Mandarin Orange Donuts with Ganache Glaze are packed with mandarin orange flavor in a tender baked donut wrapper.  The chocolate scented ganache glaze is an added bonus.

This post is sponsored in conjunction with #SpringSweetsWeek. I received product samples from sponsor companies to help in the creation of the #SpringSweetsWeek recipes. All opinions are mine alone.

 

I love donuts. But then again, who doesn’t love a good donut. They’re like a mini quick bread that you can pop into your mouth for breakfast. However, if you’re like my mother you’re not a huge fan of fried donuts.

 

This always made me wonder what she was talking about when she said she didn’t like certain kinds of donuts. Then I was sitting there eating what I thought was my favorite donut and realized it. Fried donuts, if they’re not fried right, just leave a greasy coating over your mouth. It’s kind of gross. And it was my favorite kind of donut, too.

 

 

What’s the difference between doughnut and donut?

 

So, technically, it’s supposed to be doughnut. The first published use of the word doughnut was in a short story in 1808. The following year, Washington Irving used the term in his History of New York.

 

I’m sure you’re wondering about the nut. At least I was. And a nut is referencing an earlier use of the word to describe a small rounded cake or cookie. Yeah, I had no idea about that either.

 

 

Donut on the other hand, was ironically used by a doughnut machine company. All in an effort to make the products more pronounceable by the melting pot of New York. All in an effort to sell their automated doughnut machine. The word wasn’t really all that popular until after the 50’s when Dunkin Donuts was created about the same time.

 

Do Mandarin orange donuts taste good?

 

So, I’m getting back to Mom’s original statement about donuts leaving a coating of grease over your mouth. You do not experience this with baked donuts. Because they’re not fried. They’re baked. And you can add as much or as little fat as you want to add in your batter. I added some eggs and some butter. Though eggs are more of a binder and not a fat.

 

 

I made these mandarin orange donuts using donut pans. Since it makes a dozen donuts, and the pans only come in six wells, I needed two pans. Why don’t they make a 12 well donut pan? Maybe they do and I just haven’t found it yet. Of course, it worked in my favor because I forgot to set the timer on the first batch, and they got a little extra crispy. Which I didn’t mind.

 

Now, as to the mandarin orange flavor in these donuts. Oh my goodness. The kitchen smelled like an orange grove when they were baking. And I didn’t use one drop of orange extract. Because, to be honest, I haven’t found one that doesn’t taste super fake and gross. Maybe I just haven’t tried the right ones, but the last few just tasted super fake. These Mandarin Orange Donuts taste fresh and have mandarin orange juice and zest in them. And there’s orange cream coffee in both the donuts and the glaze.

 

 

I have talked, repeatedly, about how I suck at dipping things in chocolate. I always manager to screw it up and make the chocolate seize somehow. I had to try the ganache several times before it didn’t look chunky. That’s all me, though. Don’t think it’s the recipe or the chocolate. It’s all me.

 

But I did have a few oven baked donuts turn out okay with the chocolate ganache coating. And don’t they look perfectly delicious? All orange with the, well, Mandarin oranges and covered in delicious chocolate ganache that also has orange flavor. It’s like a double whammy of orange flavors in there!

 

 

And that orange color? That’s all natural. Seriously I didn’t add any orange color what so ever in these baked donuts from scratch. It’s all-natural Mandarin orange flavor and color. And I’m serious when I said the whole kitchen smelled like an orange grove. I couldn’t wait for them to come out of the oven. My mouth was totally watering.

 

I hope you try making baked donuts at home. They’re super delicious and you can make them as healthy as you like! They bake up quickly and are so delicious.

 

 

Monday #SpringSweetsWeek Recipes

• Carrot Pineapple Mini Loaves by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Hot Cross Bundt Cake by Nik Snacks
• Instant Pot Lemon Lavender Cheesecake by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Key Lime Lavender Curd by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Kiwi Coconut Key Lime MIni Cheesecakes by The Spiffy Cookie
• Kumquat Pie by Eat Move Make
• Lavender Lemon Mini Loaves by Sweet Beginnings
• Lemon Lavender Macarons by Jen Around the World
• Lemon White Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes by Art of Natural Living
• Mandarin Orange and Rhubarb Mini Loaves by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Mandarin Orange Donuts with Ganache Glaze by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Mini Blueberry Lemon Loaves with Lemon Glaze by The Carefree Kitchen
• Mini Lemon Cakes with Lemon Glaze by Family Around the Table
• Mini Pound Cake by Cheese Curd In Paradise
• No Bake Chocolate Cheesecake by Pook’s Pantry
• No Bake Lemon Cheesecake by Devour Dinner
• No-Churn Lemon Ice Cream by Kate’s Recipe Box
• Pineapple Upside Down Cake by House of Nash Eats
• Raspberry Cheesecake Bars by Books n’ Cooks
• Strawberry Oatmeal Cookies by Palatable Pastime
• Strawberry Rhubarb Breakfast Bread by For the Love of Food
• Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with Crumb Topping by Blogghetti
• Vegan Chocolate Loaf Cake by Shockingly Delicious
• White Chocolate Latte Cupcakes by That Recipe

We share recipes from #SpringSweetsWeek on Pinterest! Make sure you follow the board to see all the delicious recipes shared this week.

