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These glazed chocolate donuts are soft and moist and dipped in a sweet glaze!
I’ve been on a quest to create the perfect chocolate cake donut. I mean, first of all, goals like this are fun to achieve. Even the not-so-perfect chocolate donuts are still chocolate donuts.
Second, how fabulous would it be to have a perfect chocolate donut recipe? Pretty darn fabulous, you guys. Being known as the lady with the perfect chocolate donut recipe is kind of a big deal.
So, I set my mind to it and I measured and mixed and baked and tasted and then did it again and again quite a few times. Finally, I came up with this recipe. The perfect chocolate donut. It’s moist. It’s fluffy. It’s like a chocolate cake, but it’s shaped like a donut which means that it’s breakfast. Then I dunked the donuts in my favorite donut glaze. It gets all crisp and crackly and is pretty much just as perfect as the donut shop glaze.
These are definitely my favorite baked donuts! If you prefer fried donuts, be sure to check out my favorite recipe for those here!
If you’re looking for an easy recipe for your donut pan, this is the one. No mixer needed and it takes less than 20 minutes to get your donuts on the table. These make a great after school snack, too.
Glazed Chocolate Donuts
Ingredients
For the donuts
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup natural cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips optional
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 6 tablespoons sour cream
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
For the glaze
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
To make the donuts
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, baking soda, and salt.
- In a small bowl, beat together the vanilla, egg, sour cream, milk, and oil.
- Stir the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined.
- Spoon in a greased donut pan.
- Bake for 8 minutes or until the tops spring back when you touch them.
- Let the donuts cool in the pan before glazing.
To make the glaze
- Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth.
- Dunk the donuts in the glaze to fully coat and place on a wire rack to set, about 5 minutes.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Information:
(I’ve changed this glaze recipe up a bit after receiving a few comments that it wasn’t setting properly. It works beautifully now!)
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John Doe says
I loved these oml
B says
These turned out great! Just like the glazed chocolate donuts from DD and KK.. I reduced the sugar by a thirds and it was still awesome! Will definitely be making these again.
1st Time Donut Maker says
Once the donuts are baked and the glaze is set, is it best to keep them in the refrigerator in an airtight container or just room temperature in an airtight container?
Karly says
They’ll last fine on the counter, but the glaze does get a bit soft/sticky. Not sure if the glaze would hold up better in the fridge or not.
Lynda Taschek says
Made these today with my 12-year-old daughter for National Donut Day! It was our first time making donuts and this may be our go to recipe now. It was quick, easy, and super delicious!
Karly says
So glad you both enjoyed them! 🙂
Danielle says
Can this recipe be used to make a chocolate glazed donut cookie?
Karly says
Hi Danielle! I’ve only tested the recipe as directed. I’m not sure what changes you’d need to make to get this to a cookie.
Adele says
Made these 3 times now!!!
Karly says
So glad you enjoy them!
Meg says
This recipe was really easy to follow and absolutely wonderful!! I just had to substitute greek yogurt for sour cream but I love it!! ??
Karly says
So glad you enjoyed the donuts, Meg!
Connie Evans says
Just made these and WOW!! Delicious! Thank you for fantastic recipe!
Karly says
So glad you enjoyed them, Connie!
Yvette says
Can you make vanilla donuts by leaving out the chocolate?
Karly says
No, the ratios will be off as the cocoa powder soaks up some of the liquid. We have lots of donut recipes here. Check the search bar and you’ll find what you’re looking for. 🙂
Maryam says
I followed the directions exactly and the donuts were perfect. The only change I made was to the cooking time. I made it in an air fryer oven, so I baked it at 320 for 6 minutes. I shared a picture on an air fryer Facebook group and everyone wanted the recipe. If you noticed a lot of hits on your website from yesterday, that was me directing them to the recipe. Thank you so much!
Karly says
Oh, thank you! Appreciate you sharing the recipe and I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Christina G Barnes says
Would the bake time be the same if we used a mini muffin pan for doughnut holes?
Karly says
No, they would probably take a bit less time to bake since they’ll be smaller. I’m not sure how long, so just keep an eye on them. When the top springs back after touching it, it should be done. 🙂
Tiffany says
Can you make the batter the night before and then bake the next day? Want to prep ahead for company. Thanks!
Karly says
No, the donuts won’t rise if you make the batter ahead of time like that. You could make the donuts a day in advance and keep them tightly covered. I’d glaze the morning of, if possible.
Billie Seaton says
She could put together the dry and wet ingredients the day before just don’t combine them until the next day when ready to bake them
Maria says
Just made these ??? they are amazing thank you for sharing
Rachel says
I made these exactly like the recipe and they came out so amazing! Best donut recipe I’ve ever used! So soft and light and yummy I could eat a million
Karly says
Love to hear that, Rachel!
Susan Kenney says
Well, after reading ALL the reviews and taking several of the suggestions, we tried these this morning! I used a touch more sugar and cocoa powder, and I substituted greek yogurt for the sour cream and applesauce for the oil! (I always do that!) They cooked in the 8 minutes suggested, and they were delicious ? ! They were very “cakey”, as reported in many of the comments…would adding extra flour help that? Also, even though we sprayed the pans very well, they were difficult to remove…maybe I let them cool too long (10 min)! The big disappointment was with the glaze! I heated the milk just a touch and added the vanilla, but when I tried to whisk in the powdered sugar, it quickly became the consistency of cookie dough! I tried to add some water, which thinned it out a little, but it wasn’t enough, and it was very bland in taste! The donuts were goodvenough to eat without the glaze, but I just can’t figure out what went wrong! Seems like this is the opposite problem that so many others had! All in all, I will definitely try them again, making a few changes to improve the outcomeI love a challenge!?
Karly says
Hi Susan! I’m so glad you enjoyed these. I’m not sure about adding extra flour – we’ve only made them like this. They’re very fluffy and cakey, but that’s the general vibe we go for with baked donuts here. We do have a fried cake donut that is probably more the texture you’re looking for. You can find that here. As for the glaze, I’m not sure what went wrong – 1/4 cup of milk should be plenty for the powdered sugar to not be thick. Are you sure you measured the powdered sugar properly?
moe says
just put it in oven……….more comment