In these Grapefruit Watercress Donuts, the peppery flavor of the watercress fades, leaving a lovely earthy taste that pears beautifully with the grapefruit. The grapefruit pears are a fun alternative to sprinkles.
I put watercress in doughnuts. Indeed. Watercress donuts. Yessiree.
And I'll do it again. These zesty grapefruit baked doughnuts are vibrant, green-flecked spongy bursts of summer.
When cooked, the watercress loses the pepperiness and turns more floral, lending these doughnuts a subtle earthiness to compliment the gutsy kick of the fruit.
What are grapefruit pearls, you ask?
I discovered them from the food Gods over at Saveur and they are little tangy bubbles of sunny citrus.
So simple to make, they are a quirky, healthy alternative to sprinkles.
Thursday was not a pleasant day. Double disappointments, wallowing in self-pity and Bob Marley's Legend on repeat. Friday dawned a little brighter. I had a quiet word with myself. Someone's mother said "What's meant for you won't pass you by." It helped.
Today, however, is great. The sun blazed all day, and now I'm rambling on my computer to you while drinking Pimm's. My glass (okay, it's a jar, but I swear I'm only using it because the other glasses are all in the dishwasher. My grandmother would be horrified.) is rammed full of ice, lemon, strawberries, fresh mint and cucumber. So, it's sort of a veggie dessert.
My husband is in the dining room with the exposed skeleton of a Victorian grand piano dismembered around him. He's listening to Chilly Gonzales while hacking away at pieces with small vintage tools like a gin-soaked (Pimm's-soaked) eccentric. Sweeney Todd with a tuning fork, if you will. A hundred years of the dust of dead people who hit keys in the succession to make tunes dances ghostly in the air as he tinkers and mends, prodding the music back into the wood. He is a piano tuner. I've encouraged him to sport a handlebar moustache, but thus far he is not keen.
* I have a broken rib from an over-enthusiastic coughing fit three weeks ago.
* I would like to see a barbershop quartet one day. Make it happen, someone.
* My house is up for sale and I've cleaned it more in a week than in all of 2013.
Chomp, chomp, chomp.
Notice that coffee ring on the table? Oops. Caffeinating between shots.
Donut Recipes
Looking for more donut recipes? Try these!
Irish Cream Baked Donuts
Pumpkin Donuts with Chocolate Drizzle
Baked Lemon Spinach Donuts
Vegan Baked Chocolate Donuts with Earl Grey Glaze
Get the recipe
📖 Recipe
Watercress and Grapefruit Baked Doughnuts with Citrus Glaze and Grapefruit Pearls
Equipment
- Donut pan
Ingredients
- 50 g 1 cup, packed fresh raw watercress
- 250 g 2 cups plain (all-purpose) flour
- 100 g ¾ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 1 egg
- 250 ml 1 cup buttermilk (or mix full-fat milk with 3 teaspoons of lemon juice and let stand for five minutes)
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 tablespoon pink grapefruit juice
- 1 teaspoon grapefruit zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the grapefruit pearls:
- Half a grapefruit
- Oil to cover
For the glaze:
- 200 g 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 3-4 tablespoons grapefruit juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 175C/350F. Grease a doughnut pan.
- Simmer the watercress for a few minutes until tender. Drain, refresh under cold water, squeeze out the moisture and puree with a hand-held blender or food mill. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- In another bowl, whisk the watercress, egg, oil, buttermilk, butter, zest, juice and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients and gently stir to combine but don’t overmix.
- Fill the doughnut moulds with the batter until nearly full and bake for 15 minutes or until springy and an inserted skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tray for 5 mintues, then carefully remove from the pan to cool completely on a wire rack.
For the grapefruit pearls
- Peel and segment the grapefruit over a bowl to catch the juices (reserve for the glaze). Put the segments in a bowl and cover with olive oil. Gently stir, occasionally. After about 15 minutes the grapefruit will dissolve into pearls. Strain the grapefruit (reserve the infused oil for salad dressings) and rinse under cold water to remove traces of oil. Set aside.
