Chocolate Glazed Cake Donuts

When I think of guilty pleasures one of the top things on my list is always chocolate glazed donuts dipped in hot coffee. The glaze gets warm and melty, the cake soaks up the coffee...and they are SO easy to make at home. This recipe is extra tender because of two important things - using buttermilk in the ingredients and letting the dough chill before cutting.

Let's take a look!

Shopping list

Cake donuts are pretty simple to make. There's no yeast so no need to let them rise. These are fried not baked so they have all of the old fashioned flavor and perfect texture you miss in the baked kind.

• Eggs
• Sugar
• Buttermilk
• Vanilla
• Butter
• All-purpose flour
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Nutmeg
• Peanut oil, or any light oil for frying
• Confectioner's sugar
• Cocoa powder

Instructions

Y'all, the dough is going to be sticky.

It's supposed to be because it keeps the donuts from being tough. Follow the instructions carefully and read the tips so yours will be perfect first try..

1. Combine the eggs, sugar, buttermilk, vanilla, and butter in a bowl.
2. Whisk until smooth.
3. Mix the dry ingredients.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture, stirring until a soft dough forms.
5. Cover and chill for at least three hours or up to 4 days.

1. Preheat oil to 365F.
2. Turn chilled dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently roll the dough to 1/2 inch thickness.
3. Cut with a floured donut cutter or juice glass.
4. Remove centers if you need to.
5. Fry about four at a time in the hot oil until they are golden brown.
6. Drain.
7. Dip in the chocolate glaze while they are still hot.
8. Sprinkle with cookie crumbs, chopped nuts, or sprinkles and let set.

Tips

Follow these expert tips for perfect chocolate glazed cake donuts! You may also like these baked banana donuts.

• Keep the dough as sticky as possible. Adding too much flour will make them tough.
• Cut the donuts straight down without twisting the cutter. Twisting seals the sides and the donuts won't rise well.
• Use clean oil. Change the oil in your fryer frequently depending on how often you fry.
• I like peanut oil the best.
• Never overload the fryer. You can do four or five at a time depending on the size of the fryer.
• Flip the donuts as they float to the top.
• Cake donuts are best eaten within a few hours of being made.
• Freeze, unglazed, for longest storage (about 6 months)
• I like the chocolate glaze made with hot coffee but try Earl Grey tea or plain hot water.
• You can also let them cool some and shake in a bag of sugar, cinnamon sugar, or powdered sugar if you prefer to leave them unglazed.

Kaffeeklatch

The weird thing is that there are lots of flavors that I like better but there's something about one of these chocolate glazed donuts and a cup of hot coffee that's addictive.

I think it has as much to do with memory associations as it does with flavor.

I grew up in the 1960s - a time when life was so much easier in so many ways. One of my favorite things about Saturdays was that it was my day to run errands with my dad.

We'd eat cereal for breakfast (me Cap'n Crunch - him cornflakes with bananas always) and then head out to the hardware store, the plant store, and even sometimes his downtown office that was so high up he teased me that he could see our house from his window.

Once in awhile we'd forgo the cereal and stop at a diner.

It was all chrome, twirly stools with red tops, and tired looking waitresses that cracked gum and flirted with my dad. Best of all, there were stacks of fresh donuts sheltered under glass domes on the counter.

We'd get some and I had the privilege of dipping mine into his coffee. Back then kids didn't drink coffee - it was in the realm of adults-only. Getting to ingest a few coffee molecules with my chocolate donut was nothing short of an adrenalin rush from the pure edginess of it.

This is my favorite recipe for chocolate glazed donuts. The buttermilk adds a lot of flavor but also keeps them tender.

Make some memories with your kids this weekend - chocolate donuts and coffee. It's not just about the food. 🙂

If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!

If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📋Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Chocolate Glazed Cake Donuts

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Homemade cake donuts are sweet and tender. Dip them into this shiny chocolate glaze while they are hot for a weekend breakfast treat that's quicker and easier than yeast donuts. Difficulty level 3 out of 10 but children should be closely supervised because of the hot oil.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine Amercian Heritage

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Chilling: 3 hours

Total Time: 3 hours 25 minutes

Servings:36

Calories:171

Author:Marye Audet-White

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Equipment Needed

• Deep Fryer

Ingredients

1x2x3x

Donuts

• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
• 5 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
• peanut oil, or your favorite light oil for frying - you'll need enough to fill your fryer according to manufacturer's instructions or a deep pan with about 6 inches of oil.

Glaze

• 3 cups Confectioner's sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, I use Hershey's Special Dark
• 1/3 cup water, or strong coffee - hot
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla

Instructions

Donuts

• Combine the eggs, sugar, buttermilk, vanilla, and butter in a bowl.
• Whisk until smooth.
• Mix the dry ingredients.
• Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture, stirring until a soft dough forms.
• Cover and chill for at least 3 hours or up to 4 days.
• Turn chilled dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
• Preheat oil to 365F.
• Gently roll the dough to 1/2 inch thickness.
• Cut with a floured donut cutter.
• Fry about four at a time in the hot oil until they are golden brown - don't crowd the fryer.
• Drain on absorbent paper towels or brown paper sacks.
• Dip in the chocolate glaze while they are still hot.

Glaze

• Mix the Confectioners' and cocoa powder.
• Add the hot coffee (or water) and vanilla and stir until smooth.
• Add more coffee as needed to get the right consistency.

Notes

Follow these expert tips for perfect chocolate glazed cake donuts! You may also like these baked banana donuts.

• Keep the dough as sticky as possible. Adding too much flour will make them tough.
• Cut the donuts straight down without twisting the cutter. Twisting seals the sides and the donuts won't rise well.
• Use clean oil. Change the oil in your fryer frequently depending on how often you fry.
• I like peanut oil the best.
• Never overload the fryer. You can do four or five at a time depending on the size of the fryer.
• Flip the donuts as they float to the top.
• Cake donuts are best eaten within a few hours of being made.
• Freeze, unglazed, for longest storage (about 6 months)
• I like the chocolate glaze made with hot coffee but try Earl Grey tea or plain hot water.
• You can also let them cool some and shake in a bag of sugar, cinnamon sugar, or powdered sugar if you prefer to leave them unglazed.

Nutrition

Serving: 1donut | Calories: 171kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 185mg | Potassium: 78mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 56IU | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg

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First published April 4, 2014. Last updated April 14, 2020 for better readability, faster loading, and better images.