Baked Banana Choc Digestive Doughnuts

Some people find it easy to write out and about in busy places like at the park or library, although I’d much rather prefer the silence and comfort of being alone. So as I’m currently sat on this 5hr train on my way up to Edinburgh to visit my friend, this post is proving rather difficult to write. But making the most of this boring journey is a strong priority of mine as with university and work I have hardly found the time to blog – evidently. 

Doughnuts are having a bit of thing at the moment, woo! Go doughnuts! I’m not a really massive fan of the all so hyped ones (not gonna mention the name of THAT said brand, I think you know the one), however fresh home cooked gourmet doughnuts in all manner of flavours I can deal with, and when I say this… I can’t help but think of one of my most favourite places to eat them, the Steam Room. A humble independent with amazing coffee and an equally amazing flavoured array of doughnuts. They’re based in Sheffield which is pretty sad for me since I currently live nowhere near there, but whenever I’m visiting I make it a must go!

Although these are baked doughnuts and not the usual type that Steam Room usually sell, they were my starting point of inspiration for these. I had about a gazillion chocolate digestives leftover from some work we were doing at uni last week (standard day for a food student I suppose) and so I needed a use for them. Cheesecake you might say, but no that’s just the obvious un-inventive way to use them. Instead I opted to top some banana chocolate doughnuts with them because why the heck not, it’s nearly Easter time which means another reason to indulge and pile on those treats.  I still didn’t manage to use all the digestives so I’ll still have to make a cheesecake (oh what a shame…) 

In the meantime I thoroughly recommend stuffing your face with these. Oh and shout out to my bestie Ellen - who I’m travelling up to Edinburgh to see now, for buying me my doughnut tray, a long awaited birthday present. (She knows me well, I’ve been wanting one for AGES!!), thanks to you we all have this doughnut recipe in our lives. 

Baked  Banana  Choc  Digestive  Doughnuts

Ingredients:

Makes 6 doughnuts, or approximately double if mini. 

For the doughnuts: 1 ½ small bananas or 1 large (ripe) 50g ( ¼ cup) caster sugar 60g ( ¼ cup) greek yoghurt 3 tsp butter (melted) 1 egg ½ tsp vanilla extract 120g (1 cup AP flour) plain flour ½ tsp baking powder ¼ tsp bicarb ¼ tsp nutmeg 1/8 tsp cinnamon 50g milk chocolate 
For the glaze: 105g (about 1 cup confectioner’s sugar) icing sugar 2 tbsp cocoa powder 2 tbsp milk 1 tsp vanilla
For the decoration: About 6 chocolate digestives, broken into pieces 3 squares of white chocolate

Method

Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F/gas 3. Grease the 6 hole doughnut tray lightly with cooking spray. Mash the bananas then put into a large mixing bowl with the paddle attachment of a free standing mixer. Add in the sugar, yoghurt and melted butter. Mix together, then add the egg and vanilla. Fold in the flour and the spices. 
Chop the chocolate into small pieces and fold into the batter. Pour the batter into a disposable piping bag and cut off the end. Pipe the batter into the 6 hole tray in equal amounts until you have used up all your mixture but don’t over fill the holes. 
Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Once baked, leave to cool in the tray for a few minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. 
Make the glaze by mixing the icing sugar with the cocoa powder in a medium bowl, then stir in the milk and vanilla until a thick smooth glaze. Pour the glaze onto a plate and then dip the cooled doughnuts one side into the glaze, lift off the plate allowing any excess to drip off before placing back onto the cooling rack. Before the glaze sets, sprinkle over the digestive biscuits so that it sticks to the glaze. 
Melt the chocolate squares in a small bowl in the microwave for about 30 seconds on a low setting and keep stirring at intervals until they have melted. Pour into a small disposable piping bag and cut off a small hole. Drizzle chocolate over the doughnuts and leave to set completely before eating. Best eaten within 2 days.