If you’re craving donuts but want a lighter version that still hits the spot, these Vanilla Cake Donuts are where it’s at. Baked instead of fried, these fluffy, tender donuts have that classic vanilla flavor with a subtle sweetness that makes them ideal for a quick breakfast, afternoon snack, or dessert.
Once these cake donuts are out of the oven, you can enjoy them plain, dip them in a glaze (shown above), or sprinkle them with powdered sugar. They’re versatile, delicious, and the perfect excuse to bake a little something special.
If you are a faithful reader, you already know that my Mom's Buttermilk Donuts are my absolute fave. But I save those for special occasions and enjoy these vanilla cake donuts for a lower fat alternative.
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Why You'll Love Vanilla Cake Donuts
- Baked, Not Fried: A healthier take on donuts, minus the mess and oil splatters.
- Simple Ingredients: Made with pantry staples, so no need for a special grocery run.
- Soft and Fluffy Texture: Thanks to the buttermilk and lemon juice combo, these donuts have an airy, cake-like crumb.
- Customizable Flavors: Start with a vanilla base and get creative with glazes, toppings, or add-ins.
Ingredients
This recipe is so simple, you probably already have the basic pantry ingredients needed to make these baked donuts!
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Buttermilk
- Light brown sugar
- Large eggs
- Unsalted butter
- Vanilla extract
See recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities.
How to Make Vanilla Cake Donuts
Follow these simple steps below for the best baked donuts!
- Step 1: Mix all wet ingredients in a large bowl until combined.
- Step 2: Add dry ingredients and stir to form batter.
- Step 3: Coat donut pan well with cooking oil and place batter in a pastry bag.
- Step 4: Pipe donut dough into prepared baking pan. Bake for 13 minutes, until donut springs back when lightly touched.
- Step 5: cool baked donuts in pan for 10 minutes.
- Step 6: Remove donuts from pan and cool completely on wire rack.
- Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray donut pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, using a hand whisk, mix flour, baking soda and salt together.
- In a small bowl, whisk buttermilk, sugar, egg, melted butter and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Add milk mixture to flour mixture and stir until smooth.
- Place batter in a piping bag and cut about an inch of tip of the bag off. Pipe batter into donut indents (about ⅔ full) and smooth tops.
- Bake for 13 minutes or until donuts spring back when lightly pressed.
- Cool donuts in pan on rack for 3 minutes then turn out onto rack to cool.
Hint: Frost these vanilla cake donuts with chocolate buttercream or cream cheese frosting.
Substitutions
You want to make these donuts but don't have a few ingredients? Below are some substitutions that can be used for a successful recipe.
- Buttermilk Substitute: Don’t have buttermilk on hand? Place 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar in a cup measure and then fill with milk up to the half cup mark. Let sit for 5 minutes before using.
- Brown Sugar: You can swap brown sugar for regular granulated sugar if that’s what you have.
- Butter: If you need to go dairy-free, use a plant-based butter or even melted coconut oil instead.
Variations
Below are some different ways to make subtle changes to these vanilla cake donuts you may want to try.
- Chocolate Lovers: Add 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder to the batter for a chocolate cake donut.
- Maple Glazed: Top with a simple glaze made of powdered sugar and maple syrup for a rich, fall-inspired finish.
- Kid friendly - Stir in a handful of colorful sprinkles for a funfetti-style donut.
See this chocolate mocha version of this recipe on my website!
Equipment
- Large bowl
- Hand whisk
- Rubber scraper
- Piping bag
- Donut baking pan
Hint: I love to use this oil sprayer (affiliate link) to coat the donut pans instead of cooking spray!
Storage
Store vanilla cake donuts in an air tight container at room temperature up to 4 days. For longer storage, place in freezer safe container up to 3 months.
Top tip
- Grease the Pan: Even if you’re using a non-stick pan, lightly grease it to ensure the donuts come out smoothly.
- Fill the Pan Correctly: Fill each donut mold about ⅔ full. Overfilling can lead to misshapen donuts.
- Cool Before Glazing: Let them cool completely if you plan to add a glaze; otherwise, it’ll melt right off.
More Baked Donut Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
When you make this vanilla cake donut recipe, please comment below and let me know what you think. I'd love it if you tag me on Instagram @grumpyshoneybunch or #grumpyshoneybunch so I can see your photos!
If you love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating
📖 Recipe
Vanilla Cake Donuts
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Ingredients
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ cup buttermilk you can use buttermilk instead
- ⅓ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray donut pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, using a hand whisk, mix flour, baking soda and salt together.
- In a small bowl, whisk buttermilk, sugar, egg, melted butter and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Add milk mixture to flour mixture and stir until smooth.
- Place batter in a piping bag and cut about an inch of tip of the bag off. Pipe batter into donut indents (about ⅔ full) and smooth tops.
- Bake for 13 minutes or until donuts spring back when lightly pressed.
- Cool donuts in pan on rack for 3 minutes then turn out onto rack to cool.
Life Tastes Good says
I sure wish I had some of these!! I am definitely making these soon! Thanks for this great looking recipe! I'm drooling here!! haha
honeyb says
your welcome Marion!
ggnana says
Ok, I see it has been some time since you had any ? re: these donuts. But, just made a batch today and I'm needing some help....The batter was very thick, is that ok? How many donuts did you get out of 1 batch? I know I overfilled and they turned out looking very funny. Also, did not frost and wonder how you powder sugar them?
Any tips will be appreciated. Bobbi
Shelby says
ggnana, it has been a while since I've made these and I don't remember just how thick the batter was - however I do remember that was the first time I used a piping bag to make the baked donuts and I have used one ever since when baking them. I will have to make this particular recipe again just to see how thick my batter came out. I'm not sure how many donuts I got either..If you don't want to frost and just want to sugar coat, its best to do so as soon as the donuts come out of the oven so the sugars will stick (the heat helps adhere the sugar). After I have made these again I will update here and put in how thick batter was and how many I got!
Peggy says
these look absolutely beautiful!
cookies and cups says
These look soo awesome! Perfect!
I'm definitely gonna have to do these now!!
Katy ~ says
Isn't it Susie who has a recipe for maple syrup replacement that she LOVES?
I've wanted to try baked donuts for some time but I keep hearing people say they don't care for 'em as much as the deep fried. I tried deep fried a little while back and what a terrible disaster. Will definitely try baked!!!
Lori says
I am not a big donut fan but these- they look very enticing.
Gera @ SweetsFoodsBlog says
Definitively a donut that I need to bake soon….as you said healthy and delicious too 🙂
Cheers,
Gera
CookiePie says
ooooh - those look scrumptious!!!!
Trendsetters says
very nice..bookmarking the recipe