Bursting with a tangy lemon flavour and filled with fresh blueberries - these blueberry cake donuts are the ultimate breakfast treat. Perfect for the donut lover! Whip them up and watch them disappear!
CONTENTS
Why this recipe works
- It's light. The buttermilk in this recipe keeps the donuts moist and tender.
- It's easy. There is no frying, and because they're baked, a novice beginner could whip up these blueberry cake donuts in no time! The batter is prepared with simple ingredients you probably have in your kitchen. So, who needs a donut shop anyway? (See my strawberry glazed doughnuts for further inspiration).
- It's a great recipe. The classic flavour combination of blueberry and lemon is hard to beat. On top of that, we have soft, cake-like donuts with a simple glaze - tell me, what's better than that? In my eyes, it's the perfect donut!
What goes into this recipe
- Cake Flour - Using cake flour for these baked blueberry donuts keeps them light and airy. If you don't have any on hand, 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 all my baking. However, you can opt for regular, granulated sugar or light brown sugar.
- Butter - I've used unsalted butter for this recipe, as I do in most baking recipes. 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 with sour cream or even Greek yogurt (unflavoured). You could also make your own by combining milk with either lemon juice or vinegar.
- Blueberries - I'm opting for fresh blueberries, but you could use frozen blueberries. Make sure you drain them before using them.
- Baking Powder - this acts as our leavening agent and will help our blueberry cake donuts rise.
- Lemon - I've added zest to the recipe to complement the blueberries.
Recipe for vanilla glaze
- Powdered sugar (icing sugar) - I've opted for pure powdered sugar - this makes the glorious glaze that complements the donuts perfectly!
- Milk (not pictured) - I'm using regular milk, but any milk will work with this recipe.
- Vanilla Extract - a splash of this ingredient gives our glaze added sweetness and aroma.
How to make this recipe
Step 1: In a medium bowl, combine the sifted cake flour, sugar, baking powder and lemon zest and stir to combine.
Step 2: In a separate bowl or jug, whisk the melted butter, eggs and buttermilk.
Step 3: In a small bowl, mix one tablespoon of flour with the blueberries - make sure to coat the blueberries nicely.
Step 4: 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.
Step 5: Place a piping bag over a tall glass and spoon the donut batter into the bag.
Step 6: 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.
Step 7: Combine the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla and mix until you form a glaze.
Step 8: Ice the donuts and allow the glaze to set before serving.
Expert tips
- Use a proper cake donut pan. I use this one (affiliate link), and it works wonders. If you can't get hold of one, use a muffin tin instead and make blueberry muffins.
- Use a piping bag for best results, and make sure the tip is wide enough to let the blueberries come through.
- If you don't have a proper piping bag use a large Ziplock bag with the corner, cut off and use that instead. Alternatively, use a spoon to pipe the batter into the moulds.
- To ensure that the blueberries don't sink to the bottom, don't forget to coat them in a little four.
- Place the donut pan on a baking sheet when baking them - this will help keep the bottom of the oven clean if any batter spills.
- Let the donuts cool completely before icing. Once cooled, dip them in the glaze and leave to set.
- These blueberry cake donuts keep well for three days if stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
FAQ's
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 donuts made with yeast 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.
More donut recipes
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📋 Recipe
Blueberry Cake Donuts
Equipment
Ingredients
- 230 grams / (2 cups) cake flour, sifted, can use all-purpose flour
- 150 grams (¾ cup) sugar, caster or superfine sugar
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 150 grams (1 cup) blueberries
- 1 lemon, zest only
Wet Ingredients:
- 170 ml (¾ cup) buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 30 grams (2 tbsp) butter, melted
For the Vanilla Glaze:
- 130 grams (1 cup) 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.
- In a small bowl, mix one tablespoon of flour with the blueberries - make sure to coat the blueberries nicely.
- 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.
Notes
- Use a proper cake donut pan. If you can't get hold of one, use a muffin tin instead and make blueberry muffins.
- Use a piping bag for best results, and make sure the tip is wide enough to let the blueberries come through.
- If you don't have a proper piping bag use a large Ziplock bag with the corner, cut off and use that instead. Alternatively, use a spoon to pipe the batter into the moulds.
- To ensure that the blueberries don't sink to the bottom, don't forget to coat them in a little four.
- Place the donut pan on a baking sheet when baking them - this will help keep the bottom of the oven clean if any batter spills.
- Let the donuts cool completely before icing. Once cooled, dip them in the glaze and leave to set.
- These blueberry cake donuts keep well for three days if stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
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 and pictures in May 2022.
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