These old fashioned chocolate cake donuts are light and perfectly cakey with an explosion of chocolate flavor! The glaze gives them just a little extra sweetness. Perfection.


Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake Donuts are my favorite donuts of all time…Of All Time.
When Krispy Kreme in Atlanta stopped serving chocolate cake donuts, I stopped going to KK. True story.


In case youโve missed half of my posts ever, chocolate is my love language.
I have an obsession with recreating my favorite chocolate desserts and making them the BEST: chocolate ice cream, hot chocolate, death by chocolate cupcakes, quadruple chocolate pudding cookies, and on and on.


So you know that once I got over my fear of frying with the sour cream cake donuts, I HAD to create the perfect old fashioned chocolate cake donut.
Had to.
These are better than Krispy Kremeโs chocolate cake donuts, and they are better than Dunkin Donuts.
They are light, yet cakey; chocolaty, yet perfectly sweet; they melt in your mouth like your favorite yeast donut, yet have substance like your favorite cake donut.
I know…That’s a lot to process. I’ll give you a minute.


The secret to the intense chocolate flavor, without the weight of adding liquid chocolate, is using the best Dutch processed cocoa powder you can lay your hands on (I use Droste), a little espresso powder, and a little extra salt.
Please donโt skimp on the salt and then complain about the dull chocolate flavor. Salt is the ultimate flavor enhancer. Too much, and itโs salty, but use the perfect amount, and it makes all the other flavors pop. It’s like real life fairy dust.


Droste cocoa powder is also darker than a lot of other Dutch processed cocoa powders, which gives my donuts that rich chocolate color AND flavor. It is worth the investment.
Trust me. Iโve got your Sunday morning breakfast handled.


I am going to include the same tips I gave you in my Sour Cream Cake Donuts because they still apply. Think of them like the golden rules of donuts. Mmmkay?
Some keys to donut success:
- Keep the dough cold. Roll and cut it quickly to keep the baking powder from starting to react with the sour cream. Double acting baking powder will react again when fried, but letโs save all the expansion power for later, shall we.
- Use canola oil or some other neutral tasting oil that has a high smoke point.
- Monitor your oil temperature. 340ยฐ F is too cold โ I donโt care what ChefSteps says; itโs too damn cold. Your donuts will be greasy. 380ยฐ F is too damn hot. The outside will be dark and awful while the inside is still gooey. Umm gross. 355ยฐ-360ยฐ F is your target range, or happy place, if you will. Adjust your heat as it approaches the boundaries. Donโt be afraid to turn off the stove. This is the great thing about frying. If the oil temperature isnโt where you want it, just wait. So liberating.
- Do be careful. The oil looks so happy and peaceful in there, but I can assure you that 350ยฐ F oil is VERY hot. I have the scars from work to prove it. Carefully use the slotted spoon to place the donut in the oil and to remove it. I gently drop it in the oil with my hand so that it slips inside, but I have been trained to have no fear. And the burns to prove itโฆ.
- May I remind you that oil and water do not mix. When water gets into hot oil, it splatters violently. If this happens, back away. Quickly. This is easily avoidable if you dry all your utensils after rinsing them off. If there is any water collected on the top of your dough, which there shouldnโt be if you properly wrapped them, then blot it off before putting it in the oil.
- Place your fried donuts on a wire rack over a baking sheet or towels to catch the extra oil. This will keep the bottoms crispy. There will be no soggy bottoms on our donuts!
- Dip the donuts in the glaze while they are still warm so you donโt need to heat up your glaze. People say to use chopsticks. Come on. Isnโt life hard enough? Just use your fingers. Itโll toughen them up. Itโs good for you. My Dad taught me that.




Chocolate Cake Donuts
Description
These old fashioned chocolate cake donuts are light and perfectly cakey with an explosion of chocolate flavor! The glaze adds a little extra sweetness!
Ingredients
For the Donuts:
- 260 g Granulated sugar (1 ยผ cups + 2 heaping tablespoons)
- 42 g butter (room temperature (3 tablespoons))
- 90 g egg yolks (about 5 large yolks)
- 453 g sour cream (1 ยพ cups, this is 1, 16oz container)
- 480 g pastry flour (All-Purpose flour is fine (3 ยพ cups))
- 120 g Dutch processed cocoa powder (
- 15 g baking powder (1 tablespoon + ยพ teaspoon)
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 96 fl oz Oil for frying (I used canola)
For the Plain Glaze:
- 100 g whole milk (100ML)
- 4 g kosher salt
- 400 g powdered sugar (3 ยผ cups)
Instructions
To Make the Donut Dough:
- In a large bowl sift together the pastry flour, cocoa powder and baking powder. Whisk in the salt to distribute. Set aside.
