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    Home > Recipes > Doughnuts

    Old Fashioned Sour Cream Cake Donuts

    Published: Feb 22, 2016 | Updated: Jan 23, 2023

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    Sour Cream Cake Donuts Chef Lindsey Farr
    Sour Cream Cake Donuts Chef Farr

    These Old Fashioned Sour Cream Donuts are UNREAL. This old fashioned sour cream cake donut recipe makes doughnuts with insides that are soft, tender and cakey, crispy outsides, and a classic sweet glaze topping to finish it off!

    Jump to Recipe
    Sour Cream Cake Donuts Sideview

    The donuts were easy to make and only required a short time in the fridge. I cut them out like cookies, and then they hung out in the fridge for a little longer. In under 2 minutes, I had perfect old-fashioned donuts! Now that I know that this Old Fashioned Sour Cream Cake Donut Recipe is this easy, it's kind of dangerous.

    I smell trouble. Oh no…that’s just fryer oil heating up…

    Table of Contents
    • Why do you put sour cream in donuts?
    • Can you bake these sour cream cake donuts?
    • Tips for making sour cream donuts
    • How to Fry Old Fashioned Sour Cream Donuts like a Pro
    • Ingredients needed for Old Fashioned Sour Cream Cake Donuts
    • Old Fashioned Sour Cream Cake Donut Recipe Substitutions
    • Donuts: Frequently Asked Questions
    • Chef Lindsey's Recipe Tips
    • Recipe
    • Comments

    Some people have a fear of flying, but I have a fear of frying, which, when you think about it, is a way more rational fear.

    Until culinary school, I had never fried anything. While in culinary school, I managed to fry only 3 things: beignets, churros, and brioche donuts. All on the same day; all to varying degrees of doneness. Lovely.

    At work, the guys on the line found watching me fry stuff so comical that I seriously considered selling tickets to the show. The first time I fried Brussels sprout leaves I damn near fainted. On this particular occasion you could probably hear their laughter in the dining room.

    But fast forward 6 years through several line cook positions and being a pastry chef for several restaurants, and now I can confidently share all my secrets!

    Sour Cream Cake Donuts Blue Plate

    Why do you put sour cream in donuts?

    The fat in the sour cream helps keep these donuts soft and tender. All the moisture in the donuts is provided by the sour cream, and it keeps the dough together without making the dough overly wet. When the dough is overly wet, the donuts will be a much tougher texture.

    Sour Cream Cake Donuts Cooling Rack

    Can you bake these sour cream cake donuts?

    Sour Cream Cake Donuts Baked Not Fried
    Sour Cream Cake Donut BAKED not FRIED = not as delicious

    As this photo evidence shows, no. If this recipe is baked, the donuts will be dense with an unpleasant taste and texture. This is because baked donuts are actually cake. The batter will be more like cake batter and less like dough.

    Tips for making sour cream donuts

    • 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 or some other neutral tasting oil that has a high smoke point.
    • 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.
    Sour Cream Cake Donuts Golden

    How to Fry Old Fashioned Sour Cream Donuts like a Pro

    • Monitor your oil temperature. 340° F is too cold – I don’t care what ChefSteps says; it’s too damn cold. Your donuts will be greasy. 380° F is too damn hot. The outside will be dark and awful while the inside is still gooey. Umm gross. 350°-360° F is your target range. 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.
    • Do be careful. 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. 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.
    • Test for Doneness: While time and color are great indicators of doneness once you have honed in on maintaining the perfect oil temperature, a cake tester will be your best friend while you are getting to that happy place. Think of the first one like a tester pancake; if it’s a little raw or a little dark, no big deal. Adjust and carry on.
    • Just a little Scientific PSA: 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.

    Ingredients needed for Old Fashioned Sour Cream Cake Donuts

    • 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.
    • Kosher Salt: Kosher salt is less salty than table salt and a teaspoon weighs less than other finer ground varieties.
    • 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.
    • Butter: Unsalted butter allows you to control the flavor of the dough while still adding all the buttery goodness!
    • Sour Cream: This should go without saying here but sour cream is essential in sour cream cake donuts. This is all 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?
    • Canola Oil: I use canola oil for frying but another neutral flavored oil with a high smoke point will do like crisco.
    Old Fashioned Doughnuts Interior

    Old Fashioned Sour Cream Cake Donut Recipe Substitutions

    • Sour Cream: I use a high-quality, full-fat sour cream because it is thicker and has a more tangy flavor. The fat in the sour cream helps keep these donuts soft and tender. You cannot decrease the fat and expect the same results. Will it 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 in this old fashioned sour cream cake donut recipe, 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.
    Old Fashioned Doughnuts Closeup

    Donuts: Frequently Asked Questions

    How do you store sour cream cake donuts?

    Fried, glazed cake donuts are best the day they are made and should be stored at room temperature uncovered. When stored in an airtight container, the glaze softens and they begin to taste a bit like oil. If stored longer than a day, store in a container with the corner slightly cracked as a vent for up to three days. They will slowly begin to dry out but they will still taste delicious!

    How long will sour cream cake donuts keep?

    Old fashioned sour cream cake donuts are best the day they are made but will keep three days at room temperature. I do not recommend refrigerating or freezing fried cake donuts.

    Can you freeze sour cream cake donuts?

