Powdered sugar donuts are soft, moist and fluffy, lightly spiced baked donuts coated in powdered sugar. These cake-style powdered donuts are quick and easy to make using two bowls, a whisk and a donut pan. If you can make muffins, you can make these cozy powder sugar donuts.
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Why Should You Make This Recipe
I absolutely love baked donuts. A few of my favorites from the blog are my Maple Donuts, Cinnamon Sugar Donuts, Chocolate Donuts, and Pumpkin Donuts. I am so excited to add these incredibly delicious and easy to make baked powdered sugar donuts to the mix! I know you’ll love these powdered cake donuts because:
- It has the perfect soft, moist and fluffy texture. These spiced vanilla cake-style donuts bake up wonderfully soft and fluffy which pairs beautifully with the sweet and delightfully messy powdered sugar coating.
- Easy to make with simple ingredients. Powdered donuts are made using the same simple ingredients used to make muffins. This recipe for powder sugar donuts is made using two bowls, a whisk and a donut pan.
Ingredients
This baked donut recipe requires only a handful of ingredients to make and you probably already have them in your house! Here’s what you’ll need to make these quick and easy powdered cake donuts.
- Dry Ingredients: Gather all purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, ground cinnamon or nutmeg and salt.
- Wet Ingredients: Gather a neutral baking oil, eggs, vanilla extract, milk and powdered sugar.
Substitutions
These powdered sugar donuts are made to be quick and easy. Here are my recommended substitutions to make this powdered donut recipe in case you need to swap an ingredient or two.
- All purpose flour: This recipe hasn’t been tested with an alternative flour. However, if you want to make this recipe gluten free, use a good 1-1 flour and measure by weight (240 g) rather than cups.
- Baking Powder: This acts as a leavening agent in these light and fluffy muffin donuts.
- Ground Cinnamon or Nutmeg: Feel free to add a teaspoon of any ground spice you like. These powdered sugar donuts taste even more lovely and complex with ground spices.
- Salt: Every sweet treat needs a pinch of salt to enhance the overall flavors of the baked good.
- Granulated Sugar: Make these powdered doughnuts refined sugar free by swapping the granulated sugar with maple sugar.
- Eggs: This recipe hasn’t been tested without eggs.
- Milk: Any type of milk will work well in these cake donuts.
- Oil: Any neutral baking oil such as olive oil, vegetable oil, avocado oil or canola oil will work well. If you prefer using butter, melt and slightly cool 6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter.
- Vanilla Extract: This adds a lovely background flavor that pairs really well with your chosen ground spice.
- Powdered Sugar: True to the name, I like to coat these fluffy donuts in powdered sugar. If you need a lower sugar powdered sugar, I recommend Swerve or Lakanto.
Variation
Mini Powdered Sugar Donuts: Aka, powdered sugar donut holes. Prepare the powder sugar donut recipe according to the recipe directions. Grease a 24 ct. mini muffin pan or doughnut hole pan. Use a tablespoon sized cookie scoop to scoop the batter into the prepared pan about ¾ full. Bake the donut holes in a 350 F (177 C) oven for about 12 -14 minutes. While the donut holes are still warm, toss a 2-3 into a ziplock bag filled with powdered sugar. Shake until the mini muffin donut holes are coated in powdered sugar. Transfer to a plate or cooling rack and repeat with the remaining donut holes.
How To Make
Learn how to make powdered sugar donuts in a few easy steps!
- Preheat the oven to 350 (177 C). Grease 1 - 2 6 ct. donut pans and set aside. To make donut holes, grease a mini muffin pan. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, ground cinnamon or nutmeg and salt together until well combined.
- In another large bowl, whisk the eggs until lightly beaten. Whisk in the oil, vanilla extract and milk until smooth and fully combine. Mix the dry ingredients to the wet. Whisk well until mostly smooth and combined.
- Carefully transfer the donut batter into a piping bag or ziplock bag. Pipe the donut batter into each of the prepared donut cavities in the donut pan. This should fill about ¾ of each cavity of the donut pan. Bake the donuts for about 10 -12 minutes. The donuts are finished baking when the tops bounce back quickly when lightly pressed. Cool the donuts in the pan for 5 minutes before gently taking them out of the pan and transferring them onto a cooling rack.