- Line a large mixing bowl with plastic wrap and then spray the surface of the plastic wrap. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the granulated sugar, butter, and yolks on high speed until the mixture lightens and the volume increases, about 2 minutes.
- Stop the mixer and add the sour cream, then mix on medium until the mixture is smooth and homogenous.
- With the stand mixer on low, gradually add the dry ingredients to the bowl a large spoonful at a time. Add the next spoonful when you only see a few large streaks of flour left in the bowl. Stop the mixer when the dry ingredients are fully incorporated. You want to do this as quickly as possible so that not too much gluten develops, which will make tunnels in your cake and it will be tough.
- Transfer the dough to the plastic wrap lined bowl, spray the top of the dough with nonstick spray and then fold the edges of the plastic over the top to cover.
- Refrigerate for 60 minutes. At this point the dough can be held in the fridge for up to 1 week.
To Cut & Fry:
- Line a baking half-sheet pan with parchment paper and spray the paper with nonstick spray and set aside.
- Lightly dust a work surface with flour. While the dough is still in the bowl dust the top of the dough with flour. Turn the dough out onto your floured work surface, floured side down. Lightly dust the top with more flour.
- Working quickly to keep the dough cool, roll out the dough to ยฝ inch thick.
- Brush any excess flour from the top of the dough. Use a 3-inch and 1 ยผ – inch ring cutters to cut the donuts and holes. Lightly tap the rings in flour before cutting each donut. Place the donuts and donut holes on the prepared sheet pan. [After I cut all my donuts, I went back and cut more โholesโ with the small cutter from the scraps of dough. Waste not, want not!]
- Cover sheet pan with plastic wrap, but be sure not to let the plastic touch the top of the donuts. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- While your donuts chill, make the glaze. In a medium bowl whisk together the milk, powdered sugar and salt. Cover the glaze with plastic wrap directly on the surface. You can heat up the glaze over a pot of simmering water on the stove if you want it thinner. I dipped my donuts while they were still very hot, so I didnโt need to do this.
- Pour oil into a fryer or a Dutch oven, making sure the oil is at least 2 inches deep. Heat your oil to 350ยฐ F. Adjust your heat to keep the temperature between 350ยฐ – 360ยฐ F while frying. You will need a clip-on fry/candy thermometer for this. I heat my oil up to 360ยฐ F before adding a batch of donuts because the cold dough will lower the temperature of the fryer oil.
- Gently place 3 donuts in the fryer, keep the remaining donuts in the fridge. Once they rise to the surface, cook for 30 seconds and then flip them with a slotted spoon. Fry until the bottom develops a nice golden brown color, about 80 seconds. Flip it again and then fry for another 80 seconds or until the color is a nice even golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack set over a sheet pan or paper towels. Donut holes fry for 30 seconds then flip, then another 60 seconds, then flip, then another 40-60 seconds. They will puff up and be golden brown all over. You can cook them for the same amount of time as the full donuts but they will be a little dry. [Before I fried all of my donuts, I tested one and broke it open to make sure it was cooked. ]
- Once the donut is just barely cool enough to handle (I only waited about 20 seconds but I have no feeling left in my fingertipsโฆ), dip the donut in the glaze and place back on the wire rack. Dipping a hot donut will give you a nice, even glaze that isnโt too thick or too thin! I completely coat the donut holes in the glaze for extra yummy.
- Store in an airtight container overnight but they are best consumed the day they are friedโฆwith coffee.
Got Breakfast on your mind?
Old-Fashioned Sour Cream Cake Donuts
Overnight Oats – Bircher Muesli
68 Comments
Shashi @ RunninSrilankan
April 11, 2016 at 1:19 pmHaha – my dad was a fan of the whole “that which doesn’t kill ya, toughens you up” camp too! Though in this case, if I can grab these freshly fried doughnuts, I just might pop them in ma mouf after their glazing treatment! Cake doughnuts are my weakness, but KK is the only place I used to get ’em from – they used to have a blueberry cake doughnut but discontinued it – now all they have are the sourcough cake doughnuts – I’d do catrwheels if they had chocolate cake doughnuts – but I think I’m better off snagging some from you when I come to visit NYC this summer! ๐
Medha @ Whisk & Shout
April 11, 2016 at 3:53 pmThese are gorgeous- drooling! I totally agree that quality cocoa makes an enormous difference! ๐
phaedra kowis
May 19, 2016 at 1:24 pmCan I ask how you put plastic wrap on top of the donuts without it touching the dough?
