Homemade Cake Donuts (Extremely Moist)
These homemade cake donuts are rich, moist, and craggy with a crisp exterior and tangy sour cream base. Finished with a translucent, crunchy glaze, they rival anything from your favorite donut shop.
Equipment
- Stand mixer (or sturdy spoon and bowl)
- Rolling Pin
- Donut cutters or glass
- Large pot (Dutch oven recommended)
- Cooking thermometer
- Wire rack
- Spider or slotted spoon
Ingredients
For the Donut Dough:
- 1 large egg
- 2 egg yolks
- 35 g 2.5 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 210 g 1 cup granulated sugar
- 350 g 1.5 cups full-fat sour cream
- 540 g 4.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 15 g 1 tbsp baking powder
- 3 g ½ tsp baking soda
- 10 g 1¾ tsp salt
For the Glaze:
- 175 g ¾ cup whole milk
- 5 g ¾ tsp salt
- 800 g 6½ cups powdered sugar
- For Frying:
- 2 liters neutral oil e.g., canola or vegetable, for frying
Instructions
- In a stand mixer, beat egg, yolks, butter, and sugar on medium for 2 minutes. Add sour cream and mix until smooth. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix on low until just combined. Wrap the dough in plastic, form into a square, and refrigerate for 1–48 hours.
- Flour your surface and roll the dough into a rectangle about 10" x 18" and ½" thick. Cut into donuts using a floured cutter. Place on a floured tray and chill. Reroll scraps to make 12 donuts total.
- Whisk milk and salt together. Slowly add powdered sugar in two additions. Whisk until smooth. Adjust consistency with more milk if needed.
- Heat oil to 300°F (149°C). Fry 4 donuts at a time for 90 seconds per side. Drain on a wire rack and allow to cool for 20 minutes.
- Dip each donut craggy-side-down into glaze. Let excess drip off. Return to rack and allow glaze to set for 20–30 minutes until crisp.
Video
Notes
- No mixer? Melt butter and mix dough by hand—takes more elbow grease.
- Don’t overmix after adding flour to keep donuts tender.
- For baking: Try 350°F (176°C) for 15 minutes—results are cakier but still tasty.
- Glaze thickness is customizable. Add milk for a thinner glaze or more sugar for a thicker coat.
- Glaze donuts once fully cooled to avoid tearing or uneven coating.
Nutrition
Calories: 370kcalCarbohydrates: 51gProtein: 4gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 70mgSodium: 270mgFiber: 1gSugar: 30g
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