Donut Cake Recipe | The Recipe Critic

Donut cake has all the flavors you love in a donut, but in moist and delicious bundt cake form that will wow friends and family. It has a very light vanilla bean cake base topped with homemade icing. Everyone wants a piece!

Love Bundt Cake? So we do! Then try these other recipes: Rum Cake, Praline Apple Bundt Cake, or Marble Bundt Cake.

Donut Cake Recipe

This donut cake is what dessert dreams are made of. It captures all the delightful flavors of a glazed donut and transforms them into an impressive bundt cake. Plus, it’s surprisingly easy to whip up!

The secret to that irresistible donut flavor lies in the combination of buttermilk and sour cream. These ingredients help keep the crumb moist and tender, so you end up with a delightful cake that practically melts in your mouth. And don’t forget the glaze! It’s super easy to make with just powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla, but adds the perfect finishing touch! Donut cake is a simple dessert, but it shines with its buttery, tender texture and all the sweet, vanilla bean flavor in every bite. I know you will love it as much as I do!

Ingredients in Donut Cake

Donut cake has a simple ingredient list, so it’s important that you use high-quality ingredients for the best taste and texture. Because of this, I recommend you use vanilla bean paste if you can find it! If not, replace Pure vanilla extract,

For the cake:

• Unsalted butter (softened): Adds richness and flavor to the cake, and softening it helps it mix better with the sugar.
• Vegetable Oil: The donut adds moisture to the cake and keeps it nice and fluffy.
• Granulated Sugar: For that perfect donut taste!
• Large Eggs: Mix the ingredients and help the cake rise.
• Vanilla bean paste, Adds a more intense vanilla flavor compared to extract. (If you can’t find vanilla bean paste, you can use regular vanilla extract instead.)
• All Purpose Flour: Gives the donut cake structure.
• Baking Soda & Baking Powder: Leavening agents that help the cake rise.
• Salt: A pinch to enhance the flavors!
• Buttermilk & Sour Cream: Add tenderness, moisture, and contribute to a tender crumb. Don’t cross them!

For the glaze:

• Sugar powder: Sweetens and creates a smooth texture of the glaze.
• Whole Milk: Thin the glaze to your desired consistency.
• Vanilla extract or paste: Vanilla adds an extra touch of flavor.

Let’s get baking!

Donut cake is so easy to make, no special cooking techniques required! Mix up that dough, pop it in the oven, and then top it with your 3-ingredient glaze!

1. Preheat oven, prepare a bundt pan: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 10-cup bundt pan well with pan spray, preferably a flour-based pan spray like Baker’s Joy. If any spray pools on the bottom of the pan, wipe it off with a paper towel.
2. Butter mixture: In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter, oil, and sugar on medium-high for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed to make sure everything is evenly incorporated.
3. Mix in the eggs and vanilla: Add eggs and vanilla bean paste and mix.
4. Mix wet and dry ingredients separately: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Combine buttermilk and sour cream in a separate bowl.
5. Mix it up: Add both the dry ingredients and the buttermilk mixture alternately with the wet ingredients. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed until completely combined.

Baking and adding frosting

1. baked: Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center.
2. Cool and turn: Cool the cake in the pan for 5-10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack. What is usually the bottom of a bundt cake flip it once more and the cake becomes the top. Cool this way, so it doesn’t flatten on the cooling rack.
3. Prepare the glaze: While the cake is cooling, prepare the glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth. Pour over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. If you prefer a thinner glaze you can thin the glaze by adding an extra tablespoon or two of milk.