These Baked Chocolate Frosted Cake Donuts are a classic baked cake donut with chocolate ganache frosting.

Homemade donuts really are easy and simple to make and you don’t have to fry them. This baked cake donut recipe is easy to do and the donuts come out delicious every time.

These Baked Chocolate Frosted Cake Donuts are a classic baked cake donut with chocolate ganache frosting. Homemade donuts really are easy & simple to make.

I love donuts. If I see a local donut shop anywhere, I will stop. I don’t care if we are in the middle of nowhere. Donuts are so good. While I love my little fried donuts, I prefer to avoid the frying and make baked donuts instead. They can be just as good.

My kids love donuts as well. While I would like to take credit for that little obsession, it all comes from my dad. Ever since my kids were very little, anytime they went over to their house for a gathering, Papa & Nana play-date, or for babysitting, my dad would run to the store and grab some “papa donuts”.

These Baked Chocolate Frosted Cake Donuts are a classic baked cake donut with chocolate ganache frosting. Homemade donuts really are easy & simple to make.
“Papa donuts” are just mini Hostess chocolate donuts. He would always buy the powdered sugar ones as well and those eventually became known as
“Nana donuts”. I will have to admit though, that I simply love a chocolate cake donut from my local Kroger store (King Soopers). My sisters and I just love those.

But making homemade baked cake donuts is really fun and this is my favorite recipe. They’re perfect at any time – breakfast, brunch, dessert or as a snack.

Baked Donuts Ingredients

  • Softened butter
  • Vegetable oil
  • Granulated sugar
  • Brown sugar
  • Large eggs
  • Baking powder
  • Baking soda
  • Nutmeg
  • Salt
  • Vanilla extract
  • All-purpose flour
  • Milk

How do you make Baked Cake Donuts?

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease 2 donut pans.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl or mixer beat together the butter, vegetable oil, granulated, and brown sugar until smooth. Add the eggs and beat until well combined.

Mix in baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla, until batter comes together.

Mix in the flour and milk, adding the flour and alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix batter until smooth and well combined.

Gently spoon the batter evenly into the lightly greased doughnut pans, filling until just shy of the rim.

Place pans in the oven and bake for 9-10 minutes. Remove from oven, allow donuts to cool for 5 minutes before you remove from the pans. Prepare frosting during this time.

Chocolate Ganache Frosting

In a double boiler over medium heat combine butter, chocolate chips, and corn syrup. Stir until completely melted and well incorporated.

Once glaze is done and donuts are cool, dip the tops of the donuts into the glaze and turn over, back onto the cooling rack. Glaze side up.

Allow glaze to harden, if you wish for 10-15 minutes or like our family, serve right away… yum!


These Baked Chocolate Frosted Cake Donuts are a classic baked cake donut with chocolate ganache frosting. Homemade donuts really are easy & simple to make.

Now I am just sitting here drooling over these donuts and thinking about which donut recipe I will make next. I am leaning towards Copycat Starbucks Devil’s Food Cake Donuts.
Have a great day, friends. Cheers to baked, glazed, and “papa donuts”.

XOXO San

More Recipes to Try

Love this recipe? Be sure to check out these other cake donuts that will have you eating more than one for breakfast.

Don’t forget to pin this to your favorite Pinterest board.

Baked Chocolate Frosted Cake Donuts

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Servings: 12
Calories: 345 kcal
These Baked Chocolate Frosted Cake Donuts are a classic baked cake donut with chocolate ganache frosting. Homemade donuts really are easy & simple to make.

Ingredients
 

Donut

  • 1/4 cup butter room temperature
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 2/3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 cup milk

Frosting

  • 3 tablespoons butter cut into ½ inch squares.
  • ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips dark chocolate is my preference
  • 1 tablespoon honey agave nectar or corn syrup would also be fine.

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease 2 donut pans.
  • In a medium-sized mixing bowl or mixer beat together the butter, vegetable oil, granulated, and brown sugar until smooth. Add the eggs and beat until well combined.
  • Mix in baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla, until batter comes together.
  • Mix in the flour and milk, adding the flour and alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix batter until smooth and well combined.
  • Gently spoon the batter evenly into the lightly greased doughnut pans, filling until just shy of the rim.
  • Place pans in the oven and bake for 9-10 minutes. Remove from oven, allow donuts to cool for 5 minutes before you remove from the pans. Prepare frosting during this time.

Frosting

  • In a double boiler over medium heat combine butter, chocolate chips and corn syrup. Stir until completely melted and well incorporated.
  • Once glaze is done and donuts are cool, dip the tops of the donuts into the glaze and turn over, back onto the cooling rack. Glaze side up. Allow glaze to harden, if you wish for 10-15 minutes or like our family, serve right away… yum!

Notes

Calories: 345kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 5gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 46mgSodium: 192mgPotassium: 191mgFiber: 1gSugar: 21gVitamin A: 290IUCalcium: 69mgIron: 2.2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know what you think!

These Baked Chocolate Frosted Cake Donuts are a classic baked cake donut with chocolate ganache frosting. Homemade donuts really are easy & simple to make.

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50 Comments

    1. 4 stars
      These are very good and versatile to use for other recipes, I was wondering if you could use less flour to make them less dense?

    1. You can use a heat-safe bowl and a pot of simmering water to mimic a double boiler! Just make sure the water does not reach the bowl when set on top of the pot. There are lots of tutorials online if you simply search “double boiler”. Hope this helps!

  1. 5 stars
    These donuts are insanely delicious. they are cakey, thick, moist, nutmegy and popping with chocolate flavor with the icing. Followed recipe to the letter except batter made 14 really thick donuts. This will be my go-to recipe for a basic cake donut. They are literally addicting. I will get them out of the house tomorrow and five them to my neighbor.

  2. 5 stars
    I always forget I have a donut pan! Thanks for the reminder. Definitely making these this weekend. Probably need to make a double batch just to be safe, haha!

  3. 5 stars
    These baked chocolate cake donuts are the perfect breakfast treat! I will be trying these very soon!

  4. Really yummy and look great. Heavy batter and dense doughnut but it a cake doughnut. Will definitely make again. Thanks for the recipe!

  5. 5 stars
    My heart swooned a bit when I saw I had everything in my kitchen already to make these. Just the little afternoon pick me up I needed and bonus, breakfast for tomorrow will be done too. Yay!

  6. They look yummy! Have you ever used buttermilk in place of the milk? Would you need to change any of the other ingredients?

  7. 5 stars
    Could I somehow make this recipe into a cake? My son wants a donut-chocolate-glazed themed cake and yours sounds like the best one!!

  8. 4 stars
    How much nutmeg? Just says “1/2 ground nutmeg”. I assumed tsp and did that. Hope it was right?

    1. Yes, 1/2 teaspoon is correct! It has been updated in the post, thank you so much for bringing it to our attention.

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