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Baked Ube Mochi Doughnuts are soft and chewy and filled with delicious ube flavor. They’re super easy to make too because we start with a box of gluten free Trader Joe’s Ube Mochi pancake & waffle mix!
Mochi donuts aren’t like typical fried donuts, they have an incredible mochi-like dense chewiness and a delicious lightly sweet flavor. Top them with a coconut or match glaze, and you have an irresistible treat!
I was given a copy of The I Love Trader Joe’s Cooking for Two Cookbook by the publisher, but my opinions are my own.
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I Love Trader Joe’s Cooking for Two Cookbook
The {affiliate link} I Love Trader Joe’s Cooking for Two Cookbook: 100 Small-Batch Recipes Using Favorite Ingredients from the World’s Greatest Grocery Store (Unofficial Trader Joe’s Cookbooks) is a super fun cookbook! Easy recipes and easy ingredients. And I always find TJ’s to be a great place to shop.
A few years ago, a cousin of mine told me that she felt like she needed a tour guide to take her through Trader Joe’s and show her how to use all of their foods. Well, consider this cookbook your tour guide!
It has 99 small batch recipes using ingredients from the small but mighty grocery store. And I like that the recipes are small batch, making them great for date night or any weeknight if there are two of you at home. The recipes are easy to make leaving you lots of time to hang out together.
And, the pictures make the foods look so appetizing. I bought several things from TJ’s to try because the book made them so appealing. I can’t wait to try The perfect NZ bagel on page 12, and the easy dilly salmon bites on page 76.
Trader Joe’s
In fact, I asked my readers on my Facebook page what I should get from there. There were some great responses, and I grabbed several items. Among them, the no salt & no sugar added Valencia peanuts peanut butter, which is delicious. And the small vanilla cake with Chantilly icing.
While you’re there, be sure to pick up a box or two of their Ube Mochi Pancake & Waffle mix for these donuts.
Now, the original cookbook recipe called for TJ’s 15-ounce box Mochi Cake Mix. Unfortunately for me, they didn’t have that box mix this time. But I have purchased it before, and let me tell you, it’s delicious too!
So, I went with the ube mochi pancake mix. And I’m so glad I did! Chewy pretty purple colored ube mochi doughnuts are awesome!
What is ube?
If you’re not familiar with ube [oo-beh], it’s the name purple yams are known by in the Philippines. It’s a popular flavor in jams, cakes, candies, ice cream, and baked goods. And it’s super popular on Instagram because of its beautiful color.
Think of it as a flavor similar to a sweet potato, but more subtle and not quite as sweet, maybe with more vanilla tones to it. And it pairs really well with coconut.
What is Mochi?
Mochi is a Japanese rice cake. Typically, when most American’s refer to them, it’s a sweet chewy dessert treat that’s made with glutinous rice flour (mochiko).
Check out my Peanut Butter Chocolate Mochi recipe for more details on mochi.
This recipe for mochi doughnuts is a nice chewy cake donut that’s lightly sweet. Once you glaze it with the coconut glaze, it will taste like a sweet coconut dessert.
How to make
Preheat the oven to 350° F, and spray a donut pan with cooking spray and set aside.
I bought this {affiliate link} mini donut pan from Amazon. It has cute flower shapes like traditional mochi donuts as well as hearts, circles, and spirals.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the pancake mix or cake mix and water until smooth. And this recipe works with the 13.3-ounce package as well as the 15-ounce package.
Add the melted butter and eggs, whisking until smooth. Transfer the mixture into a piping bag or a plastic ziptop bag with a tip cut off one corner.
Pro tip: Use a Ziploc bag to pipe donuts into donut pan. Spooning the mixture into the pan will leave you with a big mess.
Pipe the mixture into the pan, filling each donut ring about two-thirds full.
Set the pan in the oven and bake for 7 to 10 minutes, or until the donuts are golden brown on the edges. You should also be able to see the doughnuts pulling away from the sides of the pan when they’re done
I also made little mochi loaves in my {affiliate link} mini loaf pan. These were fun, and I glazed some of them with a matcha glaze (recipe on recipe card as well). I love the purple and green colors together! Really, these can be baked in any shape – hello cupcakes! Just adjust the baking time for the size of the treat.
Side note: I bought the matcha green tea powder in 7 single serving packets because I want to try the Vegan-friendly creamy blended iced matcha latte on page 149 of the book.
I also made my own Matcha Recipe with this powder. Hop over to check out my Matcha Mojito!
Remove from the baked donuts from the oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack, allow donuts to cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Then, remove the donuts from the pan and cool on the wire rack for about 15 to 20 minutes. Repeat until all the batter is used.
While the donuts are cooling, combine the powdered sugar, milk, and coconut extract for the glaze in a medium bowl. Mix until smooth. If the glaze seems a little thick, add another ½ teaspoon milk; repeat until the desired texture is reached.
Once the donuts are cool, dip each one into the glaze and sprinkle with shredded coconut. I chopped the shredded coconut up a little finer so it was in smaller pieces.
How to store
I recommend storing leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
They can be left on the counter at room temperature in an air-tight container, but they will soak in the glaze and become a little soggy. You can also make the doughnuts and leave them unglazed, glazing them as you serve them.
They can also be frozen for up to 3 months in an air tight container.
Serve these ube donuts with a fun Kimchi Burger for a great Asian inspired meal!
Looking for another fun Asian dessert? Be sure to check out my Egg Tarts recipe! They’re so good!
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Recipe
Baked Ube Mochi Doughnuts
Equipment
Ingredients
Doughnuts:
- 13.3 ounces Ube Mochi Pancake & Waffle Mix or 15-ounce Trader Joe’s Mochi Cake Mix
- 1 cup water at room temperature
- 4 tablespoons salted butter melted
- 2 large eggs beaten
Coconut glaze:
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk of choice or more as needed
- ½ teaspoon coconut extract
- ¼ cup Unsweetened Flake Coconut chop finer if desired
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Spray a donut pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the cake mix and water until smooth. Add the melted butter and eggs, whisking until smooth. Transfer the mixture into a piping bag or a plastic ziptop bag with a tip cut off one corner.13.3 ounces Ube Mochi Pancake & Waffle Mix or 15-ounce Trader Joe’s Mochi Cake Mix, 1 cup water, 4 tablespoons salted butter, 2 large eggs
- Pipe the mixture into the pan, filling each donut ring about two-thirds full. Set the pan in the oven and bake for 7 to 10 minutes, or until the donuts are golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack, allow donuts to cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Then, remove the donuts from the pan and cool on the wire rack for about 15 to 20 minutes. Repeat until all the batter is used
- While the donuts are cooling, combine the powdered sugar, milk, and coconut extract for the glaze in a medium bowl. Mix until smooth. If the glaze seems a little thick, add another ½ teaspoon milk; repeat until the desired texture is reached. Once the donuts are cool, dip each one into the glaze and sprinkle with shredded coconut.¾ cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon milk of choice, ½ teaspoon coconut extract, ¼ cup Unsweetened Flake Coconut
Notes
¾ cup powdered sugar
1.5 grams matcha green tea powder
1 tablespoon milk of choice, or more as needed
Combine the powdered sugar, 1 packet Trader Joe’s matcha green tea powder, and milk in a medium bowl. Mix until smooth. If the glaze seems a little thick, add another ½ teaspoon milk; repeat until the desired texture is reached. Once the donuts are cool, dip each one into the glaze.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
Liza
I made these donuts over the weekend and we all loved their unique flavor and beautiful color. Really a fun recipe!