Ube Mochi Donuts with Coconut Glaze
Mochi fans rejoice: rice flour lends these donuts the dense, springy texture of mochi in a dessert that’s perfectly acceptable for breakfast.
Syrupy coconut glaze is balanced by the understated sweetness of ube (pronounced oo-beh), a purple yam with a mild, nutty vanilla flavor popular in Filipino desserts. The tuber’s natural violet hue ranges from delicate lavender to a gorgeous deep purple – so it’s no wonder it’s taken the baking world by storm in recent years.
These donuts are adapted from ube’s latest foray into the mainstream grocery world: the Ube Mochi Pancake & Waffle Mix from Trader Joe’s. I could sit here and sing the praises of Trader Joe’s all day long, but suffice to say this mix is only the latest in a long line of unique products the store carries. As with any recipe adapted from a box mix, prep time is streamlined and requires little more than a single bowl and a donut pan.
While baked donuts are inherently denser than their deep-fried cousins, the rice flour in this mix makes for an especially springy texture that’s closer to cake than pastry. An added benefit of mochi? Rice flour is naturally gluten free, making these donuts an easy breakfast option for our gluten-sensitive friends, too.
In keeping with our tropical theme, I opted to sprinkle the tops with shredded coconut, but chopped pecans or walnuts would pair well with the nutty sweetness of the coconut glaze, too. Or go the more traditional path of rainbow sprinkles – they’re popular for a reason, you know.
Ube Donuts with Coconut Glaze
Let a Trader Joe’s box mix do the heavy lifting for you in this easy baked donut recipe. Rice flour lends these treats a springier texture than their traditional deep-fried cousins. If you love ube & mochi, this recipe is for you!
- Prep Time: 5 min.
- Cook Time: 15 min.
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 8–10 donuts 1x
Ingredients
Ube donuts
- 2 cups Trader Joe’s Ube Mochi Pancake & Waffle mix
- 1 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 2 Tbsp butter, melted
Coconut glaze
- 1 1/3 cups confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar)
- 1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp canned unsweetened coconut milk, plus more if needed
- Shredded coconut, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray donut pan with nonstick baking spray.
- Mix together milk, egg and melted butter until just combined.
- Stir in flour until smooth. Spoon the batter into the pan, filling about a little below 3/4 of the way full.
- Bake donuts for 15 minutes.
- Let cool for 5 minutes before removing donuts from pan.
- While the donuts continue to cool, whisk together sugar and coconut milk until smooth. Glaze should be the consistency of glue. If glaze is too thick, add more coconut milk, one teaspoon at a time.
- Dip each cooled donut halfway into the glaze, twisting gently as you life to distribute run-off, before setting on a wire cooling rack.
- Sprinkle shredded coconut to taste.
Keywords: Ube, mochi, donuts
