This small batch baked chocolate donuts recipe makes the perfect soft, cakey, not fried, baked, chocolate donuts. They are glazed with a luscious chocolate ganache and topped with chocolate sprinkles.
Hello and happy Sunday!
April is again almost over… Is it just me or has the time been flying like no other in this quarantine?! I have been trying to use this downtime to get as much time done… Well I guess, it’s not really downtime for me.
The site has been getting quite a lot of traffic since many of us are at home baking and cooking for our families. The recipe that has been the most popular at the moment is this bakery-style brownie recipe with no cocoa powder. This recipe makes super dense and super fudgy brownies without needing to use any cocoa powder… How cool if you are out of cocoa and don’t want to run to the store during these uncertain times.
Since we are on the topic of chocolate, I wanted to share an awesome baked chocolate donut recipe! I love small-batch baked donuts.
Check out my other small batch baked pumpkin donut recipe!
I am actually obsessed with baked donuts because who doesn’t love donuts?! And who doesn’t love donuts that don’t give you a tummy ache after having half a donut?!
Well, these nonfried donuts, definitely help with that. They have no excess oil from the deep-frying process and taste just like a cake donut minus the oil.
I glazed my small batch donuts with a silky chocolate ganache to make them even better than store-bought!
So next time you are craving a glazed chocolate donut, but don’t want to go to the store to buy it try making your own chocolate-baked donuts!
What makes this small batch chocolate donut recipe special?
- These donuts are baked instead of fried so they create less mess while having a whole lot less fat in them.
- They are thick and moist and remind me of a devil’s food cake!
- These baked donuts are huge, they remind me of store bought donuts without even having to be fried!
- This recipe is a small batch recipe! This will allow you to practice portion control and avoid having stale donuts laying around the house for a while after making them.
What ingredients do you need to make chocolate baked donuts?
- Flour – All purpose flour works perfectly for this recipe.
- Baking cocoa powder – This will give these baked donuts their super chocolatey flavor!
- Baking powder– Baking powder will give a lift to the donuts.
- Espresso Powder- to add more depth of flavor to the donuts
- Salt– Salt is always welcome in sweet baked goods.
- Egg– Use a room temperature egg for this recipe
- Granulated sugar– Using two sugars will give an extra depth of flavor.
- Brown sugar – Brown sugar will keep the chocolate donuts moist.
- Milk– Milk will give these baked donuts a soft center as well.
- Sour cream– Sour cream will keep the donuts moist and will activate the baking soda.
- Butter – Using melted butter instead of oil will give the donuts a rich flavor. The butter here is also used to make the chocolate glaze for the donuts.
- Vanilla – Vanilla and chocolate go hand in hand together.
- Chocolate chips – Good quality semi sweet chocolate chip is key to get the best chocolate glaze.
- Heavy cream – The heavy cream is to make the chocolate ganache glaze.
Tools needed for this baked chocolate donut recipe
- This donut pan – I like using this donut pan, unfortunately it is out of stock right now. It makes for giant donuts that are similar to a donut shop’s donut. I have had it for over 6 years!! You can see it’s a little bit beat up but hey it still works! Try this one since it’s the same size!
- Baking spray – I used baking spray to make sure that the baked donuts don’t stick to the pan!
- Piping bag or plastic ziplock bag – You will need this to pipe the chocolate donut batter into the donut cavities or the donut pan.
How to make the easiest baked chocolate donuts
- First, start by preheating the oven to 350F, then spray the donut baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, the granulated sugar and the brown sugar until well incorporated. Add in the milk, sour cream, melted butter and vanilla extract, and whisk until well combined.
- Using a sieve, sift in the dry ingredients. Starting with the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Gently fold in the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. The donut batter will be pretty thick at this point.
- Transfer the donut batter into a piping bag, if you don’t have that use a plastic ziplock bag and cut the tip off. Fill the donut cavities with chocolate cake batter about ¾ths full. or just divide your batter into 5 donut cavities.
- Bake the donuts for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let the baked donuts cool in the baking pan for 10 minutes then transfer them to a cooling rack. Let them cool completely before glazing.
How to make chocolate donut glaze?
When it comes to my chocolate donuts, I love that beautiful shiny chocolate glaze on top! These donuts, unlike the ones you get form a donut shop have a rich chocolate ganache as a glaze. To mane the donut glaze ganache you will need to:
- Place the chocolate chips, butter and heavy cream in a small bowl and microwave in 30 second increments, stirring between each time you put the mixture back in the microwave. Stop microwaving the glaze when the chocolate is almost fully melted.
- Now, dip each donut into the chocolate ganache glaze and place it on a cooling rack to set. I used chocolate sprinkles and topped the donuts with that.
Are small batch baked chocolate donuts the same as fried donuts?
