A light, moist cake donut baked in the oven, glazed, & topped with sprinkles.
I’m obsessed with donut recipes right now thanks to my sister who bought me a Wilton Donut Pan for my birthday. I didn’t ask for one but I guess she knew I’d had my eye on one for awhile. When it comes to donuts I think that cake donuts are one of the best. Yes, I’d have to say my top three favorites are cake donuts, sour cream donuts, & crullers. I think I love this recipe so much because it’s a cake donut but it’s also got sour cream in it so it’s like eating 2 out of 3 of my favorite donuts in one bite. For my first batch I made 3 glazed & 3 coated with cinnamon and sugar. And after making those a few times I decided to venture out and make some with frosting & sprinkles because I love using sprinkles any chance I get.
This recipe makes anywhere from 6-9 donuts depending on how high you fill the donut pan. I’ve made it a few times filling all 6 donut cavities to the top & it makes 6 big donuts but the hole in the middle kind of closes up so now I usually make 8-9 smaller donuts. If you don’t own a donut pan you can make your own using a muffin pan instead if you roll up aluminum foil into balls and place them in the middle of each muffin hole. To create the hole just pour the batter around the aluminum foil balls.
I like to use a small spoon to scoop the batter into the donut pan but you can also use a piping bag or make your own using a ziploc bag & cutting a bottom corner to pour the batter into the pan.
The tops will be a very light golden brown when they are done and they will be springy to the touch. If you have trouble removing them from the pan try using a rubber spatula.
The bottom side of the donuts will be a nice dark golden brown color.
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup vegetable oil (I used soybean oil)
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
- For Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- 1-3 tablespoons milk
- food coloring & sprinkles (optional)
- Preheat oven to 350. Grease donut pan with oil or cooking spray.
- Whisk together the sour cream, egg, vanilla, oil, & sugar in a bowl.
- Add flour, soda, salt, & nutmeg & stir together until well combined.
- Fill donut pan with batter & bake for 12-16 minutes or until the top is springy to the touch & the sides are turning golden brown. Remove from oven & let cool in pan for 5-10 minutes then transfer to cooling rack.
- For the Glaze: In a bowl, combine powdered sugar, vanilla, melted butter, & stir in 1 tablespoon of milk, adding additional milk as needed to achieve the correct consistency. You want it thin enough to be spreadable but thick enough that it won't drip down the sides of the donuts. Add food coloring if desired. Dip one side of the donut into the glaze bowl to coat with glaze or use a knife to spread the glaze on top.
Source: adapted from Curly Girl Kitchen.
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These look amazing! Sprinkle donuts are my absolute favorite. And, the pink and blue would be a super cute idea for a gender reveal party =) Pinned!
Thanks Michelle! Sprinkle donuts are one of my favorites too! :) Great idea about making them for a gender reveal party!
I’ve been meaning to pick up a donut pan. Cake donuts are our favorites anyway. How similar in taste are the baked ones to fried?
Hi Jessica, I think the baked are fairly similar to fried in taste only they don’t have the slightly greasy flavor. I actually prefer the baked ones now over fried.
Just made these for my kids! They loved them…and so did I :) Thanks for the recipe.
Hi Carrie, Glad to hear you guys liked them! Thanks for commenting! :)
I made these two weeks ago and my family can’t stop raving about them and have asked me to make them again multiple times. Thanks for the recipe. They were amazing.
Hi Melissa, I’m so glad your family liked them so much! :) Thanks for commenting!
Hi Katie! These are so good and super fun. Did you refrigerate for next day? Thanks for a great recipe!
Hi Kerrianne! I’m glad you liked them. Yes, I have refrigerated them & ate them the next day & they still taste good. They also freeze really well & they thaw out quickly at room temperature.
These look divine! Do you think I could replace the oil for melted butter?
Hi Cindy, Yes you can use butter for this recipe instead of oil, my sister has tried it but we both thought it turned out better with oil for some reason.
love baked donuts! These look perfect! Pinned!
Thanks Mehndi!
these were so good definitely would try again
So glad you liked the recipe. Thanks for taking the time to comment, we appreciate it.