Peach Blossom Baked Doughnuts

Peach season is upon us, and I could not be happier about this. Peaches are one of my favourite fruits, and I only tend to buy them in season – otherwise I am always disappointed by the flavour. Because I went overboard on my peach purchases recently, I was thinking of creative ways to use them, since I couldn’t eat them all fast enough before they spoiled (my eyes always have a bigger appetite than my stomach, particularly at farmer’s markets).

After my previous doughnut experiment this seemed like another reason to break out the doughnut pan for some baked cake doughnuts, though this recipe uses buttermilk instead of yogurt (though if you only have Greek yogurt you can absolutely substitute that. Another great thing about this recipe is that you don’t have to peel the peaches, just wash the skin, dry, and then chop into fine pieces. For the icing, I put a half a peach in the food processor and puree it, to give peach flavour and a little colour to the icing, though you can add food colouring (as I did with the drizzle) if you want a brighter colour.

The orange blossom water helps elevate the delicate flavour of the peach without overpowering it. Little bits of the peaches are visible in the finished doughnut as well. The cooking process softens any skins, and they add colour, so I recommend retaining them, but if you can’t do it the recipe will still work well.