Baked donuts are an easy way to make a delicious and fun-filled breakfast for the whole family in under 30 minutes. Say no to trips to the doughnut shop because these classic cake doughnuts can be frosted or sprinkled with any of your favorite donut toppings. Plus, you won't feel as guilty because they are baked instead of fried.
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My Baked Donuts Master Recipe
Homemade cake donuts are surprisingly easy to make, especially when you bake them! There's no messy oil or grease, and they only take 10 minutes to cook in the oven.
These baked donuts are your classic cake donuts made from a simple batter, yet they are soft and delicious just like you'd expect from the bakery. Top them with a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar, vanilla icing, or chocolate icing!
🥘 Ingredients
If you are a frequent baker, you likely have all of these ingredients on hand. Be sure to set out the refrigerated ingredients to come to room temperature so your doughnuts cook evenly!
- Sugar - ½ cup granulated sugar.
- Light Brown Sugar - ⅓ cup, packed.
- Butter - ¼ cup of salted butter at room temperature.
- Cooking Oil - ¼ cup cooking oil.
- Eggs - 2 large eggs, beaten and at room temperature.
- Baking Powder - 2 teaspoons.
- Vanilla Extract - 1 ½ teaspoons, up to 2 teaspoons.
- Salt - ¾ teaspoons.
- All-Purpose Flour - 2 ⅔ cups, spoon and leveled.
- Milk - 1 cup of milk or buttermilk at room temperature.
Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!
🔪 How To Make Baked Donuts
Once you make the batter, the rest of the recipe is a breeze. You will need measuring spoons and cups, a mixing bowl, and a standard donut pan.
This recipe will make 18 standard-sized doughnuts or about 4 times as many mini donuts.
Make The Donut Batter
Step 1: Prep. Preheat your oven to 425°F (218°C) and lightly grease your donut pans or mini-donut pans.
Step 2: Make the batter. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the room temperature ¼ cup softened butter, ¼ cup cooking oil, ½ cup sugar, and ⅓ cup light brown sugar. Cream together the wet ingredients, then add the 2 large beaten eggs, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 ½ teaspoons of vanilla extract, and ¾ salt. Mix until evenly distributed.
Step 3: Add remaining ingredients. Add 2 ⅔ cups of all-purpose flour and 1 cup of milk into the wet ingredients, alternating and adding each in gradual amounts. You want the batter thoroughly combined, but do not over-mix once it comes together.
Fill The Donut Pan & Bake
Step 4: Fill the donut pans. Transfer the batter into your prepared donut pans, filling each donut cavity approximately ⅔ full.
Step 5: Bake. Place the donut pans onto the center rack in your preheated oven and bake for 8-10 minutes until they have risen, and are golden on the bottom (you can see the lightly browned edges).
Step 6: Cool. Remove the baked donuts from your oven and leave them in the pan for 5 minutes before flipping them out onto a wire cooling rack.
Step 7: Add toppings. Add your desired sugar, cinnamon sugar, icing, and any other toppings once cooled.
My sweet vanilla icing or chocolate icing are the perfect toppings for these homemade doughnuts. Add sprinkles, chocolate chips, cinnamon sugar, sugar, coconut, toasted crushed walnuts, or whatever sweet toppings you like. Enjoy!
Check out all my other baked donut recipes.
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- Mixing the Batter: Once you've combined the wet and dry ingredients, mix just until everything is incorporated. Be careful not to over-mix, as this can lead to tough donuts. Aim for a smooth, even batter.
- Filling the Donut Pans: You have options for getting the batter into your donut or mini-donut pans. Use a spoon for a simple method, or for more precision and less mess, fill a piping bag or a plastic storage bag (with a corner snipped off) and pipe the batter in.
- Checking Doneness: To avoid over-baking, insert a toothpick into the thickest part of a donut. It should come out with a few moist crumbs attached. This indicates the donuts are perfectly baked and still moist inside.
