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Hi Bold Bakers!
Working as a professional chef I have learned a few tricks along the way. A very important lesson is that there is always a solution for every problem. Don’t have a rolling pin? Use a wine bottle! But what do you do if you don’t have a donut pan? Make your own Donut Pan, that’s what!
Recently I wanted to make baked donuts but I didn’t have a donut tin. This wasn’t going to deter me. I looked around my kitchen and I had a light bulb moment! All I needed to make a donut pan were things I already had to hand, yay!
As a rule I don’t buy kitchen equipment that only has one use. I live in a small house in Santa Monica that has what you would call a “comfy” kitchen, which means tiny. Limited cupboard space means that I can only hang on to kitchen tools that I use on a regular basis.
I don’t have space to store a donut tin that I might use a handful of times. Also why spend the money on a donut tin if you don’t have to? One thing I did have to hand was a cupcake tin–it’s one of my kitchen essentials. So I thought, what if I could make my own? Being savvy and fiscally aware I came up with a great solution.
Make Your Own Donut Pan
Ever want to make donuts but don’t have a donut pan? No problem!
All you need is a cupcake pan and some regular old tin foil!
Cut the foil into a 4 x4 square and bend gently around your middle finger.
Remove your finger and press the shape you’re left with into the muffin tin.
The results: You’re left with a perfect donut hole shaped tin that yields you round baked donuts. Check out my Chocolate Cake Donuts and see for yourself how well this tray works.
Did you like this baking tip? I have lots more short videos just like this one that will help you get baking confidently in the kitchen. Get more Bold Baking Basics.
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About Us
Meet Gemma
About Us
Meet Gemma
Hi Bold Bakers! I’m Gemma Stafford, a professional chef originally from Ireland, a cookbook author, and the creator of Bigger Bolder Baking. I want to help you bake with confidence anytime, anywhere with my trusted and tested recipes and baking tips. You may have seen one of my 500+ videos on YouTube & TikTok or as a guest judge on Nailed It! on Netflix or the Best Baker in America on Food Network. No matter your skills, my Bold Baking Team & I want to be your #1 go-to baking authority.
Your blog has so many pop up annoying ads that you don’t want to be bothered reading it. A shame
Having watched the show “Nailed It”, I would say the DIY donut tin would be right at home on the show. Every single donut stuck and ended up throwing most of them away. Did manage to get a few broken pieces out of the batch. Will definitely invest in a donut tin if I ever decide to try it again.
Thanks for ruining my day. Used this idea and the foil got stuck to the donuts to the point I had to toss everything out. And how could it not get stuck? Thanks. Also a page with all this spam really is unprofessional. A lot of websites offer domains for a really cheap price and users don’t have to have so many pop ups to the point of not seeing the text.
Love this frugal and creative idea. As well as every recipe I have tried from your site! I know when searching for a specific recipe, or an idea for one, that when one of yours come up- its going to be a success! Thanks for sharing your techniques and recipes. Hope this reaches you, and brightens your day! You are wonderful! ????
What do you think would happen if I just make the donuts in a regular cupcake tin with flour and butter?
I sprayed the foil well with cooking spray before I put the batter in ….I removed the donuts while still warm & they came out perfect!!!
I made the foil donut molds out of the tin foil but had trouble keeping the hole shaped so I put a piece of foil rolled up & pushed it into the underside of the hole ….worked perfectly & the hole held its shape !!!????
Oooh, thanks this is great!
That’s such a great idea Gemma, but I don’t even have a muffin tin! ???? What should I do? Should I buy a muffin tin that I’m probably only going to use once or twice, or should I buy a doughnut tin that I’m only going to use once or twice???
I sent a carrot cake photo did you get it