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This Easy Donuts Recipe yields baked cake donuts that you can easily make anytime, complete with simple chocolate and vanilla glazes! Soft, airy and light, these are so good you cannot stop at one. If you want to try yeast donuts instead, try my Basic Fried Donuts or my Boston Cream Donuts.
We all love donuts, yes- the fried, airy and chewy ones. But sometimes, we do not want to tackle yeast, or deep-frying, or the lengthy time needed to make them.
That is when this Easy Donuts recipe comes in handy! This is your quick and easy donut fix, complete with your choice of chocolate or vanilla glaze.
Easy Donuts: Baked not Fried
- These donuts are baked in the oven for 10-12 minutes. The result is a light and delicate cake that is a perfect canvass for any glaze.
- The process is very simple. Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl, then the wet ingredients in another. Combine the two, then bake in a donut pan.
- Donut Pans. Donut pans have 6 slots each, for a total of 12. They are inexpensive and nice to have because you can make lots of variations with this recipe by adding different glazes and flavorings. (See the recipe card for my donut pan recommendation). You can also make this Choco Butternut Donuts if you have donut pans.
Easy Donuts Recipe Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
All Purpose flour, baking powder and baking soda and salt make up the dry ingredients for the cake donuts. Cinnamon and nutmeg adds a note of spice to the batter for bit of character and flavor.
The Wet Ingredients
Melted butter, buttermilk, egg and vanilla extract are whisked together with the sugar to make the wet mixture for the batter.
The Glazes
Let’s Make Them!
- Whisk wet and dry ingredients separately. Whisk together dry ingredients together: the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Next, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, vanilla and sugar.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients. Pour the wet mixture to the dry mixture and use a rubber spatula to stir, just until everything is combined. Do not overmix.
- Fill the Donut Pans. Transfer the batter to a piping bag and pipe the batter to the donut pan cavities, until each slot is halfway filled.
- Bake Time! Bake the donuts at 350 F for 11 minutes or so, until the donuts springs back to the touch and are lightly golden.
- Glaze. Allow the donuts to cool, then dip them in your choice of glaze (see the recipe card for the instructions to make the glaze).
Pointers for Success
- Make sure the egg and buttermilk are at room temperature. This ensure the process is easy and the butter wont get clumpy.
- You can also use a Ziploc bag to pipe the batter. To do this, transfer the batter to a Ziploc bag, and snip one corner to make a little hole.
- If you would like to freeze the baked donuts, skip the glaze. Wrap them well in plastic film and foil, or store them in a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to a month.
- You can choose between vanilla or chocolate glaze, or you can do half vanilla, half chocolate.
Frequently Asked Questions
A cake donut can be an old-fashioned donut which is made of a batter that is cake like, and then fried until golden. However, cake donuts can also refer to baked donuts such as this one. A yeast donut, or a donut that is leavened with yeast then deep-fried is regarded as regular donuts.
Baked donuts and fried donuts have completely different textures and taste. Calorie wise, fried donuts have higher calories than baked. So, since they are two completely different things, it is all a matter of preference.
More Donuts
Easy Donuts Recipe with Simple Glazes
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Cake Donuts
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp butter melted
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ¾ cup buttermilk room temperature
For the Vanilla Glaze
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 tbsp. whipping cream
- ¼ tsp vanilla
For the Chocolate Glaze
- ¼ cup whipping cream
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
Make the Donuts
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease two donuts pan that have 6 cavity each. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
- In another bowl, whisk together melted butter, buttermilk, egg, vanilla extract and sugar until everything is incorporated. Pour the wet ingredients to the flour mixture.
- Use a rubber spatula to mix everything just until combined. Do not overmix. This batter is a bit thick.
- Transfer the batter into a large Ziploc bag. Snip one corner of the bag and pipe the batter into the slots in the donut pan, until each is half full.
- Bake at 350 F for 11 minutes or so, until the donuts are set and springs back to the touch. Allow the donuts to cool completely then dip them in your choice of glaze.
The Vanilla Glaze
- In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, cream and vanilla extract until smooth. Add more cream as needed to adjust the consistency. You want a a glaze that is a bit flowy but not too runny. Use this glaze immediately.
The Chocolate Glaze
- Place the chocolate chips in a heat resistant bowl. In a microwave safe bowl, heat the cream in 20 seconds increments until it is very hot. Pour the cream over the chocolate chips and let this sit for about 8 minutes. Stir the mixture until a nice, smooth texture is achieved. Stir the powdered sugar gradually. Use glaze immediately.
Notes
- Room temperature eggs and milk. Make sure the eggs and buttermilk are at room temperature for easy mixing, and to prevent the butter from clumping.
- Piping the batter. You can also use a piping bag and pipe the batter into the donuts pans, instead of a Ziploc bag.
- Glazes. Choose between vanilla or chocolate glaze or do half of the batch vanilla, and the other chocolate.
- Leftovers. Store leftovers in a tight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. I recommend a cake dome with lid. Or refrigerate them for longer storage of up to 4 days.
- To freeze the baked donuts: You can freeze the baked donuts without glaze by wrapping them well in plastic film then in foil, Or in a well-sealed freezer safe container. Freeze for up to a month.
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