Cake Donuts Recipe
This Cinnamon Sugar Cake Donuts Recipe is SO easy and is one of our favorite fall treats! Fried until golden, the donuts are lightly crisp on the outside, soft and cakey in the center, and rolled in a sweet cinnamon-sugar mixture that tastes like a churro. Not to mention, the dough comes together quickly with simple ingredients, can be prepped ahead, and fries in just minutes. These are the BEST treat for hosting a brunch or weekend baking!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup neutral oil such as canola oil, vegetable oil or avocado oil
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- canola oil vegetable oil or avocado oil for frying
- 2- inch nub of a carrot for frying, optional but recommended
Cinnamon-Sugar Coating
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
- Add the oil, milk, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla. Mix on medium-low speed for 2 minutes, until a smooth and very sticky dough forms.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let the dough chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Mix the cinnamon-sugar coating ingredients together in a medium bowl. Set aside for later.
- In a large heavy bottom pot, heat 2 inches of oil over medium-high heat until it reaches 365°F when measured with an instant-read thermometer. Once the desired temperature is achieved, reduce the heat to medium-low to maintain the consistent temperature.
- Carefully place the carrot nub into the hot oil with a slotted spoon. This will prevent the donuts from burning in the oil and keep the oil nice and clean.
- While the oil is heating up, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to ½-inch in thickness, and use a 3 ½-inch donut cookie cutter to cut out donut shapes. Save the donut holes and fry them up, too!
- Carefully lower each donut into the pot with a slotted spoon (about 3 donuts can fit at once with some donut holes) and cook for about 2 minutes on each side until lightly golden brown. Cook donut holes for about 1 minute on each side.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer the hot donut to a paper-towel lined plate or pan to cool for 5 minutes.
- Roll each warm donut into the cinnamon-sugar mixture to coat.
Notes
- Instead of using a stand mixer, easily use a large mixing bowl with a whisk for the dry ingredients. Then, swap to a rubber spatula when adding the wet ingredients. Beat for an extra 3 minutes if mixing by hand.
- Donuts are best enjoyed the day of, but are still tasty stored in a ziploc bag on the counter overnight.
Nutrition
Calories: 322kcal
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!