If making your own doughnuts has always scared the bejeezus out of you, we've got your back. In her beautifully photographed book, Caroline Khoo of Nectar and Stone shows us how to bake doughnuts (bonus: healthier), without losing any flavour. She shares her pretty icing and decorating tips for these particularly gorgeous recipes. Note: You will need a doughnut tin for the basic doughnut recipe.

The baked doughnuts serve as the base of each of these recipes.

Basic doughnuts

Makes: 12–14 doughnuts

Prep time: 10 minutes

Baking time: 10–12 minutes.

Ingredients

150g unsalted butter, softened

110g (½ cup) castor sugar

1 egg

60ml (¼ cup) milk

60g plain yoghurt, or yoghurt with a sweet flavoured syrup like strawberry, rhubarb or watermelon

1 tsp vanilla extract or essence

190 g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

canola oil cooking spray

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170C fan-forced.

2. Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk on a low then medium speed until light and fluffy.

3. With the mixer still going, add the egg, milk, yoghurt and vanilla, and mix until just combined.

4. Add the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon, and mix until a soft dough has formed – this should only take 1 minute. Scrape down the bowl, if necessary, to ensure all the ingredients have combined evenly.

5. Place the dough in a piping bag fitted with a piping tip.

6. Evenly spray the doughnut tins with canola spray.

7. Using firm pressure, pipe the dough into the doughnut holes ensuring it only comes three-quarters of the way up each hole.

8. Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until lightly golden.

9. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for a few minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Allow to cool down fully before you start decorating.

'Tiffany Rose was her name' doughnuts from I'm Just Here For Dessert

Tiffany-Rose was her name

I was actually at a meeting in a small, quaint street with my publisher, discussing this book, when I spotted this tree of dainty pink flowers. I absolutely love it when the skies are bright blue, and I started to imagine how the flowers might look with that colour behind them. That image in my mind became the artistic anchor for these special and sophisticated doughnuts.

Make the ombre icing (below), then add some vanilla extract or essence and enough food colouring in turquoise to achieve the vibrant solid turquoise colour.

Dip the doughnuts in the icing, then add a little edible rosette to each doughnut. If you aren't sure how to make these, there are great videos online that will walk you through it step by step. Alternatively, specialty cake stores should sell them. Sprinkle over some crushed meringue to finish.

Ombre Icing

This icing will easily make enough for 12 doughnuts.

You want to make sure that you have a good amount of icing to dip your doughnuts in.

Ingredients

400g icing sugar

125ml water

flavouring: extract or essence of your choice

food colouring of your choice

Method

1. Sift the sugar into the bowl of your stand mixer.

2. Mix on a low speed, slowly adding one tablespoon of water at a time.

If you add too much water at the start, you may end up with a really runny icing. The consistency you are looking for when making this icing is thick like honey, so the slower you add the water, the easier this is to monitor. You may find that you don't need to use the all the water. If you find that the water is not enough, add some more — again in a controlled way, adding a little at a time.

3. Once you feel the mixture has the right consistency, turn the mixer up to high speed for 2 minutes, add a little capful of flavouring (if using) and a drop of colour to make the icing the lightest shade of the colours you are going to create.

4. If your doughnuts are still warm, pop them in the freezer on a wire rack for 12 minutes so they get really cold before you start dipping them in the icing. This helps the glaze set quickly and gives a more polished look. Apply a tiny bit of pressure then be gentle when removing. You may want to use a small metal spatula to help lift it until you get the hang of it. Repeat with a few more.

5. If you find that your icing is getting a little dry, add a small amount of water to the icing and whisk for a few seconds.

Rosewater doughnut 'ice-creams'

Some time ago, I fused my love for doughnuts and ice-cream together to create these little desserts. They are so pretty and have been super-popular on Instagram, and through my business.

Method

1. Add half a capful of rosewater essence to the Ombre Icing (above). Tint the icing with a tiny bit of red/pink food colouring to create a pale pink.

2. To decorate, start by sticking mini ice-cream cones to the doughnuts: dip the widest part of the cone into the icing mixture and then stick that onto the side of the doughnut to 'glue' it together. Leave for 10 minutes to set. You may need to use the back of a spoon to prop up the cone until so it stays level while it sets.

3. Gently 'glue' two mini meringues (recipe below) onto the icing and add some touches of gold leaf and a sprinkle of crushed meringue. These are best served on individual small plates.

These cute doughnuts are fun children's party food.

Doughnut worries

These very cute doughnuts are fun additions to any party. They always put a smile on people's faces, and they disappear very quickly.

Method

1. Add half a capful of strawberry essence to the Ombre Icing (above). Tint the icing with a tiny bit of red/pink food colourng to create a pale pink.

2. To decorate, add some edible eyes, a mini meringue (below), touches of gold leaf, some white sprinkles and a dusting of crushed meringue.

Basic meringues

Makes: 60 eeni mini meringues or 8 dessert-sized portions

Ingredients

2 egg whites

110g (½ cup) castor sugar

1 tsp white vinegar

flavoured extract or essence such as vanilla or strawberry (optional)

a drop of food colouring (optional)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 100C fan-forced.

2. Line two trays with baking paper.

3. Using a stand mixer on high speed, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form.

4. Reduce the speed to a medium setting and, using a tablespoon, add the sugar one tablespoon at a time until all of the sugar is added and the mixture is smooth and glossy.

5. Add the vinegar, the flavouring and the food colouring, if using. Whisk as before, on high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the meringue has doubled in volume and the mixture is shiny.

6. Using a piping bag and piping tip of your choice, pipe a couple of dots directly onto the baking tray and place the baking paper on top. This will ensure that the baking paper doesn't move around.

7. If making eeni mini meringues, pipe 60 small rounds of meringue evenly onto your baking trays. Place the trays in the oven for 20 minutes.

8. After 20 minutes, turn the oven off and leave the meringues in the oven for a further 40 minutes.

9. When the time is up, remove the meringues from the oven, leave on the tray to cool for 10 minutes then carefully transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Images and recipes from I'm Just Here For Dessert by Caroline Khoo, published by Murdoch Books, RRP $39.99