolate chips (I use semi-sweet chocolate chips, but white chocolate goes well, too!)
- sprinkles of your choice
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients. I highly encourage you to weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale for this recipe. For weights, click the Metric button at the top of the recipe to convert the measurements to metric. If you‘re using a cup measurement, please follow the “fluff and sprinkle“ method: Fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle the flour into your measuring cup, and level it off. Otherwise, you may scoop more flour than you need.
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF (220ºC). For a convection oven, reduce the cooking temperature by 25ºF (15ºC). Lightly coat your donut pan with cooking spray.
- To a large mixing bowl, add all the dry ingredients: ¾ cup cake flour, 2 Tbsp sugar, ½ tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and 1 Tbsp matcha (green tea powder)) and whisk to combine.
- To the same mixing bowl, add 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell) (beaten), ⅓ cup whole milk, 2 Tbsp unsalted butter (melted), and 1 Tbsp honey. Whisk until just incorporated. Don‘t overmix.
- Use a pastry bag fitted with a round tip (or a large Ziploc bag with one corner snipped off) to pipe the batter into the donut mold. Fill each mold about three-quarters full.
- Bake the donuts for 8 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean and the donuts spring back when you lightly press your finger into them. Let cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.
To Make the Glaze
- To make the chocolate glaze, melt ¼ cup chocolate chips in a double boiler. Alternatively, you can microwave the chocolate chips: Place the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir, and repeat. Microwave the chocolate in three 30-second intervals, stirring between each. When the chocolate is mostly melted and only a few tiny pieces remain, stop microwaving and mix at room temperature; the last few pieces will melt.
- Dip the cooled donuts into the melted chocolate and top with sprinkles of your choice. Enjoy!
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator for a day or two.
Nutrition
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