Well, not specifically. They look like a regular donut you would get from the donut shop but are not fried. So technically I would say they are a little bit healthier than regular donuts.
They still have that delicious cakey donut texture, so if you are a fan of cake donuts, these chocolate baked donuts are for you! Plus they look just like a regular store bought donut because of the donut pan that I use.
How to store baked donuts?
These donuts are best enjoyed on the same day they were baked,. But if you want to store them, place them in an airtight container in the fridge and they can last up to 3 days.
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Small Batch baked Chocolate Donuts
Small batch chocolate donuts
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¾ cup flour
- ⅔ cup cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon instant espresso powder
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg at room temperature
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup milk
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- 5 tablespoon butter melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
For the glaze
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- 3 tbsp heavy cream
- 2 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- First, start by preheating the oven to 350F, then spray the donut baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, the granulated sugar and the brown sugar until well incorporated. Add in the milk, sour cream, melted butter and vanilla extract, and whisk until well combined.1 egg at room temperature, ⅓ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup milk, ⅓ cup sour cream, 5 tablespoon butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Using a sieve, sift in the dry ingredients. Starting with the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, espresso powder, and salt. Gently fold in the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. The donut batter will be pretty thick at this point.¾ cup flour, ⅔ cup cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon instant espresso powder, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Transfer the donut batter into a piping bag, if you don't have that use a plastic ziplock bag and cut the tip off. Fill the donut cavities with chocolate cake batter about ¾ths full. or just divide your batter into 6 donut cavities.
- Bake the donuts for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, check at 17 minutes. Let the baked donuts cool in the baking pan for 10 minutes then transfer them to a cooling rack. Let them cool completely before glazing.
Making the chocolate ganache
- To make the chocolate ganache, place the chocolate chips, butter and heavy cream in a small bowl and microwave it in 30 second increments. Making sure to stir in between. When the chocolate glaze is ready, dip the tops of the donuts in the glaze , then place them back on the cooling rack to set. You can now sprinkle chocolate sprinkles on top and enjoy!½ cup chocolate chips, 3 tablespoon heavy cream, 2 tablespoon butter
Notes
Nutrition
Thank you so much for making it all the way down here 
If you made these easy cake donuts with chocolate frosting make sure to let me know in the comments down below!
XOXO
Chahinez
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Emily
Oh and I forgot to mention, my nose told me they were done at just over 13 min in my Wilton donut pan (shallower than yours probably)
Chahinez
That makes sense if the pan was shallower, would definitely have a different bake time. Hope they still turned out good 🙂
Emily
I tested 6 different donut recipes this week to prepare for my son’s birthday party this weekend, and this one was the winner. Rich and cakey but not too sticky and holds its shape, nice flavor on its own, excellent with the ganache, moistens back up after a night or two in the fridge with about 15sec on power level 5 in the microwave. The one change I’m going to make for the party is to sift the dry ingredients into a separate bowl and whisk them thoroughly before adding to the wet–they clumped a bit and I got a bite of metallic flavor in one from a baking soda pocket. I switch all my baking to gluten free and dairy free, so I had success here with King Arthur Measure for Measure gf flour, unsweetened plain almond milk, Earth Balance dairy free butter, and Tofutti sour cream as my subs. Thanks!
Chahinez
Wow, I’m so happy to hear that this recipe won out after testing so many! It sounds like you’ve really made it your own, and I love how you found a great way to keep the donuts fresh in the fridge. Thanks for sharing your tip about sifting the dry ingredients — definitely a helpful suggestion to avoid clumps! I’m also thrilled to hear that the gluten-free and dairy-free substitutions worked well — that’s awesome! Wishing you and your son a fantastic birthday party, and I hope the donuts are a big hit!
Ellie
These were fantastic!! My sister who says she doesn’t like donuts loved them 🙂 so chocolatey and they come together so fast!
My pans were a different size I think because I did 8 donuts (I think I even overfilled them) and baked them for 10 minutes and they turned out beautifully. Maybe start with a shorter baking time and add time as needed!
Amber
these were super yummy and super easy to make! i didn’t have a regular donut mold, so i made some mini heart donuts! it made them a little dryer, but they were still super amazing!! i would definitely recommend!!
Chahinez
That’s what I like to hear! Enjoy!
Tanya
You had me at ganache…and then baked…yes, even better!
Kristy
Thanks for the great recipe to try. Really easy to follow with great results!
Ash
How many eggs? Also, how many donuts does a small batch make?
Lifestyle of a Foodie
Hello Ash!
You will need one egg and this recipe yields 5 large donuts.
Make sure that you scroll down to the recipe card for the detailed recipe and ingredient measurements.
Happy Sunday,
Chahinez
Luna
These chocolate donuts came out so moist and delicious! Love that they’re baked instead of fried too.
Lifestyle of a Foodie
Thank you so much for sharing Luna!
Chahinez