Sweet Potato and Blueberry Doughnut (Baked, Not Fried)

Sweet potatoes are everywhere those days, so I went on a cooking spree, trying to incorporate them into regular meals. I failed miserably, turns out everyone in my house hates them with passion. I was left with few pounds of leftover potatoes that in no way can be used in savoury dishes, so instead I used them to make desserts.

Baked donuts are similar in texture to muffins, they look like doughnuts, but taste like cake. They are lighter, fluffier and, since they are not fried, contain less calories. Sweet potatoes add extra sweetness, make the donuts moist and more filling. The doughnuts don't taste of potatoes at all, they

Blueberry glaze is full of flavour and cuts through the sweetness of powdered sugar.

They can be ready in 20 min (including baking time).

I used this doughnut baking tray: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Silicone-Flexible-Perfect.... This is a slightly smaller version of regular doughnuts, so I was able to get 18 doughnuts instead of 12.

For 12 regular sized doughnuts:

• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 2 medium eggs
• 1 cup sweet potato puree (orange or purple potato)
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• lemon zest (2 lemons)
• 2 tbs dry lavender (optional)
• handful of blueberries (optional)

Glaze:

• 1/2 cup blueberries ( or blackberries)
• 1 cup icing sugar
• sprinkles, edible glitter

• I used leftover roasted potato, it was roasted for 50 min at 180-190C. One potato was enough to fill 1 cup. I scooped the flesh out and used a hand blender to puree it with a tablespoon of water. It made for a smoother mash than just mashing it with a fork.
• Sweet potato can also be microwaved. Prick the potato with a fork and microwave for 3 min, then flip over and cook for further 3 min.
• For lavender infused milk (optional), I microwaved 1/2 cup of milk with 2 tbs lavender and left it to infuse for 1 hour. Dry lavender soaks quite a lot of milk, once I strained it, I ended up with just a little over 1/4 cup of lavender milk.

If you are using lavender in your milk, make sure to strain it beforehand. Don't add lavender to the batter.

• Mix flour and baking powder together and pass it through a sieve to get rid of any lumps.
• Whisk all wet ingredients together. Once combined, add sugar and salt, whisk, and add potato puree.
• Add flour and mix well.
• Transfer to a piping bag.

Easiest and neatest way to pour batter is to use a piping bag, if not available, use a spoon to distribute it evenly. Doughnuts raise in the oven, but not a lot, so you can fill the pan almost to the top. If you want, you can add a few blueberries on top and press them into the batter.

Bake for 12-15 min at 180C.

Let them cool down before removing from the form, they will be quite soft while hot.

• Measure 1/2 cup blueberries and put in a pan with 2-3 tbs water. Cook for 5-7 min until fruits soften and burst.
• Continue cooking until juice is reduced and thickened. Pass the blueberries through a sieve, you should get approximately 2-3 tbs puree.
• Whisk 1 cup icing sugar with 2 tbs WARM puree until glaze is glossy and smooth. Add more juice if you want a thinner glaze.

To glaze, simply dip the doughnut in the glaze, shake any excess and place on a cooling rack. Glaze will dry within 10-20 min, so if you want to decorate with powdered glitter or sprinkles, do so immediately after dipping.