Baked Lemon Cake Donuts

Last summer I ordered gluten free baked lemon donuts for one of my friends from another friend, Jeanine who is an amazing gluten free baker. She added two extra donuts to my order so that my hubby and I could have a taste. They tasted awesome and I've wanted to make them ever since but I first had to buy a donut pan which I finally did.  My recipe is a gluten version. You can find Jeanine's recipe here. All the goodies I have ordered from her have 'wowed' my friends, thank you dear friend.

• 1/2 cup sugar
• Zest of one lemon
• 1 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons dry instant lemon pudding mix
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4 cup buttermilk

Lemon Glaze

• 1 cup icing sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 4 tablespoons lemon juice

1. In a small bowl, combine sugar and lemon zest, using your fingers, rub sugar and zest together. This allows the oil of the lemon to release more flavor into the sugar. Set aside.
2. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the rest of the dry ingredients.
3. Add sugar and zest mixture to the dry ingredients and whisk until combined.
4. Using the same small bowl whisk together eggs, oil, lemon juice, and buttermilk. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until well combined.
5. Grease your donut pan, fill each cavity 2/3 full of batter.
6. Bake in a 375º oven for 12 minutes.
7. Allow donuts to cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan onto a cooling rack.
8. Whisk together glaze ingredients until smooth and slightly runny. Dunk warm donuts into the lemon glaze and allow to set.
9. Yield: 10 donuts