4. Pour the powdered sugar into a clean ziplock bag. While the donuts are still warm, toss one at a time into the powdered sugar until well coated. Transfer the powdered sugar donut back onto the cooling rack.
How To Store, Freeze and Thaw
- Store: These powdered cake donuts taste the best when enjoyed the same day they are made. To enjoy them beyond the day they are made, store them in an airtight container lined with paper towels on the bottom. Store them at room temperature for up to 2 days. Keep in mind that the powdered sugar will “melt” into the donut after a few hours.
- Freeze: Wrap each cooled cake donut in plastic wrap. Place the uncoated donuts in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. I recommend coating the donuts in powdered sugar after freezing and thawing.
- Thaw: To thaw these homemade muffin donuts, set them out at room temperature for a few hours. Once the donuts are fully defrosted, coat them in powdered sugar. If the powdered sugar isn’t sticking, brush the tops of the donut with melted butter and toss into the sugar.
M’s Expert Tips
- Bring cold ingredients to room temperature: This allows the ingredients to mix together more evenly.
- Measure the flour properly: Use a food scale to get perfectly measured dry ingredients every time.
- Don’t overmix the donut batter: Always use the lowest speed on your electric mixer or mix in the dry ingredients by hand. Make sure to mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.
- Use a piping bag or ziplock bag to pipe the batter into the pan. Transfer the cake donut batter into a ziplock bag with the tip cut off for the easiest way to fill the donut pan. The batter is thin enough that ransferring the batter into a measuring cup and pouring into the greased muffin pan also works to easily fill the donut pan.
- Cool the donuts in the pan for no longer than 5 - 10 minutes.
- Toss into the powdered sugar while the donuts are still warm. The powdered sugar should easily coat the donuts. If not, lightly brush the donuts with melted butter and coat in the powdered sugar.
FAQs
Try mixing 1 teaspoon cornstarch for every ¼ cup of powdered sugar. For this powdered sugar donut recipe, this would be 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon or 4 teaspoons cornstarch.
The powdered sugar that is used on powdered sugar donuts found in donut shops or at the grocery store are specially formulated using dextrose to prevent the powdered sugar from melting into the donut.
Yes! If you don’t have a donut pan and still want to make this donuts recipe, use a mini muffin pan and make donut holes instead! Fill each cavity of a 24 ct. Mini muffin pan ¾ full. Bake at 350 F (177 C) for 12 - 14 minutes or until the tops of the donut holes bounce back when gently pressed.
Other Donut Recipes to Try
If you try this Powdered Sugar Donuts recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking!
Powdered Sugar Donuts Recipe
Equipment
- 1 - 2 6 count donut pan
- 1 whisk
- 2 ziplock bags
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon or nutmeg
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ⅓ cup (79 ml) neutral baking oil (like canola or vegetable)
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup (158 ml) milk, room temperature
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 (177 C). Grease 1 - 2 6 ct. donut pans and set aside. To make donut holes, grease a mini muffin pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, ground cinnamon or nutmeg and salt together until well combined.2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour, ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon or nutmeg
- In another large bowl, whisk the eggs until lightly beaten. Whisk in the oil, vanilla extract and milk until smooth and fully combine. Mix the dry ingredients to the wet. Whisk well until mostly smooth and just combined.2 large eggs, room temperature, ⅓ cup (79 ml) neutral baking oil, 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract, ⅔ cup (158 ml) milk, room temperature
- Carefully transfer the donut batter into a piping bag or ziplock bag. Pipe the donut batter into each of the prepared donut cavities in the donut pan. This should fill about ¾ of each cavity of the donut pan.
- Bake the donuts for about 10 -12 minutes. The donuts are finished baking when the tops bounce back quickly when lightly pressed. Cool the donuts in the pan for 5 minutes before gently taking them out of the pan and transferring them onto a cooling rack.
- Pour the powdered sugar into a clean ziplock bag. While the donuts are still warm, toss one at a time into the powdered sugar until well coated. Transfer the powdered sugar donut back onto the cooling rack. Repeat until all the donuts are coated in the powdered sugar and enjoy!1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
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