Are cake donuts baked?

They can be, but not always. Traditional cake donuts are fried not baked, like these. What makes a cake donut different from a yeast donut is the dough, not the cooking method.

What is an old-fashioned donut?

Old-fashioned donuts are a type of cake donut that usually contain sour cream or buttermilk and are fried at a lower temperature. This gives the donuts a moist texture and a crackly appearance.

How do I dispose of frying oil?

I think the easiest way to dispose of frying oil (after cooling!!) is by pouring it into a container like a plastic jug or milk carton. Once it's full, place the sealed container in the trash. Note: having a funnel really helps with the transfer!

Can I reuse frying oil?

Yes! After cooling, strain the oil into a container. You can reuse the oil up to 3-4 times. After that, it begins to break down.

Doughnuts vs Donuts - which is correct?

Both! "Doughnuts" is the preferred spelling internationally, while "donuts" is also commonly used in the United States.

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake Donuts

chocolate cake donuts and donut holes some with clear glaze and some chocolate frosted with rainbow sprinkles

Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 1 review

A cross between fudgy brownies and fluffy cake donuts, these chocolate cake donuts have the best moist texture and two options for glazes! They're traditionally deep-fried in oil, but I've also included air fryer instructions.

Author: Kelly @ Butter and Thyme
Prep Time: 17 minutes
Chill Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Yield: 6-8 donuts (+ 1 dozen donut holes) 1x
Category: dessert, breakfast
Method: air fryer (optional), deep frying
Cuisine: Dutch, American

Ingredients

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Donut Ingredients

4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup sour cream (or yogurt)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour (+ extra for rolling out dough)
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Vegetable oil for frying (or nonstick spray for air fryer method)

Glaze Ingredients

2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of salt
3 tablespoons warm water

Chocolate Glaze Ingredients

2 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons cocoa powder
4 teaspoons corn syrup
1/2 teaspoons vanilla
Pinch of salt
3 tablespoons warm water

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Instructions

Make donut dough: in a medium mixing bowl, add the melted butter, sugar, egg, sour cream, and vanilla, and whisk until smooth. In another large bowl, add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the wet ingredient mixture to the dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula until just combined.* Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour (up to 12 hours or overnight).
Roll out and stamp donuts: liberally dust the surface with flour, then roll out the donut dough to ½ inch even thickness. Using a 3-inch round cutter, cut as many donuts from the dough as you can. Then, using a 1-inch cutter, stamp a hole in the center of each donut. Cut additional donut holes from the scraps (do not reroll the dough).
To deep fry the donuts: fill a wide heavy-bottomed pan or Dutch oven with at least 3-4 inches of vegetable oil and preheat to 375-400 °F. Fry the donuts in batches of 3-4 each (or about 6-8 donut holes), 2 minutes per side (1 minute per side for donut holes), adjusting the heat to maintain the oil temperature. Remove the donuts from the oil with a spider strainer and transfer them to a wire rack or paper towel-lined plate to cool.
To air-fry the donuts: preheat the air fryer to 350 °F. Spray the air fryer tray with nonstick spray, place the donuts on the tray (evenly spaced), and then spray the donuts. Cook for 7-8 minutes, flipping halfway if desired. (Spray very liberally with cooking oil for best results!)
Make the glaze (and/or chocolate glaze): combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth. One at a time, dip the donuts into the glaze.* Then set them on a wire rack to dry and allow the excess glaze to drip off.

Notes

The dough is very stiff so it may get hard to mix at the end. If it's easier, you can knead it with your hands a few times until all the flour is incorporated.
Donuts should be cool enough to touch, but can still be slightly warm when glazing.
For the regular glaze, completely submerge the donuts in the glaze. For the chocolate glaze, dip the top half of the donuts into the glaze, then invert on the wire rack to dry.

Keywords: chocolate cake doughnuts, cake donut with chocolate frosting, double chocolate donut, fried chocolate donuts, air fryer chocolate donuts

Find it online: https://butterandthyme.com/chocolate-cake-donuts/