Prepare the Oven and Pan: Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Lightly grease a 12-hole donut pan with a little butter or a neutral oil spray.

Mix the Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the plain flour, caster sugar, baking powder, salt, and ground nutmeg until they are well combined. This ensures the leavening agents are evenly distributed.

Mix the Wet Ingredients: In a separate medium bowl or jug, whisk the egg, milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract until smooth.

Combine Wet and Dry: Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Gently fold them together with a spatula until just combined. Be careful not to overmix; a few small lumps are perfectly fine. Overmixing can lead to tough donuts.

Fill the Donut Pan: What works best for me is transferring the batter to a piping bag (or a large zip-top bag with the corner snipped off). Pipe the batter evenly into each cavity of the prepared donut pan, filling them about two-thirds full.

Bake the Donuts: Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 10-12 minutes. The donuts are ready when they are lightly golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Cool the Donuts: Let the donuts cool in the pan for 5 minutes before carefully turning them out onto a wire rack to cool completely. It's crucial they are fully cool before glazing.

Make the Chocolate Glaze: While the donuts cool, prepare the glaze. Place the finely chopped dark chocolate, butter, and golden syrup in a heatproof bowl. Set it over a saucepan of gently simmering water (a bain-marie), ensuring the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Stir occasionally until everything is melted and smooth. Alternatively, melt in the microwave in 20-second bursts, stirring in between.

Finish the Glaze: Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk in 2 tablespoons of milk. If the glaze is too thick, add the remaining tablespoon of milk until you have a smooth, pourable consistency.

Glaze the Donuts: Once the donuts are completely cool, dip the top of each one into the warm chocolate glaze. Allow any excess to drip off before placing it back on the wire rack, glaze-side up. Let the glaze set for at least 30 minutes before serving.