Baked Vanilla Cake Donuts
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These Baked Vanilla Cake Donuts with chocolate glaze are sure to brighten up your day, they’re so easy to make without the hassle of frying!
I have a confession to make: I hate frying things. I find the whole process so annoying but I love eating donuts. The perfect solution was these easy cake donuts! They come together so quickly and taste just as good if not better than fried donuts. After trying these you’ll never go back!
Ingredient Breakdown
All-purpose flour – this gives the donuts structure.
Baking powder/baking soda – unlike traditional donuts this recipe doesn’t use yeast so it relies on chemical leaveners to rise and get fluffy.
Nutmeg – this is the secret ingredient to getting that classic cake donut flavor (if you don’t like nutmeg you can totally omit it and they’ll still be just as tasty!)
Buttermilk – adds flavor and makes the donuts so moist!
Granulated sugar – sweetens and softens donuts.
Butter – melted butter adds both flavor and moisture! I always recommend using unsalted butter but salted butter works if that’s all you have on hand, just be sure to omit the 1/2 teaspoon of salt later on.
Eggs – helps bind the ingredients.
Vanilla extract and salt – enhances flavor. Always use pure vanilla extract instead of imitation for best flavor.
How To Make Baked Vanilla Cake Donuts
1. Make the Vanilla Cake Donut Batter: in a small bowl combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg.
2. In a medium bowl whisk the buttermilk, granulated sugar, melted butter, eggs and vanilla until well combined.
3. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined. The batter will be thick and lumpy. Do not over mix!
4. Use a piping bag or a zip-top bag to pipe each donut ring 2/3 full. Do not fill to the top, the donuts will rise as they bake.
5. Bake vanilla cake donuts at 350°F for 10 minutes. Allow to cool in donut pans for 5 minutes then unmold and finish cooling on a wire rack.
6. Make the Chocolate Glaze: in a small bowl whisk the confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract and milk until smooth. The glaze will be thick so warm it in the microwave for 5-10 seconds at a time then immediately dip donuts and top with sprinkles. I recommend microwaving the glaze instead of adding more milk because if you add too much liquid the glaze will be runny and drip down the sides of the donut. Store Baked Vanilla Cake Donuts in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature or up to a week in the fridge.
Pro Tips For Baked Vanilla Cake Donuts
- Weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale! Measuring ingredients by volume is not accurate; baking is a science after all!
- Do not over mix the batter after adding the dry ingredients otherwise the donuts will be tough.
- Don’t over fill the pan! Only fill each donut ring 2/3 full.
- If your donut holes closed up while baking you can use a small round cookie cutter to cut out the middle. The smallest ring from this set fits perfectly.
More Cake Donut Recipes
- Pumpkin Cake Donuts with Cinnamon Sugar
- 4th of July Cake Donuts
- Apple Crumb Cake Donuts
- Biscoff Donuts
- Red Velvet Donuts
If you try this recipe then please leave a rating/comment below to let me know how you liked it and feel free to ask any recipe questions you may have! 🙂
Baked Vanilla Cake Donuts
Equipment
- Donut pan
- Piping bag or zip-top bag
Ingredients
Vanilla Cake Donut Batter
- 300 g (2 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- 240 g (1 cup) buttermilk
- 150 g (3/4 cup) granulated sugar
- 113 g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- rainbow sprinkles optional
Chocolate Glaze
- 150 g (1 1/4 cups) confectioners' sugar
- 30 g (1/3 cup) cocoa powder
- 45 g (3 tbsp) whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Donuts
- Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly grease donut pans.
- In a small bowl combine all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl whisk the buttermilk, granulated sugar, melted butter, eggs and vanilla until well combined.
- Gently fold drys into wets until just combined.
- Use a piping bag or a zip-top bag to pipe each donut ring 2/3 full.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes then remove and allow to finish cooling completely on a wire rack before dipping in glaze.
Chocolate Glaze
- In a small bowl whisk the confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla and milk until smooth. Heat in microwave for 5-10 seconds at a time then immediately dip donuts and top with sprinkles.
Notes
- Weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale! Measuring ingredients by volume is not accurate.
- Butter: I recommend using unsalted butter. You can use salted butter, just be sure to omit the 1/2 tsp salt.
- Store Baked Vanilla Cake Donuts in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature or up to a week in the fridge.
