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These chocolate frosted donuts are baked, not fried, super simple to make and obviously covered in plenty of festive sprinkles. Even better, they can be ready in less than 15 minutes.
I'm officially on the baked donut bandwagon - from baked pumpkin donuts to baked blueberry donuts.
But for me, it all started with these chocolate frosted donuts. For quite a while, I had wanted to make homemade donuts, but for no good reason, I just never made them.
One issue is I didn't have a donut pan. After seeing some other blogs post donut recipes, I figured it was time to take the plunge and try making my first homemade baked donut!
For my first try, I wanted to go with the donut I grew up eating which was a chocolate frosted donut with sprinkles. It may seem plain and simple, but it was what I loved.
Most recipes make 12 donuts, but I'm not a fan of leftover donuts so keep it as 6 and if there are more people you can double the recipe.
Keep in mind, these are baked cake donuts. They are not yeast donuts so if you are expecting that, then you need find a recipe for the fryer!
These are lighter than a traditional cake donut however, which I enjoyed. The added fact that you can make them in 15 minutes makes for a great weekend breakfast.
So if you're ready to take the homemade donut challenge, give these baked chocolate frosted donuts a try.
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Recipe Ingredients
- All-purpose flour - has the right amount of gluten for these baked donuts.
- Granulated sugar and powdered sugar - sweetens both the donuts and glaze.
- Baking powder - acts as a leavening agent.
- Salt - enhances the flavor.
- Greek yogurt - keeps the donut moist.
- Egg - helps bind everything together.
- Milk - whole milk is best.
- Unsalted butter - thins out the batter and adds flavor.
- Vanilla extract - adds flavor.
- Cocoa powder - the chocolate in chocolate glaze.
How to Make Baked Donuts
- Preheat oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
- Add greek yogurt, egg, milk, butter and vanilla extract and stir until just combined. (Over-stirring will make donut tough)
- Place batter in ziploc bag and squeeze out air. Cut corner of bag. Spray donut pan with non-stick spray. Pipe the batter evenly in the donut pan. It should make 6.
- Bake for 8-9 minutes or until stick comes clean. These are a sponge-like consistency so don't expect it to be really browned on top. Remove from oven and remove from pan and cool on a cooling rack.
- For the glaze, whisk the sugar and cocoa powder in a shallow bowl. Slowly stir in milk and vanilla extract to make smooth, pourable glaze.
- Dip each donut in the glaze and place back on cooling rack. Top with sprinkles if desired. Allow glaze to set for 30 minutes before serving.
Is It Doughnuts or Donuts?
So I guess the real way to spell it is doughnuts but Dunkin’ Donuts popularized the spelling of donuts back in the 1950’s. For me, I go with donut.
Are Baked Donuts Healthy?
I wouldn’t go as far as to say they are healthy, but they are healthier than fried donuts. Like anything, eat in moderation. You won’t regret eating these baked chocolate frosted donuts!
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Even though they say non-stick, spray your donut pans with non-stick cooking spray to make sure the donuts come out.
- Use baking powder that is less than a year old since it has been opened. If you use older baking powder, it won’t be powerful enough to help leaven the donuts. You can test it by stirring half a teaspoon of baking soda into a cup of hot water. It will immediately start to fizz and release carbon dioxide gas if it’s still fresh enough to use.
- When measuring the flour, lightly spoon it into a measuring cup and then level it off with the back of a knife to get the right amount.
- You can spoon the batter into the donut pans, but the easiest way to get the batter in the pan is by using a pastry bag or Ziploc bag with the corner cut off.
- Just like with any cake type batter that you make, you’ll know the donuts are done when a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let the baked donuts cool completely before you dip them in the glaze.
- Leftovers will store well in at room temperature for 1-2 days in an air-tight container.
Other Donut Recipes
If you’ve tried these baked chocolate frosted donuts or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.
Baked Chocolate Frosted Donuts
Ingredients
Vanilla Donuts
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup greek yogurt
- 1 egg, beaten
- 3 tbsp milk
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate Glaze
- 6 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp whole milk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Vanilla Donuts
- Preheat oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Add greek yogurt, egg, milk, butter and vanilla extract and stir until just combined. (Over-stirring will make donut tough)
- Place batter in ziploc bag and squeeze out air. Cut corner of bag. Spray donut pan with non-stick spray. Pipe the batter evenly in the donut pan. It should make 6. Bake for 8-9 minutes or until stick comes clean. These are a sponge-like consistency so don't expect it to be really browned on top. Remove from oven and remove from pan and cool on a cooling rack.