Lindsey
May 21, 2016 at 12:11 pmHi Phaedra! Of course you can. I place the donuts on a rimmed baking sheet and the wrap them so that the plastic is pulled tight across the top so it is only resting on the metal rims of the sheet and not the dough.
Lesley
January 13, 2021 at 2:29 amI donโt think I have a rimmed baking sheet that is that deep. Would something like a lasagna pan (Pyrex) work?
Lindsey
January 23, 2021 at 11:10 amI think the key here is the baking rack! You could cover your counter in aluminum foil or plastic wrap and then place the cooling rack on top. You just want the grease and glaze to be able to drip off.
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July 8, 2016 at 12:01 am[…] old fashioned chocolate cake donuts are light and perfectly cakey with an explosion of chocolate flavor! The glaze gives them just a […]
Kevin | Keviniscooking
August 1, 2016 at 5:21 pmI’m inside with my guilt free solar air conditioning, but am melting over these. It’s crazy hot here in San Diego right now. Honestly, Chocolate Old Fashioned are my fav besides the warm from the conveyer belt Krispy Kreme Glazed, this always gets me. ๐
Lindsey
August 3, 2016 at 11:10 amMe too!!!! We are obviously on the same donut page! It has been way too long since I had a hot-off-the-belt Krispy Kreme!
Melissa
August 21, 2016 at 7:28 pmThese are absolutely stunning. The picture of you holding half the donut makes me literally be able to taste these! Haha. Fantastic.
Lindsey
August 22, 2016 at 1:16 pmAww thanks so much, Melissa!
Martina
September 7, 2016 at 1:32 amI’m so excited to try these. They look amazing. One question: you mention espresso powder in the intro and then not in the recipe! How much should we use? I love using espresso powder to deepen that lovely chocolate flavor! Thanks!
Lindsey
September 10, 2016 at 2:22 pmHi Martina! My goodness you are right! I am so sorry about that. It is 3/4 teaspoon espresso powder. I will update the recipe now. Thank you so much for catching that! Happy baking!
Sarah
November 20, 2016 at 1:15 pmI’m struggling with the temp to make these because I forgot I had to throw my thermometer away after my husband destroyed it. It was sooo much work up to the cooking point I hope it’s not going in the trash! I’m never complaining about spending $6 for a box or enemens again! P.S. They taste too salty.
Josie
December 18, 2016 at 9:51 pmI made these and they weren’t that good…
I followed the recipe exactly minus the espresso powder….I wonder what went wrong?
Lindsey
December 20, 2016 at 7:40 pmHi Josie, I’m sorry you didn’t like them…perhaps you could give me a bit more detail about what you didn’t like and I can help you troubleshoot? Have a great week! Happy baking!
Ana
May 17, 2020 at 2:28 pmI agree… they were kinda bitter and funny tasting.
Rachel
December 22, 2016 at 1:21 amHi Lindsey, I was wondering, do you think it would still work if I baked these in the oven on a parchment lined backing sheet or maybe in a muffin tin? Trying to avoid using oil. Thank you for the recipe though. It looks amazing!
Rachel Carmel
December 22, 2016 at 1:28 amHi Lindsey, I was wondering, do you think it would work if I tried to cook these in the oven on a parchment lined baking sheet or In a muffin tin? Trying to avoid the oil. Thank you for the recipe though. It looks amazing!
Lindsey
December 23, 2016 at 12:02 amHi Rachel….Hmmmmmm you could certainly try! I don’t see why not…you might not get as much rise but I am dying to know how they turn out! Let me know if you do it! Happy baking, Rachel!
Rachel Carmel
December 23, 2016 at 12:32 amOk! Thank you for such a quick response. I will surely let you know how they turn out. I’ll be baking them soon!
Rachel Carmel
December 23, 2016 at 1:11 amOh and one more question, in the recipe is 120g of the cocoa powder about a cup? Also if I was to cut this recipe in half should I do 3 or 2 egg yolks for the dough? I’d rather not use half an egg. =)
Brenda L Smitherman
June 13, 2019 at 2:33 pmaccording to google 120 grams is half cup
EQ
December 31, 2016 at 7:44 pmHey Lindsey,
I was trying to make it and i wasent able to roll or cut. I dont doute that these tase wonderful but the dough became the consitensy of loose mud. I dont have a scale so im useing metric… Any sugestions?
Lindsey
January 18, 2017 at 3:08 pmHi EQ. I’m sorry you had that experience. The dough is very wet. The rest in the fridge is crucial. Once the dough warms up, it is a sticky mess. I roll them out in A LOT of flour and then dust it off after cutting. I make these in the restaurant quite frequently and if you add more flour the end result doesn’t taste as good.
