baked pumpkin donuts

So, I had seen this recipe on multiply delicious and decided I wanted to try them, so I put it on my menu and bought the ingredients but then today when I went to make them, I saw that she had got them from Cheeky kitchen.  I looked at cheeky kitchen's version and liked the simplicity of it.  I also liked the buttermilk glaze there, but I liked that at multiply delicious she had used partially wheat flour.  So, I followed cheeky kitchen (not adding cinnamon chips I had bought for this - now I have to find something to use those in. lol)  but I made my own modifications - keeping the wheat flour, and subbing out some splenda.  I also cut the buttermilk glaze in half and added some spices.  (It was plenty cut in half.)
My opinion of these "donuts" ....  They weren't my favorite.  They tasted fine, but I don't think I really liked the wheat.  Maybe it was a texture issue from the wheat ??  I felt as if they were a bit grainy.  Mostly my texture issue with this recipe is that it was very bready and not very cakey.  For a donut, I expected a bit sweeter, and definitely cakey in texture.  This was more like a pumpkin bread - but not the soft moist type like banana bread, more like a yeast bread with pumpkin flavor.  Not sure what to change.  I need to learn how to alter textures of breads and baked goods.  In a nutshell, these could have been good, and I like the idea of a baked donut, but the dough was super sticky and hard to deal with.  Then they weren't as sweet as I expected them to be for a donut, and they were more dry and bready than moist and cakey.  Will I make them again?  Not unless I change something - maybe try them with all white flour?  Maybe add the cinnamon chips?  Not sure.  They were eaten by the kids - Duncan ate the tops off (the icing part) but the rest of the boys ate 2 donuts and 2 holes.  I ate my share as well, I can't say that I didn't.  They weren't awful or anything, just not what I expected and therefore disappointing.

Yield: about 10 donuts - I made 10 donuts and 9 donut holes ( the last donut was free formed from the scraps.)

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 cup unbleached flour
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup splenda 
• 6 Tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup pumpkin puree

Glaze ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, salt, spice and sugar.  
2. Melt butter in a medium bowl.  Whisk in pumpkin puree.  Whisk in vanilla and buttermilk.  Whisk in the eggs.  
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until the mixture is well combined.  Turn out onto a lightly floured surface (I used a lot of flour because it was quite sticky dough.) Rool to 3/4" thickness and cut with a donut cutter (I used a 3 1/4 inch circle on the outside and my smallest circle on the inside.  I had to spray them multiple times with cooking spray so they didn't stick to the dough.
4. Transfer to a lightly greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes (I did 13.) or until donuts are cooked through.
5. While donuts are cooking, whisk together glaze ingredients.  Dip warm donuts immediately in buttermilk glaze.