Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins

Baked muffins rolled in butter and cinnamon sugar, like an old-fashioned donut.

Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Total Time40 mins
Yield12 muffins
Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins
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Before You Start

These taste like a cake donut because of nutmeg, which is the spice almost every donut shop uses and almost no home baker thinks of. Dip them the moment they leave the tin, while they are hot enough for the butter to soak in and the sugar to cling.

Instructions

0 of 6 done

  1. Heat the oven to 190°C / 375°F and grease a 12-hole muffin tin well. Skip the paper cases here; you want the sides exposed so they can be coated.

  2. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl.

  3. In a jug, whisk the egg, milk, oil and vanilla. Pour into the dry ingredients and stir with a spatula only until the flour disappears. Lumps are fine and mean a tender muffin.

  4. Divide between the holes, about two thirds full, and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until golden and springy.

  5. Mix the coating sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl and put the melted butter in another. Turn each hot muffin in butter, let the excess drip off, then roll in cinnamon sugar.

  6. Set them on a rack to cool for a few minutes. They are best eaten within the hour, still slightly warm.

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💡 Baker's tips

  • Freshly grated nutmeg is dramatically better than pre-ground here, since it is the flavour doing all the donut impersonation.
  • Do not let the muffins cool before coating. Cold muffins refuse to hold the sugar.

🔀 Make it your own

  • Fill each muffin with a teaspoon of raspberry jam before baking for a jam donut version.
  • Add ½ tsp ground cardamom to the coating sugar for a Scandinavian twist.

📦 Storing & freezing

Best on the day. Keep airtight for 2 days and refresh in a 160°C oven for 5 minutes. Freeze un-coated muffins for 2 months, then butter and roll after reheating.

❓ Frequently asked

Why do these taste like donuts if they are baked?

Nutmeg and a butter and cinnamon sugar coating do most of the work. The oil-based batter also keeps the crumb closer to a cake donut than a butter muffin.

How many grams is a cup of vegetable oil?

About 218 g per US cup, so the ⅓ cup here is roughly 73 g. Any neutral oil works; olive oil is too strongly flavoured.

Baking in a different unit? Use the cups ↔ grams converter or the recipe scaler to halve or double this recipe.

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