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These are the perfect baked cake donuts with a moist and tender texture! Included in this recipe you’ll find three different icings so you can make all of your favorite flavors at home.
Homemade Donuts
Donuts are the epitome of a happy weekend morning to me! And while I love a good lil bakery visit, I have to admit that there’s really nothing better than enjoying a fresh homemade donut in the comfort of your sweats.
These homemade donuts are so flavorful with a great fluffy, tender texture that is NOT dry. If you have the patience for it, I like to put the cooled donuts in an airtight container for a couple of hours prior to serving because it softens the slightly crisp edges that you’ll get straight out of the oven.
Below you’ll find recipes for three types of icing: maple, chocolate, and vanilla. Feel free to make one or all of them and mix and match with various toppings. I know it’s cliche, but I highly recommend trying maple + bacon at least once. And if you’re feeling really fancy, give chocolate + crushed up Oreos and a drizzle of peanut butter a go, too. No matter what combo you go with, you’re guaranteed a really delightful donut moment.
Ingredients
*You can find instructions and exact quantities in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Donuts
- Salted butter, melted – I use salted butter, but you can sub in unsalted butter if you’d prefer. If you make the swap, I recommend adding an extra pinch of salt to the dough.
- Canola oil
- Brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Corn syrup
- Egg
- Sour cream – This adds moisture to the donuts, giving them the best crumb.
- Milk
- Vanilla extract – Don’t skimp on the vanilla. It is the foundational flavor for these bad boys.
- All-purpose flour
- Corn starch – We add this as a softening agent so your donuts won’t harden.
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Ground nutmeg – Not a typo! This is KEY to creating the nice cake donut flavor you’re looking for.
Chocolate Icing
- Salted butter – Again, you can sub in unsalted butter if preferred.
- Milk – Use whichever type of milk you’d like!
- Cocoa powder – I typically use regular unsweetened, but dutch processed or dark will work too.
- Vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar
Vanilla Icing
- Salted butter
- Milk + more to thin
- Clear vanilla extract – You can definitely use regular vanilla here if you’d like. Using clear vanilla will just help the frosting be a bright pretty white rather than slightly murky.
- Powdered sugar
Maple Icing
- Salted butter
- Milk + more to thin
- Maple flavoring – I used Mapleine flavoring from my local grocery store.
- Powdered sugar
How to make Cake Donuts
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray a donut pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
- In a bowl, whisk together the melted butter, oil, sugars, and corn syrup.
- Whisk in the egg and then sour cream until smooth.
- Add the milk and vanilla, mixing until combined.
- Add flour, corn starch, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg to the bowl and whisk, stirring until a thick batter is reached.
- Transfer the batter to a piping bag or a gallon zip-top bag with the corner snipped. Pipe the batter into the prepared donut pan, filling each segment about ½ full.
- Bake for 10–12 minutes or until the donuts have risen and feel firm when tapped.
- Immediately flip the pan over to remove the donuts from the pan. Allow the donuts to cool completely. Repeat with remaining batter, if needed.
- To make the icing of your choice, combine all ingredients except the powdered sugar. Microwave until the butter is melted and the mixture is warm, then whisk until smooth.
- Whisk in the powdered sugar until fully combined. Add additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the icing reaches your desired consistency.
- Dip the top of each donut into the icing and top with sprinkles, if desired.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
How should I store these donuts?
Let your donuts cool completely and then store in an airtight container. These are best eaten relatively quickly, so be sure to enjoy within 2 days.
Can I freeze homemade donuts?
Yes, you can. Let the donuts cool completely and then wrap individually in parchment paper. Place all donuts in a ziptop bag and freeze for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy, thaw and frost!
Karli’s Kitchen Faves
Here are a few of my favorite kitchen tools that I used to make this recipe!
- Piping bag – These are disposable, meaning you do not have to clean them ha. They are durable and won’t burst and leak your donut batter.
- Piping tips – This is a set of my 4 favorite piping tips.
- Microwave safe bowls: I love how giant the big bowl is! It’s perfect for mixing up the batter. This set also includes smaller bowls, which is ideal for making your icings.
- Whisk – This is my very favorite silicone whisk. I love that it doesn’t scratch my bowls and it is slightly more flexible for cleaning.
- Donut pan – These pans are a great quality and hold up well. When greased, you shouldn’t have any issue getting the donuts out.
Breakfast Treats
Donuts for Dad
Ingredients
Donuts
- 1/4 cup (56g) salted butter, melted
- 3 Tbsp canola oil
- ½ cup (123g) brown sugar
- ¼ cup (58g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp corn syrup
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup (60g) sour cream
- ⅓ cup (78ml) milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups (266g) all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp corn starch
- 1 ¼ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
Chocolate Icing
- ¼ cup (56g) salted butter
- 2 Tbsp milk + more to thin
- 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ⅔ cups (178g) powdered sugar
Vanilla Icing
- ¼ cup (56g) salted butter
- 2 Tbsp milk + more to thin
- 1 tsp clear vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (161g) powdered sugar
Maple Icing
- ¼ cup (56g) salted butter
- 2 Tbsp milk + more to thin
- ½ tsp maple flavoring
- 1 ½ cups (161g) powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray a donut pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
- In a bowl, whisk together the melted butter, oil, sugars, and corn syrup.1/4 cup (56g) salted butter, melted , 3 Tbsp canola oil, ½ cup (123g) brown sugar, ¼ cup (58g) granulated sugar, 1 Tbsp corn syrup
- Whisk in the egg and then sour cream until smooth.1 egg, ¼ cup (60g) sour cream
- Add the milk and vanilla, mixing until combined.⅓ cup (78ml) milk, 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Add flour, corn starch, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg to the bowl and whisk, stirring until a thick batter is reached.1 ¾ cups (266g) all-purpose flour, 2 Tbsp corn starch, 1 ¼ tsp baking powder, ½ tsp salt, ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
- Transfer the batter to a piping bag or a gallon zip-top bag with the corner snipped. Pipe the batter into the prepared donut pan, filling each segment about ½ full.
- Bake for 10–12 minutes or until the donuts have risen and feel firm when tapped.
- Immediately flip the pan over to remove the donuts from the pan. Allow the donuts to cool completely. Repeat with remaining batter, if needed.
- To make the icing of your choice, combine all ingredients except the powdered sugar. Microwave until the butter is melted and the mixture is warm, then whisk until smooth.
- Whisk in the powdered sugar until fully combined. Add additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the icing reaches your desired consistency.
- Dip the top of each donut into the icing and top with sprinkles, if desired.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Thank you for sharing your amazing recipes. I can’t wait to make these for my Zumba class. Exercise and eat a donut. 🤣
For freezing; would in freeze them before in frost them or after?
You can freeze with or without the frosting! They will last up to 3 months.
I shared with teachers at my school and they all LOVED them!
What to recommend as an egg substitute? I typically do Greek yogurt. Egg allergy here.
Hi! I have a list of egg substitutes that I recommend here: https://cookiesfordays.com/egg-substitutes-for-baking/. Greek yogurt, applesauce, or cream cheese should work well here!