Vanilla-Ginger Doughnuts with Pomegranate Glaze

Belly-warming Vanilla-Ginger Doughnuts are topped with a tangy, sweet pomegranate glaze. The perfect treat to make over the weekend!

How in the world did we get to Monday already? The weekend seemed to just fly by, as they usually do these days. They’re always jam-packed, from wedding planning to wedding-related celebrations, to the simple day-to-day tasks, to somehow managing to find time to work on this blog. The weekends of “lazy Saturday mornings” and Sundays lounging at the beach are quickly fading from memory. It’s incredibly busy times like these, when I feel I barely have a moment to catch a breath, that I realize why I am such a proponent of balanced living. I find myself easily overwhelmed if my “To-Do” list contains more items than hours in the day, and I realize that my equilibrium is slightly out of whack at best. But as we know, times like these come and go and I know I will eventually find that balance once again.

Until then, we have doughnuts. And not just any doughnuts. These doughnuts are filled with belly- (and heart-) warming vanilla and ginger and topped off with a tangy, sweet pomegranate glaze. They’re baked, so we don’t have to feel so bad about turning to them in these times of need. They’re going to get us through the craziness, hence why they’re also the perfect recipe for me to share with you on this here start to a long work week.

I’m so excited to tell you about how I made these doughnuts, because it’s somewhere I’ve never gone before. I recently partnered with the amazing Sonoma Syrup Co., and they challenged me to come up with a doughnut recipe using their botanically-infused Simple Syrups. I had so much fun playing around with all of their flavors (which include White Ginger, Pomegranate, Vanilla Almond, Mint and Acai Black Currant to name a few), but I finally settled on the White Ginger and Pomegranate combo. (Of course this didn’t stop me from using the Acai Black Currant in this Chico cocktail I posted a couple of weeks ago.)

But before I get into the details of these Vanilla-Ginger Doughnuts with Pomegranate Glaze, I MUST tell you a little bit about the amazing company that is Sonoma Syrup Co. Founded in 2002, Sonoma Syrup Co. takes pride in bringing fresh, regional flavors and “terroir” into all of their products. Here’s what absolutely sold me on this brand: They believe that healthy food/beverages and great flavor can live in synchronicity. They realize that sugar is a small indulgence, so they take pride in only using pure cane sugar and fruits and botanicals farmed organically. If you’ve been reading this blog for any long-ish period of time, you know that I believe in a balanced lifestyle filled with only the highest quality indulgences. So, basically, Sonoma Syrup Co. is my spirit animal.

Now that you know why I am such a fan of their products, let’s get to the deliciousness that is these Vanilla-Ginger Doughnuts with Pomegranate Glaze. We start with a classic cake doughnut batter, mixing both flour AND cake flour (yes, it’s important to use the two different kinds) together with our Sonoma Syrup Co. White Ginger Infused Simple Syrup and a little touch of ground ginger to really make the flavor shine through. Of course we also add in the other basic baked good ingredients, but I won’t bore you with those.

For the glaze, we make a classic powdered sugar glaze, but add in Sonoma Syrup Co.’s Pomegranate Grenadine Simple Syrup and some fresh pomegranate juice for that tart flavor and reddish-pink hue. These doughnuts are tasty AND pretty!

I experimented with a couple of different doughnut toppings in addition to the glaze, including some fun sprinkles (for a festive look) or chopped candied ginger (if you’re a big fan of the ginger flavor.) Either one works just fine, or feel free to create your own! We all know something of the chocolate persuasion would really be a great addition here as well 😉

So, what do you think? Do our Vanilla-Ginger Doughnuts with Pomegranate Glaze sound amazing or do they sound amazing? I can guarantee they’ll be healthier (and MUCH tastier) than your average doughnut shop find. And if you want to make them in advance, simply bake, freeze, and whip up the glaze a couple of hours (or one night) before you want to serve them. The glaze will be wet and sticky at first, but will harden up slightly the longer it sits.

I don’t know about you, but I’m going to be clinging for life to this recipe as I power through these next few months. There’s nothing like a doughnut to get you through some crazy times. What sweets or comfort foods do you turn to when life is spinning so fast you can’t keep up? Please tell me I’m not alone by leaving a comment below!

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Vanilla-Ginger Doughnuts with Pomegranate Glaze

Prep Time

45 mins

Cook Time

22 mins

Total Time

1 hr 7 mins

 

Belly-warming vanilla and ginger baked doughnuts with tangy, sweet pomegranate glaze.

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: baking, breakfast, brunch, donuts, doughnuts, family-friendly, freezer-friendly, kid-friendly, make-ahead, pomegranate

Servings: 12 people

Author: CaliGirl Cooking

Ingredients

For the doughnuts:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ½ cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 2 teaspoons Sonoma Syrup Co. White Ginger Infused Simple Syrup
• ½ cup sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• ¼ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt

For the glaze:

• 1 ¼ cup powdered sugar sifted
• 1 tablespoon Sonoma Syrup Co. Pomegranate Grenadine Simple Syrup
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1 tablespoon pomegranate juice
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Dash of red food coloring optional

For topping (optional):

• Assorted sprinkles
• Chopped crystallized ginger

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray your doughnut pan with non-stick cooking spray, set aside.
2. To make the doughnuts, first combine all dry ingredients (both flours, baking powder, baking soda, ground ginger and salt) by whisking together in a medium mixing bowl.
3. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Continue to cook over medium heat until butter becomes slightly golden. Add almond milk and ginger syrup, stirring to combine. Once mixture is warm and combined, remove from heat.
4. In a large mixing bowl, combine both sugars, the eggs, and the yogurt. Stir in the warm butter/milk mixture.
5. Once combined, add flour mixture. Beat (with a hand or stand mixer) until all ingredients are combined.
6. Spoon doughnut batter into a piping bag (or resealable plastic bag with the tip cut off) and pipe into doughnut pan. If you only have a 6-doughnut pan, you’re going to have to bake in two batches.
7. Place in 350 degree oven and bake for about 12 minutes, or until doughnuts look set. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes, then take doughnuts out of pan and let finish cooling completely on a wire rack with a silpat or piece of parchment or wax paper underneath. Place second batch of doughnuts in oven, if needed.
8. Next, make the frosting. Combine all frosting ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on medium speed until all ingedients are combined.
9. Once doughnuts are cool, dip the tops of each one in the frosting bowl to get the most even coat. Place back on wire rack after dipping to catch any drips (this is what the silpat/parchment/wax paper is for.) Immediately sprinkle on desired toppings, before glaze dries too much.

Recipe Notes

Best if enjoyed immediately or within a day.

I’m so ready for you…

This post was created in partnership with Sonoma Syrup Co. Although I did receive product in exchange for this post, all thoughts and opinions are my own. I truly LOVE Sonoma Syrup Co. products and their message and I am honored to work with such an amazing company!