Caramel-Glazed Butter Pecan Donuts

National Pecan Day is March 25, and to celebrate this wholesome nut of the Mid and Southwest, Mel-O-Cream Donuts makes every March its Butter Pecan Cake Donut Month.  These rich cake donuts have smooth, creamy taste and a hint of pecan on the pallet.  It’s as comforting as comfort food can get.

If you want to add a little more decadence to these donuts, why not try topping them with caramel icing?  Your distributor can provide you caramel icing, or you can contact Mel-O-Cream Donuts.  In past entries, Donut YOUniversity has shown you how to top your donuts with icing the good-old-fashioned way.  Now, we’re going to show you how to drizzle icing onto your cake donuts.

Our experts agree that glazing your donuts before you drizzle caramel icing is the perfect accent.  The glaze provides a sugary-sweet base, followed by a slightly more savory caramel dappling: this choice accompanies the Butter Pecan donut in an ideal concert of flavors.

First, while you wait for a tray of Butter Pecan cake donuts to thaw, prepare your glazing according to manufacturer’s instructions.  Once the donuts have thawed, coat the top of each with the glaze by brushing it onto the face of the donut or dipping it into the container of glaze.  We recommend glazing all of the donuts before you move on to drizzling the caramel icing.

Next, prepare your caramel icing so that it is the correct consistency.  You can tell it’s ready if you can make ribbons of icing by lifting your mixer or spatula.  If it creates lines or “ribbons” from your utensil back to the bowl, then you can create the drizzle pattern on your donuts. 

NOTE:  According to food preparation laws and regulations, all food products sold to the public should be prepared with gloved hands. 

Take your gloved hand and place your fingers into the container of caramel icing.  Your fingers should be slightly spaced apart.  Keeping your fingers still, pull your hand out of the icing.  Notice how the icing ribbons off of each of your fingers?  This is the effect you want to create on your donuts.  Move your hand (not your fingers!) approximately 6-12 inches over the donuts in a rocking or circular motion.  Remember, your fingers should remain steady: think of them as a paint brush that you guide over your edible canvasses.

And in case your customers may have food-specific allergies, it would be a great idea to let them know that although our Butter Pecan donuts taste like pecans, all of our items are 100% peanut and nut-free!