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. Chocolate cake donut recipe perfection.
Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake Donuts are my favorite donuts of all time...Of All Time.
In case you’ve missed half of my posts ever, chocolate is my love language. I love to recreate my favorite chocolate desserts and make them the BEST versions of themselves: 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 recipe. Had to. These are better than Krispy Kreme’s 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.
Table of Contents
What makes a donut a cake donut?
A cake donut is not simply fried cake batter. It is a dough that is leavened with chemical leavening (baking powder or baking soda) rather than with yeast.
What flour is best for cake donuts?
Pastry flour or all-purpose flour are best for cake donuts. They provide just enough gluten development to give the donuts structure when fried but not too much to make them tough or chewy. Pastry flour will make more delicate, tender cake donuts, but donuts made with all-purpose flour are almost identical!
How can I safely fry cake donuts?
In order to safely fry donuts, be aware of your oil’s temperature, relationship to water, and movement. It is possible to be careful, and enjoy delicious donuts in no time!
- Temperature: The oil looks so happy and peaceful in there, but I can assure you that 350° F oil is VERY hot. I have the scars from work to prove it.
- 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 shouldn’t be if you properly wrapped them, then blot it off before putting it in the oil.
- Spatter: 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 the dough can slip inside, but due to my training I have no fear. And the burns to prove it….
How to make the perfect chocolate cake donut?
Time needed: 3 hours and 15 minutes.
How to make chocolate cake donuts that are light and perfectly cakey with an explosion of chocolate flavor!
- 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 let’s save all the expansion power for later, shall we.
- Use canola oil.
Use a neutral tasting oil, like canola oil, that has a high smoke point.
- Monitor your oil temperature.
340° F is too cold –Your donuts will be greasy. 380° F is too hot. The outside will be dark and awful while the inside is still gooey. Umm gross. 355°-360° F is your target range, or happy place, if you will. Adjust your heat as it approaches the boundaries. Don’t be afraid to turn off the stove. This is the great thing about frying. If the oil temperature isn’t where you want it, just wait. So liberating.
- 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 don’t need to heat up your glaze.
People say to use chopsticks. Come on. Isn’t life hard enough? Just use your fingers. It’ll toughen them up. It’s good for you. My Dad taught me that.
Ingredients
- Cocoa Powder: 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, like Droste. 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.
- All Purpose Flour: I prefer to use all-purpose flour in the majority of my donut recipes because it has the perfect amount of gluten for developing a strong network but remaining tender and soft.
- Granulated Sugar: Sugar is here for sweetness but also to add leavening when beating with the eggs. It helps create a soft, tender, light texture.
- Butter: Unsalted butter allows you to control the flavor of the chocolate cake donut dough while still adding all the buttery goodness!
- Egg Yolks: The egg yolks are here to add fat, moisture and leavening. The fat from the yolk adds richness and shortens some of the gluten strands to keep the donuts cakey and tender. Beating in the eggs just enough will add a little or a lot of leavening depending on the desired texture. Eggs also emulsify the batter and keep everything texturally perfect.
- Sour Cream: Sour cream is a lot of the moisture in the donuts and is what will hold the dough together without making it too wet (read: tough)
- Baking Powder: Double acting baking powder will react instantly when it is mixed with an acid, which is sour cream here, and then again when it is heated. Baking soda will not leaven these as well especially if making the dough a day or two in advance. It will react once and then it won't have much left once it hits the oil. Dense donuts anyone?
- Kosher Salt: Kosher salt is less salty than table salt and a teaspoon weighs less than other finer ground varieties. It heightens the flavor of the chocolate cake donut and will keep your donuts from tasting dull or flat.
- Canola Oil: I use canola oil for frying but another neutral flavored oil with a high smoke point will do like crisco.
Substitutions
- Sour Cream: I use a high-quality, full-fat sour cream because it is thicker and has a tangier flavor. The fat in the sour cream helps keep these donuts soft and tender. You cannot decrease the fat and expect the same results in your chocolate cake donut. Will this chocolate cake donut recipe work with low fat? Yes.
- Baking Powder: Double acting baking powder will react instantly when it is mixed with an acid, which is sour cream here, and then again when it is heated. Baking soda will not leaven these as well especially if making the dough a day or two in advance. It will react once and then it won't have much left once it hits the oil. Dense donuts anyone?
- Egg Yolks: While you could use whole eggs instead of the egg yolks, the texture of the donuts will be impacted. You are adding moisture from the whites without fat and that is just going to make a tougher donut. Take the moment to separate them and then make a pavlova for dessert.
How to store chocolate cake donuts?
Ideally, store chocolate cake donuts unwrapped at room temperature for up to 24 hours. The glaze will lock in the moisture. After a day they will begin to dry out. Storing fried, glazed donuts in an airtight container will cause the doughnuts to lose the crisp outside and will begin to taste more like oil; however, they can be stored in an airtight container for extended freshness up to 3 days at room temperature. I would not suggest refrigerating fried donuts. They can be frozen for up to a month but that is not ideal. It would be better to freeze the dough.
Frequently Asked Questions
The donut dough is sticky to ensure soft, tender cake doughnuts. If you are finding it too sticky to work with, use more bench flour. Try not to work the flour into the dough, just use it on top and underneath. Brush off any excess after rolling and cutting. Also remember that dough sticks to dough, so if there is dough on your hands or the counter then it will stick even more.
