Chocolate Cake Doughnuts

With a wonderfully crisp exterior and fluffy interior, these chocolate cake doughnuts make a satisfying treat.

Overhead view of chocolate cake doughnuts

Serious Eats / Robby Lozano

Why It Works

  • Buttermilk contributes flavor and depth, while using regular milk in the glaze keeps things tasting light and fresh.
  • Deep frying the doughnuts produces a crispy, craggy crust.

Make fresh doughnuts, and you will be king or queen for a day. You will bring joy and light where there once was darkness and cases of the Mondays. You will be loved by your adoring, doughnut-eating fans. Trust me. I learned this the other morning when I dragged myself from bed in the wee hours to make doughnuts for my co-workers.

When it comes to doughnuts, there's something for everyone. People who skew savory tend to enjoy the yeast-raised kind (especially if they are studded with bacon), while those who like their sweets covet cake doughnuts, which are exactly what they sound like—fried rings of cake, leavened with baking soda or powder. Apple cider doughnuts, which technically fall in the cake category, meet somewhere in the middle, with their mellow apple sweetness and spicy aroma. When I make doughnuts, I usually make a few different kinds, to make the most of being up that early, and using all that oil.

No matter what kind of doughnuts you choose to make, the most important step is the actual frying. Deep-fat frying scares many people, but, realistically, taking basic precautions can ward off any dangerous mishaps. Here are some important tips for successful and safe frying:

Tips for (Safely) Frying Doughnuts

  • Fry in a heavy pot with walls high enough to leave at least a few inches clearance above the surface of the oil. I think dutch ovens are excellent vessels for frying.
  • Use an oil or fat with a high smoke-point to prevent burning. Canola is a good choice, but you can also use lard or shortening instead.
  • When placing the doughnuts into the oil, hover over the surface, and then gently slide them into the oil. Do not drop from high above the surface, which will cause the oil to splatter upward.
  • Constantly monitor the temperature of the oil. It needs to be 375°F or a bit lower for frying. Do not allow it to go above, which can cause it to smoke. Never leave a pot set on the stove unattended.
  • Never pour liquid into hot oil.

With caution and vigilance, you can make doughnuts at home. And while it may suck getting up hours earlier than everyone else, there's nothing like a truly fresh doughnut—and as the cook, there at the stove, you'll be the one to enjoy the honor of taking the first bite, still warm and freshly glazed.

January 2012

This recipe was cross-tested in 2023 and updated with more accurate measurements to guarantee best results. The glaze quantity was also doubled to ensure there's enough for fully glazing all the doughnuts.

Recipe Details

Chocolate Cake Doughnuts

Prep 10 mins
Cook 35 mins
Active 45 mins
Resting Time 10 mins
Total 55 mins
Serves 12 doughnuts

Ingredients

For the Doughnuts:

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (11 1/2 ounces; 325g), plus more for dusting

  • 1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder (2 ounces; 60g)

  • 2 teaspoons baking powder (1/4 ounce; 7g)

  • 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume

  • 2 large eggs

  • 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar (8 3/4 ounces; 250g)

  • 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk

  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled (2 1/2 ounces; 70g)

  • 2 quarts neutral oil, lard, or crisco for frying

For the Glaze:

  • 1/2 (120ml) cup whole milk

  • 5 cups confectioners sugar (17.5 ounces; 496g)

  • 2 teaspoons (10ml) vanilla extract

  • Pinch kosher salt

Directions

  1. For the Doughnuts: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a second large bowl, whisk eggs until lightened and frothy, about 1 minute. Add sugar, buttermilk, and melted butter to eggs and whisk until combined, about 1 minute. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix with a large rubber spatula, until smooth dough forms. Do not overmix.

    Four image collage of mixing dough in bowl

    Serious Eats / Robby Lozano

  2. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and liberally dust with flour. Turn the dough out onto  a liberally floured work surface. Fold the dough over itself so it comes together in one mass, and let rest for 10 minutes. Liberally flour the top of the dough (it will be sticky, don't be afraid to use flour).

    Overhead view of folding dough over itself

    Serious Eats / Robby Lozano

  3. Using a floured rolling pin, press to flatten and roll the dough to a uniform 1/2-inch thickness. Using a 3-inch round cutter dipped in flour, cut out rounds. Using a 1-inch round cutter dipped in flour, cut a hole out of center of each round.  Transfer doughnuts and holes to prepared sheets. Gather dough scraps, and gently reroll, repeating cutting procedure. You should have about 12 doughnuts and doughnut holes.

    Two image collage of cutting donut holes

    Serious Eats / Robby Lozano

  4. To Prepare Frying oil and Glaze Setup: Place a large, heavy pot on the stove and clip on thermometer to the side of the pot. Pour in the oil and heat oil to 375ºF (190ºC) over medium heat. Set a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet and line rack with a double layer of paper towels. Set tongs, spider skimmer, or chopsticks aside until ready to fry.(whatever you prefer to turn the doughnuts and remove them from the hot oil).

    Frying set up by the stove

    Serious Eats / Robby Lozano

  5. For the Glaze: On another burner, warm the milk in a small saucepan set over low heat until the milk begins to steam. Remove it from heat and add the confectioner's sugar, pinch of salt, and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Pour the glaze into a heat-proof bowl and set the bowl over a small saucepan of water to keep warm, set aside.

    Overhead view of pouring sugar into a pot

    Serious Eats / Robby Lozano

  6. To Fry the Doughnuts: Gently place 3 doughnuts into 375°F oil. Cake doughnuts will sink to the bottom of the oil, then cook for a bit before rising up. Once the doughnut bobs to the surface, fry it for about 2 more minutes. Using a spider skimmer or tongs, gently flip doughnuts and continue to fry for an additional 2 minutes on the other side. Transfer the doughnuts to the prepared cooling rack. Break one open to check that it is cooked inside. If undercooked, return the batch of doughnuts to the hot oil to fry for an additional minute. Adjust frying time for remaining doughnuts as needed.

    Overhead view of frying doughnuts in oil

    Serious Eats / Robby Lozano

  7. Return oil to 375 degrees and repeat with remaining doughnuts and doughnut holes. Let doughnuts sit until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes.

    Overhead view of frying doughnut holes

    Serious Eats / Robby Lozano

  8. To Glaze the Doughnuts: Set the pot of water with the bowl of glaze over low heat and stir until it returns to a pourable glaze consistency. Remove from heat and use your fingers to carefully submerge each of the doughnuts in the glaze. Place the glazed doughnuts on a clean cooling rack to dry. The glaze will become more translucent as it dries. For best flavor, serve immediately.

    Overhead photo of glazing donuts

    Serious Eats / Robby Lozano

Special Equipment

Rolling pin, clip-on digital thermometer, tongs or spider strainer

Read More

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
1748 Calories
156g Fat
87g Carbs
6g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 1748
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 156g 200%
Saturated Fat 13g 67%
Cholesterol 46mg 15%
Sodium 359mg 16%
Total Carbohydrate 87g 32%
Dietary Fiber 2g 6%
Total Sugars 63g
Protein 6g
Vitamin C 0mg 1%
Calcium 91mg 7%
Iron 3mg 18%
Potassium 88mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)