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.

Do Mandarin orange donuts have orange flavor?

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

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