Donut Cake Recipe | The Recipe Critic

Donut cake has all the flavors you love in a donut, but in a moist and delicious bundt cake form that’s sure to wow friends and family. It has a supremely tender vanilla bean cake base topped with homemade icing. Everyone will want a slice!

Love bundt cake? So do we! Try these other recipes next: rum cake, praline apple bundt cake, or marble bundt cake next.

Donut Cake Recipe

This Donut Cake is the stuff dessert dreams are made of. It captures all the delightful flavors of a glazed donut and transforms them into an impressive bundt cake. Plus, it’s surprisingly easy to whip up!

The secret to that irresistible donut flavor lies in the combination of buttermilk and sour cream. These ingredients help keep the crumb moist and tender, so you get a delightful cake that practically melts in your mouth. And let’s not forget the glaze! It’s simple to make with just powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla, but adds the perfect finishing touch! Donut cake is a simple dessert, but it shines with its buttery, tender texture and all the sweet, vanilla bean flavor in each bite. I know you’ll love it as much as I do!

Ingredients in Donut Cake

Donut cake has a simple ingredient list, so it’s important that you use high-quality ingredients for the best flavor and texture. Because of this, I recommend you use vanilla bean paste if you can find it! If not, substitute with pure vanilla extract.

For the Cake:

• Unsalted Butter (Softened): Provides richness and flavor to the cake, and softening it helps it blend together well with the sugar.
• Vegetable Oil: Adds moisture to the donut cake and also keeps it nice and tender.
• Granulated Sugar: For that perfect donut flavor!
• Large Eggs: Bind the ingredients together and contribute to the cake’s rise.
• Vanilla Bean Paste: Adds a more intense vanilla flavor compared to extract. (Regular vanilla extract can also be used in its place if you can’t find vanilla bean paste.)
• All-Purpose Flour: Gives the donut cake structure.
• Baking Soda & Baking Powder: Leavening agents that help the cake rise.
• Salt: Just a pinch to enhance flavors!
• Buttermilk & Sour Cream: Add tanginess, moisture, and contribute to a tender crumb. Don’t skip them!

For the Glaze:

• Powdered Sugar: Sweetens and creates the smooth texture of the glaze.
• Whole Milk: Thins the glaze to your desired consistency.
• Vanilla Extract or Paste: Adds an extra touch of vanilla flavor.

Let’s Get Baking!

Donut cake is so easy to make, no special cooking methods required! Just mix up that batter, pop it in the oven, and then top it off with your 3-ingredient glaze!

1. Preheat Oven, Prepare Bundt Pan: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Spray a 10-cup bundt pan well with pan spray, preferably with a pan spray that contains flour such as Baker’s Joy. If any spray pools in the bottom of the pan, blot it out with a paper towel.
2. Butter Mixture: Add the butter, oil, and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium-high for 2-3 minutes, until pale and fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed to ensure everything is evenly incorporated.
3. Mix in Eggs and Vanilla: Add the eggs and vanilla bean paste and mix until incorporated.
4. Mix Wet and Dry Ingredients Separately: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together the buttermilk and sour cream in a separate bowl.
5. Combine: Add the dry ingredients and buttermilk mixture to the wet ingredients alternating the two. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed, until completely combined.

Baking and Adding Frosting

1. Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center.
2. Cool and Flip: Let the cake cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before inverting on a cooling rack. Flip it once more so what is normally the bottom of a bundt cake is facing up and becomes the top of the cake. Let it cool this way, so it doesn’t flatten out on the cooling rack.
3. Prepare Glaze: When the cake is cooled, prepare the glaze by whisking the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla together until smooth. Pour over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. You may thin the glaze down by adding an additional tablespoon or two of milk if you prefer a thinner glaze.