- Coating with Sugar: For a sweet finish, brush warm donuts with melted butter and then dip or sprinkle them with sugar or cinnamon sugar. This gives them a delightful, sweet crust.
- Storing Baked Donuts: Keep your donuts fresh by storing them in an airtight container or Ziploc bag at room temperature. They'll stay delicious for up to 48 hours. Ensure they're completely cooled before sealing to maintain freshness.
- Freezing for Later: If you want to save some donuts for later, freeze them in a heavy-duty freezer bag, pressing out as much air as possible. This method is best done before filling or icing them. Enjoy them within 6 months, thawing gently in the microwave at 50% power.
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❓ Recipe FAQs
Do Baked Donuts Taste the Same as Fried Donuts?
If you've ever had old-fashioned cake donuts (they are often mixed into a random dozen if purchased at a donut shop), these will taste more like that than the fluffy, airy fried donuts.
Baked donuts are paler in color without the distinctive 'fried' taste, and they are a bit more dense. They are equally as delicious as the fried version, just different!
Can I Make Baked Donuts Without A Donut Pan?
You can use a muffin pan and some foil to make a makeshift donut pan! Put a square of foil over two fingers to create a mold for your donuts. Your fingers will create the raised center for the donut hole.
Then, place the mold into the muffin tin and press the foil up the edges. You should now have foil-lined muffin molds with a raised center. Spray with non-stick spray and follow the recipe as instructed. *They won't be perfectly round, but they will still be delicious!
Are Baked Donuts Healthier Than Fried Donuts?
They are! Not only do baked donuts have significantly less calories than fried donuts, but they don't have all the added fat from the frying oil!
🍩 More Sweet Treats
- Candied Orange Peel
- Kool Aid Grapes
- Snickerdoodle Mug Cake
- Pear Crisp
- Plum Cake
- Maraschino Cherry Coffee Cake
- Recipes To Bake When You Don't Have Eggs
- Science of Macarons
- Pistachio Macarons
- Champagne Dessert Ideas
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📖 Recipe Card
Baked Donuts
Ingredients
- ½ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar (packed)
- ¼ cup butter (salted, at room temperature)
- ¼ cup cooking oil
- 2 large eggs (beaten, at room temperature)
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk (or buttermilk, at room temperature)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425°F (218°C) and lightly grease your donut pans or mini-donut pans.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the room temperature softened butter, cooking oil, sugar, and light brown sugar. Cream together the wet ingredients, then add the beaten eggs, baking powder, vanilla extract, and salt. Mix until evenly distributed.
- Add the all-purpose flour and milk into the wet ingredients, alternating and adding each in gradual amounts. You want the batter thoroughly combined, but do not over-mix once it comes together.
- Transfer the batter into your prepared donut pans, filling each donut cavity approximately ⅔ full.
- Place the donut pans onto the center rack in your preheated oven and bake for 8-10 minutes until they have risen, and are golden on the bottom (you can see the lightly browned edges).
- Remove the baked donuts from your oven and leave them in the pan for 5 minutes before flipping them out onto a wire cooling rack.
- Add your desired sugar, cinnamon sugar, icing, and any other toppings once cooled.
Notes
- Once the wet and dry ingredients have been combined, just mix until everything is evenly dispersed. Overmixing the batter will lead to tough donuts!
- You can spoon the donut batter into your donut pans or mini-donut pans, or transfer the batter into a piping bag or plastic storage bag (and snip the corner).
- Baked donuts can dry out easily. If you stick a toothpick into the thickest part of the donut, you want to see a few moist crumbs stuck to the outside when you pull it out.
- Brush melted butter onto warm donuts to coat with sugar or cinnamon sugar.
- To store: Keep baked donuts in an airtight container or Ziploc bag at room temperature for up to 48 hours.
- To freeze: They can be frozen once cooled by placing them in a heavy-duty freezer bag and squeezing the air out (this is best before filling or icing them). Enjoy within 6 months and thaw in the microwave on 50% power.
Colleen says
This worked exactly as written, thanks! Using a piping bag was definitely easier than using a spoon.