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Sense & Edibility's Cake Donuts

Easy Cake Donuts Recipe

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Cuisine: Eastern European, North American
Keyword: donuts
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
chilling time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 22 minutes
Servings: 12 donuts and holes
Calories: 489kcal
Author: Marta Rivera
Serve plain or topped with any number of glazes! See post for specific topping recipes.
Print Recipe

Equipment

  • pot for frying
  • frying thermometer
  • rolling pin
  • tongs or spider
  • donut cutter or two circle cookie cutters for the outer and inner circles

Ingredients

  • 4 1/2 cups (615 grams or 1 pound 5 1/2 ounces cake flour
  • 1 cup (215 grams or 7 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
  • 4 1/2 teaspoons (22 grams or 3/4 ounce) baking powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons (10 grams or 1/3 ounce) kosher salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon (1 gram) ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon (1 gram) ground nutmeg or cardamom
  • 1 cup (305 grams or 11 ounces) sour cream room temperature
  • 2 large eggs lightly beaten at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup (60 milliliters or 2 ounces) whole milk room temperature
  • 1/4 cup (56 grams or 2 ounces) unsalted butter melted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • vegetable oil for frying
  • confectioner's sugar for coating, optional
  • glazes for topping see links in post

Instructions

Mix the Cake Donuts Dough

  • Combine the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg together in a large mixing bowl. Use a whisk to stir the ingredients together until they are fully mixed.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, eggs, milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract until smooth.
    Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and fold them into one another using a rubber spatula.
  • Once the mixture becomes too stiff to stir with the spatula, use your fingers to scrape the excess dough off of the spatula and back into the bowl.
    Use your hands to mix the dough just until it comes together. Fold the dough over 4 or 5 times until no flour is left on the bottom of the bowl. 
  • Don't overmix the dough. The dough will look pocked and slightly rough but will form into a slightly tacky lump.
    If the dough is very sticky, knead in a 1/4-cup of flour before shaping it into a square. Cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour to relax the dough.

Roll Out and Cut the Donuts

  • Liberally flour your countertop. Unwrap the dough and give it 2 or 3 kneads on the floured surface to remove any excess stickiness.
    Use a rolling pin to roll out the chilled dough to a rectangle that measure 12 x 10-inches and is between 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick. Focus more on the thickness than the size of the rectangle. 
  • Cut out as many donut circles as you can using your preferred metal cutter. Don't twist the cutter when you hit your countertop as it seals the dough, which prevents it from puffing up when it's fried.
    Use a spatula to lift your cut dough from the counter to a sheetpan.
  • Press the scraps of dough together with your hands. Give it a very light rolling with the rolling pin to 1-inch thickness.
    Cut out the number of circles you need to get a full dozen. Discard any remaining dough.
    Put the pan of cut dough into the fridge while you start heating your cooking oil. 

Fry and Top the Cake Donuts

  • In a deep, heavy-bottomed pot, bring 2-3 quarts of oil up to 350°-365°F (177°C-185°C). Insert a deep-fryer thermometer into the oil to monitor the temperature.
    Remove the sheetpan of donut circles from the fridge and place it on the same side of the pot as your non-dominant hand. On the opposite side of the pot, put a sheetpan lined with paper towels and set a cooling grid/rack on top of it. This helps the donuts drain without making them soggy.
    Have a spider and a pair of tongs handy for turning and removing your donuts.
  • Carefully slip 4 donuts (or however many can fit and still float around) into the hot oil.
    Start a timer and fry the donuts on the first side for 1 minute. When you see a brown ring develop around the submerged portion, use your tongs to flip the donuts to the other side. 
    Restart your timer and fry the donuts on the second side for 1 1/2 minutes. Once your donut is golden brown and has fried for 2 1/2 minutes, use the spider (or the tongs) to remove it from the oil to the rack.
    Continue frying the rest of the batch this way.
  • Once the donuts are fried, slip all of the donut holes into the oil and fry them for 30 seconds.
    Tap them on one of their edges after a minute to flip them over. Continue frying the holes another minute before removing them to the draining rack.
  • Dust the drained donuts in powdered sugar or cinnamon-sugar (see post) just after frying and draining and while still warm.
    See post for even more creative ways to tops your Easy Cake Donuts.
  • Transfer the donuts to a covered container and store them at room temperature for no more than two days.
    You can reheat the donuts for 15 seconds in the microwave to give them a freshly-fried taste. 

Notes

Storage and Freezing Instructions:

  • To freeze raw cake donut dough: wrap the plastic-wrapped square of dough in foil to prevent freezer burn. Freeze the dough for up to 2 months. 
    Thaw the dough in the fridge before proceeding with the recipe.
  • Storing fried donuts: store the fried, topped donuts covered and at room temperature for 2 days or less. Storing them in the fridge will cause them to go stale faster. 
  • To freeze fried cake donuts: freeze them before topping them. Transfer the cooled donuts to a freezer storage bag and freeze them for 2 months. 
    When you're ready to enjoy them, thaw them at room temperature before topping them as desired. 

Air-Fryer Instructions:

  1. Heat your air-fryer to 350°F (177°C) on the air-fry setting.
  2. Arrange 6 of the cut circles onto a lightly greased air fryer tray.
  3. Use a butter-flavored cooking spray to help add some more flavor to the donuts and spray a light coating over the surface of the donuts on the tray.
  4. Air fry the donuts at 5 minutes. Rotating the pan halfway through the air-frying time for even browning.
  5. Remove the tray from the air-fryer and flip the donuts over. Spray again with the butter-flavored spray and air-fry for another 4 or 5 minutes, or until browned.
  6. Air-fried donuts won't rise as much as fried donuts will, but they're a great option if you're on a low-fat diet. 

Baking Instructions: 

  1. Preheat your oven to 375°F (191°C) and line a sheetpan with parchment paper.
  2. Brush the donuts with a light egg wash- 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of cold water- or whole milk.
  3. Arrange your donuts on the parchment lined pan and bake them for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. 

Nutrition

Calories: 489kcal | Carbohydrates: 86g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 52mg | Sodium: 467mg | Potassium: 139mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 302IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 159mg | Iron: 1mg