I love getting up early in the morning when the rest of my world is still asleep. Its quiet and calm and I can just be in my own space without having to worry about anyone or anything else. I love to be in my kitchen in the morning it’s when I create my best creations or my most catastrophic failures! The good thing is if I fail I throw it away and no one is the wiser! If its a winner then when the rest of my world wakes up they wake up smelling delicious treats. This past Sunday was a winner with these easy Chocolate Cake Donuts.
These donuts are so easy to make and everyone will love them. These donuts are baked which makes them even easier. You will need a donut pan and my favorite is the Wilton Donut Pan.
It is non stick but I always use a baking spray like Bakers Joy to ensure my donuts release from the pan without a flaw!
This batter mixes up very quickly and I like to put it in a piping bag to get the batter in the pan easily. This time I just used a zip top bag and cut off one corner to pipe the batter into the pan. I will warn you the batter will be very thick but dont worry your donuts will turn out amazing!
And the frosting is very easy to make too. I just dip the donuts in the frosting. I love a simple donut dipped in frosting, but they can be dressed up too, right? So lets talk about the toppings I put on these yummy donuts! After you dip the donuts in the frosting let them set just a bit so the excess drips off then do your adorning! I used a few things I had hanging around my kitchen. I had mini chocolate chips, chopped nuts, peppermint bits, and of course sprinkles!
Now I just dipped the top of the donut in the mini chocolate chips and the nuts but I just sprinkled the sprinkles and peppermint bits on top of the donut. I am not a fan of donuts encrusted with sprinkles. I think they look prettier with a dusting of sprinkles. Which do you prefer?
Chocolate Cake Donut Recipe
Easy Chocolate Cake Donuts
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 4 Tbsp. milk
- pinch salt
- 4 tablespoons butter melted
- 2 Eggs
- ¾ cup sour cream
- Chocolate Glaze
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- 3-4 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
Instructions
To make the Donuts: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, both sugars and salt. In a separate bowl mix together egg, sour cream and melted butter. Add the wet ingredients into the dry and gently mix to a smooth batter.
- Add batter to a piping bag or zipper bag. Cut a corner off to pipe into donut pan wells. Fill them no higher than ⅔ of the way up so they don't bake over.
- Bake donuts for 10-12 minutes or until they are firm and spring back when you touch them. Pop them out of the donut pan and onto a cooling rack to cool until warm to the touch.
To make the Glaze: Sift together the icing sugar and cocoa powder. Whisk in the milk, vanilla and whisk until the glaze is smooth. You may need to add additional powdered sugar or milk depending on the consistency you like. Dip the top of each donut in the glaze. Serve it warm or at room temperature.
These donuts can be made the night before for a Christmas morning treat. I would store them in a container with the lid just barley closed. For some reason donuts kind of wilt when stored in an air tight container I think they need a little breathing space!
I hope you and your family have a wonderful Holiday Season!