Jammy Strawberry Yoghurt Donuts

Baked donuts are a quick and fuss-free alternative to deep-frying. There’s no yeasted dough, kneading or extended proofing, just a straight forward mix of wet and dry ingredients. In keeping with tradition, these Jammy Strawberry Yoghurt Donuts have a delicate swirl of homemade strawberry jam laced through the batter. They smell like strawberry cream milkshakes and sweet summer breezes.

On busy weekday mornings when we’re short of time, my go-to breakfast is yoghurt with fresh fruit and homemade nutty granola. My girls love theirs whizzed into berry and banana smoothies. Besides being a regular at our breakfast table, there are heaps of ways to use yoghurt in cooking and baking. Adding yoghurt to cakes, loaves and muffins adds natural flavour and keeps bakes deliciously moist and fluffy. Over the next couple of weeks I’ll be sharing a few unpredictable but utterly charming desserts and baking recipes where yoghurt is the hero ingredient. I’m thrilled to be partnering with a household favourite Danone, using their super creamy range of full cream yoghurts. For today’s recipe we’re keeping it pretty and pink with the new NutriDay Full Cream Strawberry Yoghurt.

Yoghurt adds a slight tangy flavour to the donut sponge that keeps the sweetness of the glaze in check. For the batter, I’ve used a combination of butter and vegetable oil. Butter adds an unmistakable richness while the oil helps keep the donuts fresh for longer, although their longevity is questionable, as we’ve discovered. Some testers went back for a seconds, then thirds. If you don’t have a donut pan, a standard muffin tin will work equally well. For the muffin version, half fill the muffin tin with batter, dollop in a spoonful of strawberry jam, then cover with a little more batter. Bake for 20-22 minutes. As they come out the oven, brush the tops with melted butter and dust lightly in castor sugar. If you’re dunking your donuts and want a deeper colour shade, you may need to repeat with a second glaze dipping once the first coat has set. If you are plan on double dipping,  1 1/2 times the glaze quantity is a better bet.

Jammy Strawberry Yoghurt Donuts

Makes 16-18

Donut Batter

• 100g (1/2 cup less 1 tablespoon) castor sugar
• 80ml (1/3 cup) melted butter
• 45ml (3 tablespoons) vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 5ml (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract
• 125ml (1/2 cup) NutriDay Full Cream Strawberry Yoghurt
• 30ml (2 tablespoons) full cream milk
• 225g (1 1/2 cups) cake wheat flour (all-purpose flour)
• 5ml (1 teaspoon) baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• a pinch of salt
• 60ml (1/4 cup) strawberry jam

For the glaze

• 2 cups icing sugar, sifted
• 60-80ml (1/4 -1/3 cup) full cream milk
• light pink food colouring

1. Preheat the oven to 180º C. Lightly grease a donut ring pan.
2. Place the sugar, butter, oil, eggs, vanilla extract, NutriDay Strawberry Full Cream Yoghurt and milk in a large mixing bowl. Whisk well to combine.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt together. For an extra light texture, I usually sift the flour twice.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk to combine. The batter should be smooth. Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a plain round nozzle.
5. Pipe the batter into the donut pan, filling it two-thirds of the way up. Swirl a scant teaspoon of jam into each donut ring. Bake for 15 minutes. Rest in the tin for several minutes before turning out. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Wipe the donut pan out with paper towelling to remove any crumbs before filling with the remaining batter.
6. For the glaze, combine the sifted icing sugar and milk to form a smooth paste. Add a few drops of food colouring at a time, until you reach the desired shade. Dip the donuts in the glaze and allow the excess to drip off.  For a deeper shade, repeat with a second glaze coating once the first coat has set. If you’re double dipping, you may have to make 1 1/2 times the glaze quantity. Decorate with edible baubles or fresh petals before the glaze hardens.

For donut lovers, you may want to try your hand at these blog favourites:

Chewy no-bake mini donuts

Baked Speculaas donuts