Chocolate Glaze
- For the glaze, whisk the sugar and cocoa powder in a shallow bowl. Slowly stir in milk and vanilla extract to make smooth, pourable glaze. Dip each donut in the glaze and place back on cooling rack. Top with sprinkles if desired. Allow glaze to set for 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Even though they say non-stick, spray your donut pans with non-stick cooking spray to make sure the donuts come out.
- Use baking powder that is less than a year old since it has been opened. If you use older baking powder, it won’t be powerful enough to help leaven the donuts. You can test it by stirring half a teaspoon of baking soda into a cup of hot water. It will immediately start to fizz and release carbon dioxide gas if it’s still fresh enough to use.
- When measuring the flour, lightly spoon it into a measuring cup and then level it off with the back of a knife to get the right amount.
- You can spoon the batter into the donut pans, but the easiest way to get the batter in the pan is by using a pastry bag or Ziploc bag with the corner cut off.
- Just like with any cake type batter that you make, you’ll know the donuts are done when a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let the baked donuts cool completely before you dip them in the glaze.
- Leftovers will store well in at room temperature for 1-2 days in an air-tight container.
Vivian says
Hi Ryan,
Can we substitute sour cream for greek yogurt in this recipe?
Ryan says
Yes sour cream works just as well!
Sylvia says
Hi Ryan,
I've been wanting to try this recipe forever because it looks so delicious! I was just wondering, because of all the other donut recipes I've tried, they all had a very strong vanilla extract flavor in the glaze. Does this recipe have a strong vanilla extract flavor, too? Thanks 🙂
Ryan says
No the vanilla is meant to just enhance the chocolate flavor in the glaze. However you can omit it if you are worried about it being too strong.
Ava says
Can we make this recipe without a donut pan?
Ryan says
I've never made without a donut pan but you could use a muffin pan. I don't think it would work on a baking sheet unfortunately as the batter would spread out too much.
Ava says
Hmm, because we don't have a donut pan at our house and I really want to make it today (it looks so delicious!), so what would be the best choice in this situation? Also, if we use a muffin pan, how would we do it?
Ryan says
I would just use the muffin pan and it would be more of a donut ball instead of with a hole. If you want a hole, you could try to fashion some type of cylinder and put in the middle of each. I would just fill about 1/3-1/2 of the way full when baking. The time might vary though... Sorry I can't be more help. If you try it and it works, let me know!
Ava says
Thie recipe was terrific! I used a muffin pan instead of a donut pan, and it turned out AMAZING! 🙂 Also, the glaze was delicious.
Ryan says
Awesome. Glad it worked out!
Charlotte says
Hi Ryan,
I was really disappointed with the frosting in this recipe. I followed the instructions precisely and exactly, but after adding the milk the frosting did not come together. There was still a lot of cocoa powder everywhere, so I added a lot more tbsps of milk. Finally, it became a smooth mixture. However, it did not have a thick consistency anymore because of the very much milk I added to it. It became as thin as water. So when I frosted the donuts, I could still see the donuts super clearly beneath the layer of frosting. I was very disappointed considering how excited I was a week ago when I found this recipe and decided to try it. The donuts were way too sweet. Will not be trying this one again. My family was disappointed, also. Wasted a lot of ingredients for nothing. We threw out the whole batch. Could you give me a clue as to why it turned out this way? I see so many positive ratings and reviews for this recipe.
Thank you for your time,
Charlotte
Ryan says
Sorry to hear that Charlotte. I've never had a problem with the frosting. The only thing I can think of is whisking the ingredients does take some time. I know for a minute or so it will look like the cocoa powder won't mix, but then it comes together. As far as the donut being sweet, it is a sweet donut.
Charlotte says
Hi Ryan,
Okay, I will give this recipe another try tomorrow. I will take your advice and whisk for a longer time period and wait for the cocoa powder to come in.
Thank you for your help,
Charlotte
Charlotte says
Hi Ryan,
This recipe is amazing. The donuts had the perfect chocolate flavor, and although the donuts were too sweet, my family enjoyed them very much. When I made the frosting this time however, I had to whisk for 10 minutes straight for the cocoa powder to mix in. Thank you so much for this recipe.
Charlotte
Ryan says
Glad it worked out better. I'm adding to my notes on the whisking time so it is more clear.