Baked Chocolate Donuts With Glaze
Baked chocolate donuts are moist, fluffy, and super simple to make in under 30 minutes. They’re a double chocolate baked treat that rivals a fried donut any day!
Donut holes, donuts with holes, donuts with creamy centers, baked, fried, sprinkled, glazed or plain donuts. There is no one right way to eat a donut and there is definitely no wrong way to eat one either!
About these baked chocolate donuts
Baked chocolate donuts are an easy first step in learning how to make donuts right at home. It’s such a simple recipe and you don’t need a fancy deep fryer or a pot of oil. All you really need is a donut pan (and even that you can manage without in a pinch). You’ll notice that the texture is different than a fried donut, it’s much more cake-like which, if you think about it, is always a good thing! They’re similar to a chocolate pancake, and you know we love pancakes!
So, whether you’re a chocolate lover or just an equal opportunity donut lover, this double chocolate donut has a bit of everything. It’s soft, moist, fluffy, and dipped in a silk chocolatey glaze. No matter where you fall on the donut spectrum, these are sure to become your new favorite.
Homemade chocolate donuts are a welcome addition to any dessert tray; add some festive sprinkles for a birthday party. They’re kid-friendly and make a great after-school treat, but are just as good for breakfast with a cold glass of milk!
PS: All this chocolate talk making you crave more? Try hot chocolate pancakes, chocolate syrup, oreo pancakes, or chocolate chip pancakes!
What you need
For the donuts
- All-purpose flour – Needed to create structure for the entire donut.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder – Adds delicious chocolate flavor without making it overly sweet.
- Baking powder & baking soda – Activates the batter giving it a nice fluffy rise.
- Salt – Brings out the flavors of the other ingredients and balances out the sweetness.
- Large egg – You’ll need 1 for this recipe.
- Turbinado sugar – Raw sugar, still has a bit of molasses flavor, but lighter than brown sugar. Regular granulated white sugar can be substituted.
- Plain Greek yogurt – Adds moisture and richness to the donuts. Other types of plain yogurt may be substituted.
- Milk – Whichever kind you have on hand.
- Butter – Melted butter is added into the batter at the end.
For the Glaze
- Mini chocolate chips – Melt easily in the microwave into a smooth glaze.
- Heavy cream – Helps with making the glaze a bit thicker.
- Butter – Adds a smooth shine to the chocolate mixture.
- Rainbow sprinkles – An optional decoration.
How to make it
Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, with a hand mixer, mix egg, sugar, and Greek yogurt.
Add half of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients to combine without overmixing. Add melted butter and milk. Continue mixing, then add the remaining flour mixture just to combine.
Transfer batter to a piping bag (or Ziploc bag with the corner cut off) and pipe into the prepared donut pan.
Tip! Only fill the pan to about ⅔ full; otherwise, your donuts will overflow and spill over.
Bake in preheated oven. Cool donuts in the pan for 3 to 4 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
To make the glaze, add butter, cream, and vanilla extract to the melted chocolate. Mix to a smooth texture.
Dip cooled donut face down into the glaze and place on cooling rack to set.
Tip! Don’t wait too long to add the sprinkles. Once the glaze hardens, the sprinkles will no longer stick to the donuts.
FAQs
It definitely makes it easier, but there are ways to work around it if you don’t have one. The first way is to use a silicone baking sheet. They have donut-shaped rings right on them, you can just use them as a guide. They won’t resemble signature donuts exactly, but they’ll still taste great! Another way is to use a muffin tin. Roll up some tin foil into a ball and place it in the center of each cup. Pipe the donut batter around the foil ball. Donut pans are relatively inexpensive, so if you can grab one, it’s nice to have.
The answer depends on what kind of donut you’re making! Baked donuts are just as moist and delicious as a fried donut, but even still, if you really want to make fried donuts, all you need is a big pan and just a few inches of oil.
There are definitely no rules. Fried donuts often contain yeast which gives it a nice rise. Baked donuts don’t usually contain yeast, but rely on baking soda and baking powder to give it that lovely cake-like consistency.
Stick a toothpick in the center of the donut. If it comes out clean, it’s ready!
How to make these donuts your own
- Gluten-Free: Swap the flour with a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour.
- Frosted Donuts: If you like a thicker frosting, skip the melted chocolate chips and use your favorite chocolate frosting instead.
- Sprinkles: You can match the colored sprinkles to any occasion!
Storage Suggestions
Not to worry, as quickly as these will be devoured, there will be nothing to store. They’re best on the first day and can be left out at room temperature, lightly covered.
More donut recipes
- Gingerbread donuts with a maple glaze
- Pop Tart Donuts
- Peppermint Donuts
- Baked Apple Cider Donuts
- Pumpkin Spice Donuts
Get the Recipe: Baked Chocolate Donuts with Glaze
Ingredients
For the donuts
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup turbinado sugar raw sugar
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ⅓ cup milk
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
For the glaze
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Rainbow sprinkles optional decoration
Instructions
For the donuts
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray a donut pan with nonstick cooking spray, or rub with oil. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, with a hand mixer, mix egg, sugar, and Greek yogurt.
- Add half of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix until ingredients are all combined. Don’t overmix.
- Add melted butter and milk. Mix well.
- Add the remaining flour mixture. Mix until all ingredients are incorporated, but do not overmix.
- Transfer batter to a piping bag (or Ziploc bag with the corner cut off) and pipe into the donut pan. Fill the pan about 2/3 full.
- Cook in preheated oven for 8 to 9 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle.
- Cool the donuts in the pan for 3-4 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.
For the glaze
- In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips in 30 second intervals, mixing well after each interval, about 1 minute and 30 seconds total.
- Once the chocolate is melted, add butter, cream, and vanilla extract.
- Mix well until you have a smooth texture. If you need to, put the mixture in the microwave for 10 seconds.
- Take a cooled donut and dip the top part in the glaze.
- Set back on the cooling rack.
- Sprinkle with sprinkles for decorations.
Notes
- Turbinado sugar can be substituted with white granulated sugar.
- Greek yogurt can be substituted with vanilla yogurt or regular yogurt.
- Using a pipping bag to fill the donut pan makes it easier, however not required. You can use a Ziploc bag, filled it up and cut the corner. Using a spoon work as well.