Instead of making a normal cake for a birthday, I decided to go a different route with donuts. We’re celebrating Chuck Williams’ 100th birthday today!
Who is that, you ask? Well, Chuck is the founder of Williams-Sonoma, one of my favorite stores. Some of his finds and contributions to the culinary world are staples in my kitchen today. That includes my Kitchenaid mixer, Le Creuset pots, Bundt cake pans, Wusthof knives, and silicone spatulas! To read more about Chuck’s contributions, check out the list here.
I used the Kitchenaid and silicone spatula for this recipe. The Kitchenaid is my lifesaver. I don’t know how I ever survived without it. 
Mine came out a little flat, but that’s because I forgot to add the milk when mixing the wet ingredients. I blame it on pregnancy brain. Once the dough was done, it was almost the same consistency as cookie dough. I thought to myself, “This can’t be right…” I re-read the recipe and saw the milk that I read over. How did I miss that?
So, I added it in last at the end. That probably had something to do with my donuts not turning out so fluffy and tall, but they still tasted good. 
Also, this recipe made a LOT of crumb topping. When you poor it on top of the donuts, you’re going to think it’s overboard, but it’s not. Just trust me. The more crumb topping, the better. Plus, half of it will fall off when you’re pulling the donuts out of the pan, anyways.
I used my faithful donut pan from Norpro. It’s still working like a charm, more than four years after I bought it. The donuts slide right out and the pan looks brand new after being washed.
Recipe from Chef in Training. The only thing I did differently was add a bit of oil to make them a little more moist.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ½ cup milk
- 2 tsp oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup confectioner’s sugar
- ½ tablespoon milk
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a donut pan with Pam and set aside.
- Make the crumb topping by mixing all the crumb topping ingredients with a fork until evenly mixed with coarse chunks.
- In your mixer, cream together the sugar, egg, and melted butter. Stir in the milk, oil, and vanilla. Gradually stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt until just combined.
- Fill each cavity in the donut pan ¾ full. Divide crumb topping equally between the 6 donuts.
- Bake for 14-16 minutes or until donuts are slightly golden. Remove from oven and let rest in the doughnut pan for 5 minutes or until slightly cooled. Remove donuts and place on a wire rack.
- Next, make the glaze. Whisk together confectioner’s sugar and milk until smooth. Drizzle over donuts and enjoy!
These are awesome! Definitely making them for my friends birthday this month
the best birthday gift ever! hope your friend loves them as much as i did!