Basic Chocolate Cake Donuts
Donuts on Sunday morning are a must sometimes (especially chocolate cake donuts). My kids beg for them every week, but sometimes I’d like to get in the kitchen instead of sending them out with their dad for the baked goods.
This morning, I settled in to make these basic chocolate cake donuts with my favorite donut pan and a good cup of coffee.
This recipe is super basic, but I did add chocolate chips for a little bit of fun. When they were done baking, I dipped them in butter and sugar and served with fresh strawberries.
Here’s how to make these chocolate cake donuts:
After mixing the dry ingredients in a large bowl (I used a sifter for the flour and cocoa for a finer texture), whisk the eggs and buttermilk in a separate bowl. Add the vanilla bean paste and melted butter and whisk until foamy. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, being sure not to over mix. The dough will be very sticky and should be in a mound. Add the chocolate chips, and then spread the dough onto a very floured surface.
Let the dough sit about five minutes, and then cover with more flour and shape into a flat circle with your hands. With a rolling pin, roll the dough to about 3/4 of an inch to an inch thick. Then cut them into rounds (I used a biscuit cutter)and place them onto the pan, poking the hole out of the middle as you do. The batter is very sticky and cake, so don’t be afraid to smush it together to fit in the molds. This should make 12-18 chocolate cake donuts depending on the size of your pan and how fluffy you make them. They cook pretty evenly, so you can add more dough to each mold if you want a larger donut.
Chocolate Cake Donuts
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour, sifted
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 medium eggs
- 1/3 cup buttermilk
- 6 tbsp butter (unsalted)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- sugar and butter for dipping and dusting the finished donuts
Instructions
- After mixing the dry ingredients in a large bowl (I used a sifter for the flour and cocoa powder for a finer texture), whisk the eggs and buttermilk in a separate bowl. Add the vanilla bean paste and melted butter and whisk until foamy. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, being sure not to over mix. The dough will be very sticky and should be in a mound. Add the chocolate chips, and then spread the dough onto a very floured surface. Let the dough sit about five minutes, and then cover with more flour and shape into a flat circle with your hands. With a rolling pin, roll the dough to about 3/4 of an inch to an inch thick. Then cut them into rounds (I used a biscuit cutter)and place them onto the pan, poking the hole out of the middle as you do. The batter is very sticky and cake, so don't be afraid to smush it together to fit in the molds. This should make 12-18 chocolate cake donuts depending on the size of your pan and how fluffy you make them. They cook pretty evenly, so you can add more dough to each mold if you want a larger donut.
For more breakfast recipes, visit me here.
About The Author
Sarah
I am a mom of two and wife to a martial arts school owner, full-time social media professional and avid cook and gardener. I love creating recipes and involving my kids in the process. The food we cook is usually dairy-free and gluten-free, and sometimes paleo, but we make exceptions (ahem, sourdough bread). The “hippie” part of this blog comes into play in the ingredients we use—I’m pretty vigilant about the health of my family and you could even call me “crunchy.” The “modern” part is that I am busy! You won’t catch me making my own nut milk or churning butter (not that there’s anything wrong with that). I’m more than happy to take the shortcuts provided by our lovely grocery stores and online shopping —especially in the midst of this global pandemic.