Kristen
January 18, 2017 at 3:19 pmHi! I just wanted to tell you I made these for Church one day and they were amazing! I wanted to leave a tip here in case anyone else wonders if it works or not ๐ I went in my cupboard to get out my flour and but realized I didn’t have any regular flour and only had Bob’s red mill Gluten Free flour. I thought well I might as well try it! I did and you would never have known they were gluten free! It was cup for cup flour and it worked perfect!
Lindsey
January 18, 2017 at 7:55 pmHi Kristen, Really?! They worked gluten free? I am astonished and really excited to try it out! Thanks so much for commenting with your results!
Kristen
January 19, 2017 at 12:17 amYes! It was the cup for cup flour. I make so many things with the gluten free flour and I wasn’t sure if it would work for the donuts but it did! They were a big hit at church and you couldn’t tell they were gluten free! There was a comment up above about how the dough is a bit wet..I didn’t have that problem with this flour so not sure if that makes a difference or not! Hope this helped someone who really wants a chocolate donut that thought they couldn’t because of the Gluten!!
Nurt
January 28, 2017 at 12:04 pmI was so excited for this recipe, but the 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of salt made them so unpleasantly salty(and I love me some salt). The only adjustment I made to the recipe was adding a little more coffee. I only fried up four, do you have any suggestions to save the rest of the batch?
Lindsey
January 31, 2017 at 1:05 pmI’m sorry you found them unpleasantly salty. No one else who has tried them has found them such. If they are too salty to your taste, then you should just throw out the dough.
Jeeni
April 7, 2019 at 11:53 pmI had a similar experience. I loved the *consistency* of these but the taste was awfully salty.
Lindsey
April 13, 2019 at 3:44 pmMake sure you use kosher salt because table salt will be 3x saltier. Or reduce the salt by 1/3
Bill Miller
February 7, 2017 at 3:35 pmOne correction; Moderately flour Everything near the batter.
Bill Miller
February 7, 2017 at 3:38 pmFor those of you who did not like your results, come over to my house. Mine were great.
Lindsey
February 8, 2017 at 6:35 pmHaha! Thanks Bill! Happy donuting
Dylan
February 10, 2017 at 3:55 pmI made these the other day, they were so good! Great job on this recipe. I made them for my students and they loved them, I will definitely be making them again
Justin
March 27, 2017 at 9:33 amThe glaze recipe sort of ruined the taste on these…tasted way too much like powdered sugar. Would recommend finding a different glaze to go with these.
The donuts turned out perfectly though. We didn’t have a thermometer, so we had to mess around with the temp and adjust as we went along, but they turned out well once we got it right.
Lindsey
May 9, 2017 at 12:17 pmHi Justin! I’m glad you enjoyed the donut part. The glaze taste really depends on how thick it is. If it isn’t hot when applied or if the donuts aren’t hot, then it goes on too thick and isn’t as enjoyable. Thank you for your feedback!
JANis
May 27, 2017 at 11:35 amFor how Long do u fry the doughnuts?
Lindsey
May 29, 2017 at 2:10 pmHi Janis! Check out step 15 in the instructions ๐ Happy Frying!
AIBuchanan
June 8, 2017 at 3:53 pmThank you for sharing this recipe. My first attempt didn’t go very well. I believe it was the quality of my coco. However the second attempt gave a a perfect light cake doughnut the only thing I would do differently is use just a little less salt in the glaze. Other than that they are amazing! This recipe is a keeper. Thank you again.
Lindsey
June 15, 2017 at 8:23 pmI’m so glad you persevered and tried again!
Maggy;D
April 12, 2018 at 5:31 pmWell my donuts came out perfect but they tasted like funnel cake lol sooo idk maybe i did something wrong in the process?.. i don’t remember how donuts taste like! Lol
Lindsey
April 17, 2018 at 4:04 pmHmmmm Hi Maggie! Well I don’t think chocolate donuts and funnel cake taste similar, but maybe? lol
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Jack
September 5, 2018 at 10:44 pmCan this recipe be modified to do as a baked instead of fried donut. They sound so good but I can’t eat fried. Thanks
Lindsey
October 4, 2018 at 5:31 pmHi Jack, I would not suggest that! Baked donuts are really just cake in a donut shape. Any dense cake batter will do.
Mariah
September 7, 2018 at 4:42 amCurious if anyone has tried baking these and what their results were!?
Lindsey
October 4, 2018 at 5:30 pmHi Mariah, Don’t bake these! You need more of a cake batter for baked cake donuts.