Welcome to #SpringSweetsWeek 2021 hosted by Heather from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks!   With the weather warming up and flowers beginning to bloom let’s celebrate with spring sweets and a fun giveaway!   This year 24 food bloggers from around the country are sharing over 100 sweet recipes that are perfect for the spring season.  So say goodbye to the snow and cold and get ready to enjoy the best spring treats like cupcakes, cookies, pies, dessert boards, and even a few beverages!  Our #SpringSweetsWeek sponsors are helping us give away some great prizes.  Thank you to Dixie Crystals, Melissa’s Produce, Door County Coffee, Circulon, Taylor and Colledge, and Nairn’s for your generosity.  We have an incredible giveaway with six amazing prizes and would love if you would take a moment to read about it and the prizes that you can win!

Check out the amazing prizes you can win in our #SpringSweetsWeek Giveaway!

Door County Coffee & Tea Co. is giving away one $50 gift certificate to doorcountycoffee.com so that one lucky reader can try any of their amazing coffees and teas. Door County Coffee & Tea Co. was founded in 1993 in Door County, Wisconsin. It is a small, family-owned business, roasting coffee the old-fashioned way – in small batches to exacting specifications. The mission has always been to produce some of the best-tasting and highest quality coffee. They have over 100 types of coffee, all of which are roasted right on site. Visit https://www.doorcountycoffee.com/ to see their selection of coffees and teas as well as to find some fabulous recipes.

Dixie Crystals is giving away one propane kitchen torch which is ideal for caramelizing creme brulee or roasting peppers in a snap! Since 1917, Dixie Crystals® has been the South’s choice for high-quality sugar and sweeteners. Our pure cane sugar products are all natural, non-GMO and provide consistently delicious results. Visit https://www.dixiecrystals.com/ for hundreds of recipes, holiday ideas, and plenty of baking videos.

Melissa’s Produce is giving one reader a Fabulous Fruit Fare Basket.  Forget your basic apples and bananas and try faraway tropical fruits such as Mango, Papaya, Gold Pineapple, and Coconut, and exotic treasures like Asian Pear, Kiwi, Pepino Melon, Baby Bananas, Seasonal Tangerines, and Kumquats.  Joe and Sharon Hernandez founded Melissa’s Produce with a decade of produce industry experience in a small, rented produce warehouse lunchroom. The Melissa’s brand is named after Joe and Sharon’s daughter, who takes an active role in the company.  The company’s Food Service Division has become a full-service operation that supplies culinary professionals with staples, exotics and Melissa’s full line of organic produce.  Visit https://www.melissas.com to find the very best fruits, vegetables, gifts, and to get tasty recipes! Circulon is giving one reader a 5 piece baking set including two 9-inch cake pans, a 9 x 13 baking pan, a 9 x 5 loaf pan, and 10 x 15 cookie pan!   It’s everything you need to get baking in the kitchen. Circulon’s commitment to detail and design for nonstick cookware makes your time in the kitchen more enjoyable due to their 4 “Must Haves” of everyday cooking.   The first is nonstick performance.  The Circulon TOTAL® Nonstick System of raised circles and triple-layer premium nonstick reduces surface abrasion from cooking utensils to enhance nonstick durability.  Then there’s durability.  Hard-anodized, stainless steel, and aluminum construction is backed by a hassle-free lifetime warranty for built-to-last cookware you can count on.  The last two are even heat distribution and easy clean up.  No matter what piece you buy it is sure to meet your expectations and help you enjoy your time in the kitchen.  To see all the Circulon products visit https://circulon.com/ . Taylor & Colledge is giving one lucky winner a trio of extract pastes.   One winner will receive Almond Extract Paste, Lemon Extract Paste, and Lavender Extract Paste to help you do your own spring baking! Taylor & Colledge was founded in 1897 in Australia and has been making extracts ever since!  Their products can be used in two different ways when you baking. Whether you use the products as the fragrant, hero ingredient in your baking, or whether it’s a supporting sidekick, you can be assured that with Taylor & Colledge, it will be a pure, rich, full-flavored ingredient in your baking every time.  Visit https://www.taylorandcolledge.com/ to learn more about their extracts. Nairn’s Oatcakes is giving away six of their awesome products to one winner.   The winner will receive Nairn’s Gluten Free Original Oat Grahams, Nairn’s Gluten Free Stem Ginger Oat Grahams, Nairn’s Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Oat Grahams, Nairn’s Gluten Free Caramelized Onion Flatbreads, Nairn’s Gluten Free Rosemary & Sea Salt Flatbreads, and Nairn’s Organic Oat Crackers.   Nairn’s knows a thing or two about oats, they’ve been baking with them since 1896 when John and Sarah Nairn first opened their bakery in Strathaven, Lanarkshire. Since then their team has grown and they have two Edinburgh bakeries.  They have a devoted team at each working on their recipes, mixing techniques, and ever-growing range.  Check out their products and blog at https://www.nairns-oatcakes.com/

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Thank you #SpringSweetsWeek Sponsors: Dixie Crystals, Door County Coffee & Tea Co., Circulon, Melissa’s Produce, Taylor and Colledge, and Nairn’s for providing the prizes free of charge. These companies also provided the bloggers with samples and product to use for #SpringSweetsWeek recipes. All opinions are my own.

 

The #SpringSweetsWeek giveaway is open to residents of the United States who are 18 years of age or older. All entries for the winner will be checked and verified. By entering you give the right to use your name and likeness. The number of entries received determines the odds of winning. Six (6) winners will be selected. The prize packages will be sent directly from the giveaway sponsors. The #SpringSweetsWeek Bloggers are not responsible for the fulfillment or delivery of the prize packages. Bloggers hosting this giveaway and their immediate family members in their household cannot enter or win the giveaway. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter or any other social channel mentioned in the #SpringSweetsWeek posts or entry.