Baked Chocolate Glazed Cake Donuts Recipe

easy glazed chocolate donuts recipe featured image

Baked Chocolate Glazed Cake Donuts Recipe

Next time you want to make a doughnut run, take 30 minutes and make this baked chocolate glazed donuts recipe! With a moist, cake-like crumb, fudgy glaze, and rich chocolate flavor, they're always a hit.

Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Chocolate Glazed Donuts, Chocolate Glazed Donuts Recipe

Prep Time 22

Cook Time 8

Servings servings

Calories 292kcal

Author Faith Gorsky

Equipment

Donut pan (see Notes)

Ingredients

Chocolate Donuts:

Coconut oil (or butter or ghee; to grease the donut pan)
1/4 cup avocado oil (or vegetable oil)
1/2 cup light brown sugar (lightly packed)
1 large egg
1/3 cup full-fat sour cream
1/2 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon instant espresso powder (optional)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Chocolate Glaze:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (sifted)
1/2 cup powdered sugar (sifted)
1 tablespoon water
1/2 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/16 teaspoon salt

Other:

Chocolate sprinkles (optional; or any sprinkles you like)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the Chocolate Donuts:

Prep. Preheat the oven to 375F. Grease a donut pan with coconut oil.
Make the batter. Add the oil, sugar, egg, sour cream, vanilla, and instant espresso powder to a large bowl and whisk to combine well. Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and whisk to combine, being careful not to over-mix. (The batter will be thick.)
Spoon the batter into the prepared donut pan, being careful not to over-fill the wells. Use a spoon to evenly spread the batter in each.
Bake and cool. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 7 to 9 minutes (TIP: the exact baking time will vary depending on your pan).
Let the donuts cool for 10 minutes in the pan, and then invert them onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

For the Chocolate Glaze:

Once the donuts are cooled, make the glaze. To do so, add the chocolate glaze ingredients to a small saucepan over low heat. Heat the mixture (stirring constantly) until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth, about 2 to 3 minutes.

To Glaze and Decorate the Donuts:

Carefully dip the top of each donut in the glaze and put it on a wire rack so any excess glaze can drip off. Before the glaze sets, top with sprinkles if desired.

Notes

If You Don't Have a Donut Pan: You can bake this batter in a muffin pan (or use a mini muffin pan for "donut holes"!).
Glaze Yield: This recipe makes about 1/2 cup of glaze; you might have about a tablespoon leftover after glazing these donuts.
Storage:
- Donuts: Once the glaze sets, store the donuts layered between pieces of parchment paper in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Glaze: After cooling to room temperature, you can store this glaze in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. After chilling, it will stiffen like hot fudge. To be able to use it as a glaze after chilling, simply reheat it in a double boiler or a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave in 10 to 15-second intervals, stirring in between each.

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