Baked funfetti donuts

IMAGE SOURCE: ELIZABETH STARK

Funfetti cake is a beloved celebratory treat — its colorful crumb and distinctive flavor are the stuff of childhood birthday party legend. But why stop with cake? Donuts need to get in on the funfetti action too!

For a recent weekend breakfast, I baked up a batch of vanilla-scented Funfetti Donuts. Instead of the imitation vanilla that gives traditional funfetti its distinctive flavor, I opted for a mix of real vanilla beans and a quality vanilla extract. My sprinkles were made with natural dyes, with a slightly muted color palette. The flavor was fantastic — tons of real vanilla aroma with a springy, dense cake donut crumb. Of course the ultimate taste testers were my daughters and they loved every bite.

IMAGE SOURCE: ELIZABETH STARK

Baked Funfetti Donuts

Makes: 12

Donut Ingredients

4-inch vanilla bean pod, halved
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons rainbow sprinkles
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup plain whole milk yogurt
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Special equipment: piping or zip-top bag, donut pan

Icing Ingredients

1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons milk
2 tablespoons rainbow sprinkles

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray donut pan with cooking spray.

2. To make vanilla sugar, pour sugar into a small bowl. Scrape vanilla beans into the sugar, then rub into sugar with fingertips. Rub pods into the sugar too, until seeds are well distributed.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk to combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt. Fold in sprinkles.

4. Whisk the egg, yogurt, milk, vanilla extract, and melted butter into vanilla sugar. Mix wet ingredients into dry, stirring just until batter is smooth.

5. Spoon batter into a piping bag, or zip-top bag with the corner cut, and pipe batter into prepared donut pan.