Bursting with a tangy lemon flavour and filled with plump blueberries - these blueberry cake donuts are the ultimate breakfast treat. Perfect for the donut lover! Whip them up and watch them disappear!
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Why this recipe works
- Healthier Option: By baking instead of frying, you significantly reduce the fat content without sacrificing flavour.
- Cost-Effective: Making a batch at home costs a fraction of what you'd spend at a bakery or coffee shop.
- Convenience: Enjoy fresh donuts anytime without leaving your house – perfect for lazy weekend mornings or unexpected guests.
- Customisable: Adjust ingredients to suit dietary needs or preferences, something you can't do with store-bought versions.
Ingredients
The secret to irresistible blueberry cake donuts lies in the quality and combination of ingredients:
- Cake Flour: Using cake flour for these donuts keeps them light and airy. If you don't have cake flour, use plain or all-purpose flour. Make sure you sift it through - this is an essential step.
- Sugar: I prefer to use caster or superfine sugar in baking. However, you can opt for regular, granulated or light brown sugar.
- Butter: As in most baking recipes, I've used unsalted melted butter for this recipe. However, regular salted butter will work if you're in a pinch.
- Eggs: The eggs weigh 60 grams each and are medium-sized. Please make sure they are at room temperature.
- Buttermilk: This is the secret ingredient! It helps produce moist, tender donuts. If you can't source buttermilk, substitute it with sour cream or even Greek yogurt (unflavoured). You could also make your own by combining milk with either lemon juice or vinegar.
- Frozen Blueberries: Opt for frozen over fresh for better distribution and to prevent bleeding into the batter.
- Baking Powder: this acts as our leavening agent and will help the donuts rise.
- Lemon: I've added zest to the recipe to complement the blueberries.
Vanilla glaze
- Powdered sugar (icing sugar): I've opted for pure powdered sugar, which makes the glorious glaze that perfectly complements the donuts!
- Milk (not pictured): I'm using regular milk, but any milk will work with this recipe.
- Vanilla Extract (not pictured): a splash of this ingredient gives our glaze added sweetness and aroma.
How to make blueberry cake donuts
- Step 1: Preheat the oven to 220°C / 425°F. Spray or grease the donut pan. In a large bowl, combine the sifted cake flour, sugar, baking powder and lemon zest and whisk together to combine.
- Step 2: In a separate bowl or jug, whisk the melted butter, eggs and buttermilk.
- Step 3: Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry, careful not to overmix. Fold in the frozen blueberries.
- Step 4: Pipe or spoon the donut batter into the donut pans, filling each cavity about ⅔ full. Bake for 5-7 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Glazing Your Donuts:
- Step 5: Whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Step 6: Dip the cooled donuts into the glaze, allowing the excess to drip off. Place glazed donuts on a wire rack to set before serving.
Hint: For an extra touch, sprinkle some crushed freeze-dried blueberries on top of the glaze before it sets!
Variations and Adaptations
While classic blueberry is delicious, don't be afraid to experiment with these creative variations:
- Fresh is best: If you prefer, you can use fresh blueberries. Coat them in flour and shake off any excess. (This will prevent them from sinking to the bottom.)
- Berry Bonanza: Substitute raspberries, blackberries, or a mixed berry blend for the blueberries.
- Chocolate Chip Surprise: Mix mini chocolate chips with the blueberries for a decadent treat.
- Gluten-Free Option: Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend instead of regular flour.
- Vegan Version: Substitute plant-based milk and a flax egg for a vegan-friendly donut.
Scaling Tip: This recipe can be easily halved or doubled. You can even adapt it to make a blueberry bundt cake by adjusting the baking time!
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Equipment
Donut Pan Magic: Invest in good quality non-stick donut pans for easy release and perfect shapes. I use this one (Amazon Affiliate link)
Storage and Shelf Life
While these baked donuts are best enjoyed fresh, proper storage can help maintain their quality:
- Room Temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
- Refrigerator: Keep fresh for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
- Freezer: Freeze unglazed donuts for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature and glaze before serving.
Freshness Tip: To revive day-old donuts, warm them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds before serving.
Pro Tips for Blueberry Cake Donut Success
- Blueberry Best Practices: Use frozen blueberries straight from the freezer to prevent colour bleeding into the batter.
- Filling Finesse: Use a piping or zip-top bag with the corner snipped off for neat, even filling of the donut cavities.
- Don't Overfill: Fill cavities only ⅔ full to allow room for rising. If you accidentally overfill, use a small spoon to remove excess batter before baking.
- Mixing Matters: Mix the batter just until combined. Overmixing can lead to tough, dense donuts.
- Glaze When Cool: Allow donuts to cool completely before glazing to prevent the glaze from melting off.
FAQ
Cake donuts are often baked in a specialised donut pan that has been designed to look like a donut. They use baking powder and are baked instead of yeasted donuts which are usually fried.
There may be too much liquid in your icing. The secret to a good glaze is to add the liquid (usually milk) to the powdered sugar a little at a time.
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Blueberry Cake Donuts
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Equipment
Conversions
Ingredients
- 230 grams cake flour, sifted, can use all-purpose flour
- 150 grams sugar, caster or superfine sugar
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 150 grams blueberries
- 1 lemon, zest only
Wet Ingredients:
- 170 ml buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 30 grams butter, melted
For the Vanilla Glaze:
- 130 grams powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 220°C / 425°F. Spray or grease the donut pan. In a medium bowl, combine the sifted cake flour, sugar, baking powder and lemon zest and stir to combine.
- In a separate bowl or jug, whisk the melted butter, eggs and buttermilk.
- Combine the flour mixture with the wet ingredients and the blueberries and stir until just combined. And make sure there are no visible lumps of flour.
- Place a piping bag over a tall glass and spoon the donut batter into the bag.
- Carefully pipe the batter into the pre-oiled pan. Fill the moulds until just under full. Do not fill to the top as they will rise quite a lot. Bake for 5-7 minutes until golden brown, and then let them cool on a wire rack.
- Combine the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla and mix until you form a glaze.
- To ice, the donuts, dip into the glaze and allow the glaze to set before serving.
Peter's Tips →
- Invest in good quality non-stick donut pans for easy release and perfect shapes.
- Use frozen blueberries straight from the freezer to prevent colour bleeding into the batter.
- Use a piping or zip-top bag with the corner snipped off for neat, even filling of the donut cavities.
- Fill cavities only ⅔ full to allow room for rising. If you accidentally overfill, use a small spoon to remove excess batter before baking.
- Mix the batter just until combined. Over-mixing can lead to tough, dense donuts.
- Allow donuts to cool completely before glazing to prevent the glaze from melting off.
- Room Temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
- Refrigerator: Keep fresh for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
- Freezer: Freeze unglazed donuts for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature and glaze before serving.
Nutrition
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Souvlaki For the Soul
This post was first published in July 2011 but was updated with fresh content in February 2025.
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