Best Chocolate Cake Donut Recipes

BAKED CHOCOLATE CAKE DONUTS

Steps:

• Chocolate Glaze: Combine chocolate, confectioners' sugar, cocoa, salt, and butter in a small bowl. Heat cream in a small pot over medium-high until bubbling around edges, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour hot cream over chocolate mixture; let stand 1 minute. Add vanilla and whisk until mixture is smooth and has the consistency of hot-fudge sauce. If it's too thick, add more cream, 1 tablespoon at a time. (Makes 1 1/3 cups.)
• Donuts: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly brush 3 standard donut pans with butter. Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat butter with both granulated and brown sugars on high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating to combine after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with milk, beating to combine after each addition. Stir in chocolate chips.
• Transfer batter to a piping bag fitted with a large, plain tip (such as Ateco #807), or to a resealable plastic bag, then snip a 1/2-inch hole in one corner. Pipe 3 tablespoons batter into each cup in pans. Bake until tops spring back when lightly touched, 10 to 11 minutes. Let cool in pans 10 minutes, then transfer to wire racks set in rimmed baking sheets and let cool completely.
• Dip top of each donut in glaze until halfway submerged, turning as needed to evenly coat one side. Place, glaze-side up, on racks. Top with sprinkles or shavings and let stand until completely set, about 1 hour. Donuts are best served the day they are made, but can be stored, unglazed, in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 day; glaze 1 hour before serving.

BAKED CHOCOLATE DONUTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease donut pans well.
• Sift flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, and salt together into a large bowl.
• Whisk milk, egg, butter, oil, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract together in a small bowl. Stir into flour mixture until just combined.
• Spoon batter into the prepared donut pans, filling each well 3/4 full.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into a donut comes out clean, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 5 minutes; tap donuts out onto a sheet pan.
• Combine confectioners' sugar, hot water, and remaining vanilla extract in a bowl to make the glaze.
• Place parchment paper under a wire cooling rack. Transfer cooled donuts to the rack and coat in glaze, letting excess drip onto parchment paper; coat the donuts a second time if desired.

CHOCOLATE CAKE DONUT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325°F. Brush 2 six-mold donut trays with coconut oil and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, flours, cocoa powder, potato starch, arrowroot, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and xanthan gum. Add the applesauce, 1/3 cup coconut oil, vanilla, and hot water and mix with a rubber spatula just until the ingredients are combined. Using a melon-baller or tablespoon, drop 2 1/2 tablespoons of batter into each donut mold. Using a toothpick, spread the batter evenly around the mold.
• Bake for 8 minutes, rotate, and bake for 8 minutes more. Let cool in the molds for 5 minutes if sprinkling with toppings such as cinnamon sugar, or 15 minutes if using glaze or icing. Run a knife around the donuts in the molds, lift them out, and place them on a baking sheet. Coat them in your choice of topping (see page 131).

CHOCOLATE CAKE DOUGHNUTS

Steps:

• All ingredients should be at room temperature (about 70 degrees F).
• Beat the sugar and eggs together until creamy and lemon colored.
• Melt the butter and chocolate together in a small saucepan over low heat; beat into the sugar/egg mixture.
• In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk and vanilla; stir into the sugar/egg mixture.
• Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl; stir into the liquid mixture, mix until well combined.
• Chill the dough in the refrigerator to make it easier to handle.
• On a lightly-floured board, roll out half of the dough to a 1/2-inch thickness.
• Cut into doughnuts; allow the cut doughnuts to dry for 10 minutes.
• In a large heavy skillet, heat 2-inches of oil to 370 degrees F (185 degrees C).
• The dough should be at room temperature before frying (this is important!) Transfer the doughnuts to the hot skillet, one doughnut about each 15 seconds, (dip a metal pancake turner into the hot oil each time before using it to remove or turn a doughnut) Fry each doughnut about 90 seconds per side.
• Remove the doughnuts, and drain on paper towels.
• Repeat with remaining dough.
• To make the icing/glaze: Beat the powdered sugar with the egg white and vanilla together until smooth.
• Drizzle onto the doughnuts after they have been cooled.

CHOCOLATE-PEPPERMINT CAKE DONUTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray 16 cavities of a 20-cup donut pan with cooking spray.
• Whisk flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt for donuts together in a medium bowl. Whisk milk, eggs, oil, and vanilla together in a small bowl. Pour milk mixture into the flour mixture and stir to combine.
• Put the batter into a piping bag and pipe into the prepared donut pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer donuts to a wire rack to cool while you make the glaze.
• Whisk powdered sugar and cocoa powder together in a medium bowl. Whisk milk, melted butter, and peppermint extract together in a separate bowl. Pour milk mixture into the sugar mixture and whisk until smooth and shiny.
• Dip the top of each donut into the glaze and return to the wire rack. Sprinkle crushed peppermint candies over the wet glaze. Let sit until glaze hardens, 10 to 15 minutes.