The donut cracks happen naturally when they fry. Generally, they are more cracked on the side that is initially down in the oil. If you overwork the dough, they won't crack as much. Each one cracks differently and to a different degree. Check your oil temperature and make sure it isn't too cold. If the donut is cold and the oil is right around 350, they will crack. Another possibility is that your baking powder is too old, and is no longer reactive.
I would not advise frying a chocolate cake donut at a lower temperature. Lower temperature oil yields a higher potential for a greasy donut, which is not ideal.
These cake donuts will fry beautifully after 3 days in the refrigerator, so yes you can make donut dough ahead. You can put them in the refrigerator at any stage of the process. However, eventually, the donuts will not puff as much in the fryer due to making them too far in advance.
I would not recommend baking these chocolate cake donuts. They will be a bit dry and denser than when the same dough is fried. The dough is delicious, so the baked version will have a nice flavor but the texture will not be the same as a fried cake donut.
I find that it is important to allow the dough to rest and chill in the fridge, as the donut dough is very wet and if it warms up becomes sticky. After cutting, put them back in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. This will yield nice, cracked donuts. If you are frying in batches, place the donuts waiting to be fried back in the fridge while tending to the previous batch.
The salt is vital to brightening the chocolate flavor, as it is the ultimate flavor enhancer. Less salt yields less a less chocolatey chocolate cake donut. Be sure to use kosher salt for proper measurements. (I see salt as real-life fairy dust!)
Place the donuts on a rimmed baking sheet and then wrap them so that the plastic is pulled tight across the top. Check that it is only resting on the metal rims of the sheet and not the dough. However, as long as the dough is properly floured, the plastic wrap will not stick egregiously.
Chef Lindsey's Recipe Tips
After I cut all my donuts, I go back and cut more “holes” with the small cutter from the scraps of dough. Waste not, want not, more donuts for me! Also, before you fry all your donuts for a set length of time, it’s helpful to test one by poking it with a cake tester or skewer to make sure it’s cooked. It should come out clean like a cake!
Recipe
Chocolate Cake Donuts
Ingredients
For the Donuts:
- 260 g Granulated sugar
- 42 g butter (room temperature )
- 90 g egg yolks
- 453 g sour cream (1, 16oz container)
- 480 g pastry flour (All-Purpose flour is fine )
- 120 g cocoa powder (Dutch processed )
- 15 g baking powder
- 4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 96 oz Oil ( for frying, I used canola)
For the Plain Glaze:
- 100 g whole milk
- 4 g kosher salt
- 400 g powdered sugar
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 ½ inch thick.
- Brush any excess flour from the top of the dough. Use a 3-inch and 1 ¼ - 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 “holes” 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 didn’t 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 350° F. Adjust your heat to keep the temperature between 350° - 360° F while frying. You will need a clip-on fry/candy thermometer for this. I heat my oil up to 360° 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 fingertips…), 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 isn’t 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 fried…with coffee.
Video Instructions
Before You Go!
With this knowledge you can go forth and make my other donut recipes!
Nice donuts—tried with just a powdered sugar coating for me … so crunchy!
Hi Betsy! That sounds so delicious, I'm so glad you enjoyed!
I haven't made these yet, but I intend to for a friend's birthday! Would it cause issues if I chilled the dough overnight, then cut and chilled overnight again? I have two little ones and a full time job, so I need to do this over the course of a few days.
Hi Amber, That is an excellent way to do it. These donuts will fry beautiful after 3 days in the refrigerator (in any stage of the process). They will eventually not puff quite as much in the fryer. Happy frying!
Chocolate cake donut is one of my most favorite kind of Donuts. I’ll try this recipe next weekend.
Hi Kevin! It's one of my favorites too! Hope you enjoyed! ????
So excited to try these out tonight!! Approximately how many donuts does this recipe yield?
Hi Tammy! For me it makes about a dozen. Happy frying! ????
I was very nervous about making donuts for the first time, but these directions made it a lot easier! They turned out perfectly, and everyone asked for the recipe!
So happy to hear that! Happy Baking! ????
Thanks 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!
I hope you enjoyed it!
I 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. 🙂
Hooray!!!!! I'm so happy you fried! They really are too good to last! 🙂
Hello, 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?
Hi 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!
So I made these with dark cocoa powder, It’s what I had on hand for my baking, and I’m not sure these are as good as they were raved about 🙁
I followed the recipe to exact (I bake often so isn’t feel super worried about my outcome either) and they’re just ‘meh’
I’m 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.
Hi 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 🙁
That’s the donut I’ve 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 I’ll try again with some slight modifications.
Stay safe!!!!
You stay safe and healthy too, Tara! I feel you: when I do find the old fashioned chocolate cake, I am usually disappointed.
These were exactly what my husband wanted! Air fried at 330° 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!
Would this be able to be baked instead of fried? If so how?
Hi Lauren. Sadly baked donuts are actually cake and require a different dough (batter actually).
Did anyone try handmixing the dough?
Lindsey is hand mixing ok here ?
Thx for sharing guys....
Hi 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!
Hello 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.
All the measurements are also written in volume measurements on the recipe. It depends on what you are weighing
Lindsey please re check the measurment is missing from the cocoa portion of recipe and that was also my question.
Curious if anyone has tried baking these and what their results were!?
Hi Mariah, Don't bake these! You need more of a cake batter for baked cake donuts.