For the glaze
- Mix both ingredients until smooth, adding more juice to make a thin consistency. Dip the fully cooled doughnuts in the glaze and allow to cool on a wire rack. Top with the grapefruit pearls.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors, so is not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietician for special diet advice.
kate spinks says
I get a veg box every week and sometimes have things left over that I'm not quite sure what to do with. This week I had four grapefruits which were too much for me to eat on their own so I searched for grapefruit desserts and came across this one. I happened to have everything already, including only one egg, just one teaspoon of vanilla paste left and (can you believe it) my other veg box loner, a bag of watercress!
I messed up the batter slightly, it didn't seem runny enough so in my infinite wisdom decided to add more grapefruit juice, I THEN remembered the butter was still in the microwave. I'm going to blame the distraction of baking them with a two year old.
I don't have a doughnut tray so I improvised. The first half went into mini muffin cases, the second half I added chia seeds and used a yorkshire pudding tin. Both are delicious, but I had to add more sugar over the top of the glaze and grapefruit pearls because they are pretty tart due to my previously mentioned idiocy.
GREAT recipe though, I'll definitely be checking out your other blog recipes and the two year old is similarly impressed.
Kate Hackworthy says
Ha, sometimes baking with kids around is just crazy! Glad they turned out in the end!
Angie (@angiesrecipess) says
What a creative doughnut recipe! I really would love to taste them.
Kate Hackworthy says
Thanks Angie. They're really easy and good. I hope you get the chance to make them one day!
Anyonita says
I'm not a fan of raw grapefruit but I'm intrigued by this! 🙂 Going to scour Amazon for that doughnut tray & let you know how I get on!
Kate Hackworthy says
Baked doughnuts are great! Buy buy!
Choclette says
You just get more innovative with each bake. I already voted for you last week and am crossing fingers that you win 🙂
Kate Hackworthy says
Thanks Choclette! For all of your ongoing support. You rock.
Melissa says
Your desserts are so innovative and lovely at the same time. The wonderful thing, though, is that you're a beautiful writer, as well. Thank you for the bright spot in my day when I read. Glad you're keeping it up! Hope your rib is healing well, too.
Kate Hackworthy says
Gosh, Melissa. That is such a kind thing to say. You've absolutely made my day!
Merlinda Little (@pixiedusk) says
Hmmm this is interesting! I am in dire need of making my son eat veggies. This could be a start right? Looks lush too! #MBPW
Kate Hackworthy says
This would definitely be a fun place to start!
Stephanie Pass says
This looks amazing! I love grapefruit, and I bet these taste delicious!
Kate Hackworthy says
Grapefruit is so lovely in the mornings, now it's lovely for dessert!
Kecia says
I must say, these look so good my family... non-veg eaters would completely go nuts over these doughnuts! They are so sweet and inviting looking! Wonderful!
Kate Hackworthy says
Thanks Kecia, they're delicious - nobody would know there was a big bunch of leaves in it!
Mel says
Fab recipe, these look delicious! I love the photo montage of the disappearing doughnut! Congratulations for being shortlisted and good luck Mel #MBPW
Kate Hackworthy says
Thanks Mel! I fear the disappearing doughnut gif is going to start a gif obsession...!
Aunt Bee says
Wow! This looks great! Your photos are amazing! <3
Kate Hackworthy says
Thanks so much, B!
Vohn McGuinness says
I've seen grapefruit pearls before but had no idea how easy they were to make. I'm guessing this works for all citrus fruit? Love it! x
Kate Hackworthy says
So easy! I bet it would work for other citrus fruits, worth a try!
Lou says
Kate, you are simly amazing!
Watercress in doughnuts, very interesting!
And the citrus pearl tip is really smart.
Best of luck for the award.
Have a lovely evening
Lou
Kate Hackworthy says
Thank you so much, Lou! xxxx