    I do not recommend freezing fried sour cream cake donuts. Instead, freeze the cut dough. The dough will keep one month frozen. Gradually over time the baking powder will lose it's potency and they will not puff as much as when the dough was freshly made. Allow to thaw a few hours in the refrigerator and then fry away!

    Can you make sour cream cake donuts ahead?

    You can make sour cream cake donuts up to three days ahead of time. They can be refrigerated at any stage in the process so take the time you need for each stage. Just fry or freeze within three days!

    Can I multiply this sour cream cake donut recipe?

    I have tested this donut recipe in a professional bakery setting. You are only limited by the capacity of your particular mixer. I would strongly suggest measuring by weight when multiplying recipes. They are particularly sensitive to minute adjustments of flour and hydration. I scale all my recipes but it is particularly important when making a larger batch.

    Can I fry sour cream cake donut dough from frozen?

    I would not suggest frying from frozen. Rather thaw the cut donuts unwrapped in the refrigerator and then fry away! It will only take an hour or so.

    Why won't my old fashioned sour cream cake donuts crack?

    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.

    Old Fashioned Doughnuts Wholes Holes
    Sour Cream Cake Donuts Chef Lindsey Farr
    Sour Cream Cake Donuts Chef Farr
    Chef Lindsey Farr

    Chef Lindsey's Recipe Tips

    If you were to take away one tip from this post, remember this one. Stay calm and keep going. If the dough feels too sticky, add more bench flour. If your first donut comes out doughy and dark, lower the temperature and test with a cake tester.

    Recipe

    Sour Cream Cake Donuts Delicious Stack

    Old Fashioned Sour Cream Cake Donuts

    Chef Lindsey
    These Old Fashioned Sour Cream Donuts are tender and cakey on the inside with a crispy outside that's topped with a classic sweet glaze.
    PRINT RECIPE Pin Recipe
    Prep Time30 mins
    Cook Time30 mins
    Chill Time2 hrs
    Total Time3 hrs
    Course Breakfast
    Cuisine American
    Servings 13 Donuts
    Calories 453 kcal

    Ingredients
     

    For the Donuts:

    • 240 g Granulated sugar
    • 36 g butter
    • 90 g egg yolks
    • 380 g sour cream
    • 600 g pastry flour (All-Purpose flour is fine )
    • 15 g baking powder
    • 12 g kosher salt
    • 96 oz Vegetable Oil (for frying, can also use shortening)

    For the Glaze:

    • 100 g whole milk (100ML)
    • 4 g kosher salt
    • 400 g powdered sugar
    Metric - US Customary

    Instructions
     

    To Make the Donut Dough:

    • In a large bowl sift together the pastry flour 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. I let mine chill overnight at this step.
    • 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!
    • Store in an airtight container overnight but they are best consumed the day they are fried…with coffee.
    Keyword breakfast pastry, cake donuts, chocolate, donuts, doughnuts
    Tried this recipe?Mention @cheflindseyfarr

    Before You Go!

    With this knowledge you can go forth and make my other donut recipes!

    Old Fashioned Sour Cream Cake Donuts

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    Recipe Rating




    Comments

    1. C says

      February 09, 2023 at 4:39 pm

      5 stars
      Perfect donut recipe! They're so light and easy to devour.
      Sweetness is spot on.

      Reply
      • Chef Lindsey says

        February 17, 2023 at 11:34 am

        Aww thanks! I am so happy you took the time to comment and review! Happy frying!

        Reply
    2. Maryam JB says

      July 25, 2020 at 1:17 pm

      Hello Lindsay!
      Tried your recipe today and it's absolutely fantastic! Totally satisfied my 'krispy kreme vanilla cake donut' craving which i've been having since forever!
      The ingredients were easy to find and the recipe was easy to follow, and the taste is amaaahazing.
      For people who asked about using egg replacer, I used Red Mill Egg replacer (followed their instructions for egg yolks) and it worked wonderfully. Just be sure mix and add each egg yolk separately to the sugar and butter while mixing. (I used a separate small bowl for each replaced egg yolk).

      Many thanks again! Looking forward to trying more of your recipes. :))

      Reply
      • Lindsey says

        July 28, 2020 at 8:27 am

        Hi Maryam! Thank you so much for taking the time to stop back and comment. I am so happy you enjoyed the donuts! I am super curious about this egg replacer! Thank you for adding that so others could learn from your trials! I hope you try many other recipes! Happy baking (and frying)!

        Reply
    3. Lisa says

      July 03, 2020 at 10:24 pm

      Hi! I’m wanting to make these and am out of sour cream at the moment. Do you think I could sub Greek yogurt? Thanks for what looks like an awesome recipe!

      Reply
      • Lindsey says

        July 05, 2020 at 11:03 am

        Absolutely! I have never tried it but another reader did and said it was excellent!

        Reply
    4. Amanda says

      May 17, 2020 at 6:52 pm

      OMGGGGGG!!!!! They were so good and so easy and you were so right about the salt in the glaze. At first I was like “ehhh” about the glaze and then I added more salt and then KABOOM! Best donuts ever. This was my first time making donuts and your instructions were really helpful. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

      Reply
      • Lindsey says

        May 20, 2020 at 10:48 am

        Thanks Amanda!!! I am so glad you enjoyed!! Salt is a game changer! Especially when copious amounts of powdered sugar are involved

        Reply
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