Jennifer M.
October 25, 2018 at 7:32 amHello I was curious as to what 120 g comes to in cups. I no longer have a scale and nobody in my house can seem to tell me where it went…lol. All I ever get about anything is I don’t know I ain’t seen it.
Lindsey
November 11, 2018 at 6:25 pmAll the measurements are also written in volume measurements on the recipe. It depends on what you are weighing
Brenda L Smitherman
June 13, 2019 at 2:30 pmLindsey please re check the measurment is missing from the cocoa portion of recipe and that was also my question.
Josh
January 18, 2019 at 1:35 amDid anyone try handmixing the dough?
Lindsey is hand mixing ok here ?
Thx for sharing guys….
Lindsey
January 19, 2019 at 3:47 pmHi Josh! I have never tried hand mixing the dough but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. It might make a mess!! Because of the ratio of butter to sugar it might be easiest to actually work the butter in by hand as long as you work quickly so that you don’t melt the butter. Happy frying!
Lauren
January 4, 2020 at 7:23 pmWould this be able to be baked instead of fried? If so how?
Lindsey
January 27, 2020 at 12:59 pmHi Lauren. Sadly baked donuts are actually cake and require a different dough (batter actually).
Gloria S
March 27, 2020 at 11:18 amThese were exactly what my husband wanted! Air fried at 330ยฐ F for 6-7 minutes on cut to size parchment circles after a generous application of nonstick spray. High Altitude changes for 7,200 feet: added extra egg yoke and 1 TBS milk, reduced baking powder by 3/4 tsp and reduced sugar by 2 TBS. I used a chocolate hard glaze and sprinkles. Thank you so much!
Tara
April 10, 2020 at 6:41 pmSo I made these with dark cocoa powder, Itโs what I had on hand for my baking, and Iโm not sure these are as good as they were raved about ๐
I followed the recipe to exact (I bake often so isnโt feel super worried about my outcome either) and theyโre just โmehโ
Iโm going to wait for them to cool completely, but so far they are not the same consistency of an old fashion sour cream glazed donut. Those are usually quite dense, and these are fluffy.
Lindsey
April 11, 2020 at 8:38 amHi Tara, Being in NYC during the quarantine I hear you on baking with what you have! There is a flavor difference between regular dutch processed and the dark cocoa powder (though that one is also dutch processed). I have no doubts about your baking prowess – these are definitely a balance between dense and fluffy. The true old-fashioned cake donuts that I am obsessed with have that texture – like before Krispy Kreme discontinued their chocolate cake ๐
Tara
April 11, 2020 at 10:04 amThatโs the donut Iโve been searching for!! When I lived in southeast Texas, HEB grocery made them for a time, but then they stopped as well. I can find old fashioned sour cream glazed in most donut shops, but never that glorious chocolate. Maybe Iโll try again with some slight modifications.
Stay safe!!!!
Lindsey
April 13, 2020 at 10:38 amYou stay safe and healthy too, Tara! I feel you: when I do find the old fashioned chocolate cake, I am usually disappointed.
John
April 13, 2020 at 9:46 amHello, I was wondering if anyone else experienced that too much oil is being absorbed into the donuts? Temp was never below 350F and at most 360F, wondering if rising the temp to 375F might help. Also, I used regular veggie oil instead of canola, could this really be the issue?
Lindsey
April 13, 2020 at 10:36 amHi John, Have you checked your thermometer? It requires constant monitoring to make sure the temperature is maintained. Are you frying a bunch at a time? That can also lower the temperature of the oil abruptly. You could bring the temp a little higher before adding several cold donuts but you want to be careful because if it is too hot, the outside will burn and the inside will be raw. 375 is hot. I fry at 340 in the restaurant but I have a fryer that maintains the temp. I don’t think veggie oil is a problem. Good luck!
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Daisy
December 31, 2020 at 5:37 pmI just finished frying a batch of these and they came out perfectly! I’ve only ever made baked doughnuts before, so frying was a little adventure, but the instructions were great. If there are any doughnut holes left by brunch tomorrow it might be a minor miracle. ๐
Lindsey
January 4, 2021 at 3:12 pmHooray!!!!! I’m so happy you fried! They really are too good to last! ๐
Kim
February 26, 2021 at 2:46 pmThanks so much for sharing this recipe, Lindsey! As a kid, I always used to love getting chocolate glazed donuts on Saturdays, and this recipe reminds me of them. I’m so looking forward to trying it out this weekend!
Lindsey
March 11, 2021 at 2:09 pmI hope you enjoyed it!