Baked Boston Cream Doughnuts are so good that you won’t even miss the extra calories imparted by their fried cousins. Finely textured sweet bread, baked to golden perfection, filled with creamy vanilla custard, then coated in a generous layer of chocolate.
Doughnuts. Donuts. Do-nuts.
Remember all that talk about needing to purge my system of rich food after a holiday? Yeah…that was before I started craving doughnuts. A fact that I totally blame it on the Boston Marathon.
Seriously. I was watching the glorious victory of more than 36,000 runners taking back the finish line at the Boston Marathon after last year’s unthinkable bombings. As an aging runner myself, I watched teary-eyed as 38 year old American Meb Keflizighi was the first to cross the finish line with the ridiculously fast time of 2:08:37. Way to GO, Meb!!
I’m absolutely certain that I couldn’t run half that distance in that amount of time. If at all.
After watching more highlights and bawling over the stories of those injured during the bombing the previous year, triumphing over adversity in order to return to race again. As runner Lee Ann Yanni (whom was injured in the blast the previous year,) so eloquently put it, “I’m running for those who can’t. I don’t run very pretty…but at the finish line, everybody is going to be represented.”
Waaaaaaahhhhhh! I can’t even type that without getting choked up.
After watching this year’s Boston Marathon coverage, I had to do something to process All the Feels and emotions. So I ran. I didn’t run far or fast. I ran to commune with all those whom ran that day, and more importantly, for all of those that couldn’t run.
Then I headed directly to the kitchen to bake doughnuts.
Baking is a perfectly acceptable cool down exercise, right? I sure hope so because I was still so full of emotion that Baking Therapy was the only cure.
Frying anything after a workout seemed a little counter-intuitive, so I tweaked my baked paczki recipe to encompass the images of Boston and their cream pie namesakes that were swirling through my mind. As with the other recipe, the doughnuts are really just a baked sweet bread, only this time I filled them with cream vanilla pudding before drenching them in chocolate ganache. I use prepared instant vanilla pudding as a filling because, let’s be honest, after making the yeast dough there’s really no reason to be a hero and make the custard from scratch.
When I’m craving doughnuts, I do everything possible to shorten the time between preparations and taking the first bite of the warm, creamy custard filled delicacies. But hey–if you’re feeling like donning a cape and going the distance, then by all means make the filling from scratch. Be the Hero. In the meantime, I’ll be munching on a doughnut.
Thanks to baked Boston cream doughnuts, I can run a few less miles to compensate for all of the gloriously therapeutic calories.
♥♥♥
Kirsten Kubert
Yields 24
Finely textured sweet bread that is baked to golden perfection, filled with creamy vanilla custard, and then coated in a generous layer of chocolate. These baked doughnuts are so good that you won’t even miss the extra calories imparted by their fried cousins.
3 hr, 15 Prep Time
15 minCook Time
3 hr, 30 Total Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 2/3 C. 2% milk, at room temperature
- 2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbs. granulated sugar
- 2 ¼ tsp. instant yeast
- 2 1/3 C. all-purpose flour, divided
- ¼ C. unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2 Tbs. granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- Dash of ground nutmeg
- One (3.3 oz.) package of instant vanilla pudding (2 cup yield)
- Milk required for preparing the pudding according to package directions
- 1 ½ Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
- 1 C. semi sweet chocolate chips
- 2 Tbs. 2% Milk
Instructions
- In the large bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the starter ingredients (milk, flour, sugar, and yeast,) to combine. Let starter rest for 5 minutes, or until it begins to froth. (If the starter doesn’t bubble or froth well within the allotted time, the yeast could be “dead.” The best bet is to replace the yeast and begin again.)
- Add the butter, egg yolks, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and ground nutmeg to the bowl of starter, mixing well to combine. Blend in the flour one-half cup at a time, until all of the flour has been incorporated. Knead dough for 2 minutes, or until dough is smooth. Be careful not overwork the dough.
- Form the dough into a large ball, return it to the bowl, and cover the bowl with a clean towel. Let dough rise in a warm, draft-free place for 90 minutes, or until nearly doubled in bulk.
- Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Roll the dough into a log, and then cut the log into twelve equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball, pinching the bottoms to seal the dough. Set each dough ball onto the prepared baking sheet. Cover the dough with the clean towel to rest for 40 minutes.
- After resting, bake the doughnuts for 14 to 15 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from the oven, and immediately brush the tops of the doughnuts with melted butter. Transfer doughnuts to a wire rack to cool.
- While the doughnuts are cooling, prepare vanilla pudding according to package directions. Place a sheet of plastic wrap over the surface of the pudding to keep a skin from forming; set aside.
- Also prepare the chocolate topping by placing the chocolate chips and milk into a microwave safe bowl. Heat bowl in microwave in 30 second increments at 50% power, stirring well in between bursts, until chocolate is melted and combined with the milk.
- Once the doughnuts have cooled, spoon the pudding into a piping bag fitted with a Bismarck tip. Insert the tip into the side of each doughnut, gently wiggle the tip back and forth to make a small pocket, and then squeeze a small amount of pudding into the pocket.
- After all doughnuts have been filled, dip the top half of each into the chocolate topping, and then rest the doughnuts on the wire rack until topping is completely cool and set.
Notes
Baked Boston Cream Doughnuts are best when allowed to chill overnight in the refrigerator, loosely covered with plastic wrap. Allow chilled doughnuts to come to room temperature before serving.
PLEASE NOTE: These are similar to bombolini in that they have a more soft, bready texture than American doughnuts. If you want a Krispy Kreme style doughnut, this is not the recipe for you. They're still delicious though!
Baked Boston Cream Doughnuts are best when allowed to chill overnight in the refrigerator, loosely covered with plastic wrap. Allow chilled doughnuts to come to room temperature before serving. These are similar to bombolini in that they have a more bready texture than American doughnuts. Still delicious though!
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