Easy baked chocolate cake donuts with a rich chocolate glaze (and sprinkles!)
I’m never ready for Monday.
Even though it arrives at precisely the same time each week, and even though I try to prepare myself by laying out my clothes in advance, setting 5 alarms (really, I have a problem), and having my lunch ready to go, when Monday morning finally ascends from the midnight hour clutching at me like a swamp monster I hit the ground not running, but instead groggy and stumbling. And desperately grasping for caffeine.
Sometimes, though, I require a bit more than a cup of caffeine to get me through the start of the workweek.
While a donut may not exactly be the best, nutritionist-advised way to start your day, I feel this is a perfectly acceptable and even desirable way to start your Monday.
Baked, so as to be more healthy than the Dunkin’ variety and covered in dark chocolate (antioxidants, right?), on a Monday morning these donuts are precisely what the doctor ordered.
Cover them in sprinkles (bonus points if you use homemade sprinkles) and suddenly Monday doesn’t seem so intimidating after all, in fact it’s beginning to seem downright rosy.
These chocolate donuts are rich and lack nothing in terms of chocolate. Made with a generous scoop of cocoa powder and crowded with semisweet chocolate chips, the glaze is almost chocolate overkill (if there could be such a thing).
The glaze is incredibly simple to make, only two ingredients. It’s dark chocolate and was a bit too dark for Zach’s taste, but as a dark chocolate afficionado myself I had no complaints. However, if you’re looking for something a bit sweeter you may use milk chocolate instead.
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Baked Chocolate Donuts with Chocolate Glaze
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup milk
- 2 tsp vinegar or lemon juice
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ¾ cups sugar
- ½ cups cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 6 Tbsp butter melted and cooled
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips optional
Chocolate Frosting
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- Sprinkles for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly spray donut pans with nonstick spray and set aside.
- In measuring cup, measure out ⅔ cups milk. Stir in vinegar or lemon juice and set aside. Allow to sit for at least 5 minutes while you prepare the dry mixture.
- In medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
- In separate large bowl, stir together your milk and vinegar/lemon juice mixture, egg, vanilla extract, and melted butter.
- Add the dry mixture to the wet and stir briefly. Add mini chocolate chips and continue to stir until mixture is just combined (do NOT over-mix or your donuts will be dense)
- Spoon or pipe (using a large ziplock bag with a hole snipped in a corner) into donut pan.
- Bake on 350F for 10-11 minutes.
- Allow to cool before glazing.
Glaze
- In small saucepan over low heat, combine chocolate chips and heavy cream.
- Stir constantly until chocolate is completely melted.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- Dip donuts in glaze (or spread on top of donuts with knife) and cover with sprinkles, if desired.
- Allow glaze to set for 15 minutes and serve.
- Donuts taste best when eaten the same day.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Cheryl
These were quite good. I noticed one of your donut recipes you add corn starch but not in others including this one. Reason? Also I was surprised that when you updated the recipe in 2020 you didn’t add weights. Weights for ingredients is so handy!
Sam
Hi Cheryl! It really just depends on the recipe as to whether or not I need to add the cornstarch. Some need it and some don’t. As for the weights, I am sorry, I do plan on getting around to fixing this on all of my recipes. I agree that weights are so much easier. 🙂
Tracy
I told my niece that I was making your Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies this weekend and she specifically requested these donuts which I made for her a few weeks ago. My grandfather also gobbled one of these donuts up as soon as I dropped a few off to him and my grandmother. Thank you for putting together recipes that the entire family can enjoy!
Sugar Spun Run
You are very welcome, Tracy! I am so happy to hear how much everyone has enjoyed them. I hope the cookies are a hit too! Happy Baking! 🙂
Aleena
Yayy
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed them, Aleena! 🙂
Rebekah
I haven’t baked these yet, but I’m about to, and they look delicious! I can’t wait! One of my favorite hobbies is to bake, and I’ve always wanted to make homemade doughnuts, but I don’t have a fryer(I guess that’s what it’s called). I finally get to make doughnuts now! 😄
Sam
I hope you love the donuts, Rebekah! 🙂
Medha @ Whisk & Shout
Delicious! I’m all about chocolate and chocolate and I love how literally everything in here is made from scratch 🙂
Marsha | Marsha's Baking Addiction
These doughnuts look perfect decorated with your homemade sprinkles!