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These Chocolate Donuts are soft baked donuts that can be topped with glaze, sprinkles, or cinnamon sugar! They’re rich with chocolate flavor and are the perfect breakfast, snack, or dessert!
Baked Chocolate Donut Recipe
Some mornings I wake up and really want donuts, but I don’t want to go get them. Don’t ever go to the store early in the morning to get donuts again– make them at home from scratch! These donuts are baked, so they have a texture more similar to a cake donut. They are truly delicious and they chocolate flavor stays delicious throughout every bite.
I’m giving you a choose your own adventure with how to top these doughnuts. I love a good chocolate glaze with sprinkles but sometimes I want a cinnamon sugar coating. I’m showing you how to make both in this recipe – you’re going to absolutely go donuts for these chocolate baked donuts!
Important Ingredients Needed
- Cocoa Powder: I recommend natural unsweetened cocoa powder (not dutch process) for this recipe because it leavens with baking soda, which can interfere with the acidity of dutch-process cocoa.
- Vegetable Oil: May substitute canola oil or liquid coconut oil.
- Milk and Powdered Sugar are needed for the chocolate ganache-like glaze. Corn syrup is also used, but it’s optional. It just makes the glaze dry harder and shinier.
- Cinnamon Sugar and Melted Butter are needed for the coated donuts.
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How to make Chocolate Frosted Donuts
- Whisk flour, cocoa, soda, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Set aside. Whisk the wet ingredients in a measuring cup. Whisk into dry ingredients.
- Transfer the batter to a large gallon size resealable bag or piping bag. This is the easiest way to get the batter into a donut pan.
- Bake until a toothpick just comes out clean. Let cool about 10 minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Glaze: whisk powdered sugar and cocoa, then whisk in milk and corn syrup slowly. Dip the cooled donuts upside down in the glaze and place them on a cookie sheet or flat surface, glaze side up. Sprinkle with sprinkles.
- Cinnamon sugar topping: Whisk sugar and cinnamon in medium bowl. Dip donuts in melted butter, then dredge in cinnamon sugar.
Expert Tips
- You can make these gluten-free by using GF 1:1 all-purpose flour
- The recipe makes about 9 donuts, so you’ll need 2 pans or you can let the pan cool before baking the rest.
- Store donuts in an airtight container. The cinnamon sugar donuts won’t last as long as the glazed ones.
- For a more traditional donut, try my donut hole recipe.
FAQs
Can you freeze these donuts?
You can! Freeze these donuts in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Baked Chocolate Donuts with Chocolate Glaze
These are the PERFECT Baked Chocolate Donuts! This recipe gives light and fluffy donuts two ways: chocolate glazed or cinnamon sugar churro!
Recipe Video
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Ingredients
For the Donuts:
- 1 cup (124g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (20g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup milk (see note)
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Chocolate Glaze (makes enough for the entire batch):
- 1 cup (113g) powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons (15g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) milk
- 1 teaspoon corn syrup
- Sprinkles optional
For the cinnamon sugar donuts (makes enough for the entire batch):
- 5 tablespoons (71g) unsalted butter , melted
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray donut pan(s) with nonstick cooking spray.
- Whisk flour, cocoa, soda, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Whisk the milk, egg, oil, and vanilla in a measuring cup. Whisk into dry ingredients.
- Transfer the batter to a large gallon size resealable bag. Cut off one tip and pipe into prepared donut pan(s).
- Bake for 7-8 minutes until a toothpick just comes out clean. Let cool in pans for about 10 minutes, then carefully remove and top with glaze or cinnamon sugar topping.
- Glaze: whisk powdered sugar and cocoa, then whisk in milk and corn syrup slowly. Dip the cooled donuts upside down in the glaze and place them on a cookie sheet or flat surface, glaze side up. Sprinkle with sprinkles. Let sit for about 20 minutes for the glaze to set.
- Cinnamon sugar topping: Whisk sugar and cinnamon in medium bowl. Dip donuts in melted butter, then dredge in cinnamon sugar. Once you’re done with all of them, give them a second dusting in the cinnamon sugar.
- Best eaten the day they’re made, but they’ll last up to 2 days in an airtight container.
Recipe Notes
- Recipe makes 8-9 donuts. If you only have one donut pan, fill and bake 6, let them cool 10 minutes, then remove them from the pan, respray the pan with nonstick cooking spray and fill with the rest of the batter. You can also make these as mini muffins. Baking time will be affected.
- You can use any kind of milk (regular, low or fat-free or nondairy)
- The corn syrup is optional but helps the glaze dry shiny and harder than without it.
- You can use dutch-process cocoa in the glaze, but it has not been tested in the donuts themselves (baking soda can affect the outcome when mixed with the acids in dutch process cocoa).
Recipe Nutrition
Serving: 1donut | Calories: 348kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 110mg | Potassium: 120mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 48g | Vitamin A: 253IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
I made this special for my 89 yr old father-in-law. I’m getting away from serving the family pre-made store bought food, snacks, and goodies. (Medical reasons for everyone). These were very moist. Dipping in the sugar with butter was out of this world! He was ecstatic about the “new” donuts. I, also, added an 1/8 tsp of nutmeg to the batter. Family trade secret for goodies. Thank you!
Hi Millie, thanks so much for sharing your experience with this donut recipe. I’m so glad your father-in-law enjoyed them!
I just recently got a donut pan and my kids are loving me making donuts once a week. Though I am sure they wish it was more than that. lol I am making these right now. Just came out of the oven. I halved the recipe to make half plain since my daughter dislikes chocolate. I added a little bit of cinnamon for her for added flavor. I have a feeling we’ll be making these again and again. 🙂
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