Baked Chocolate Cake Doughnuts

Doughnuts. Donuts. No matter how you spell it, there is something decadently delicious about sitting down to a doughnut with your morning cup of coffee. These homemade baked chocolate cake doughnuts couldn’t be easier to make, and they would be the perfect treat to make for your valentines this week. Or, package up a half dozen or so to send along to the neighbors, friends or teachers in your life. They’ll be so happy you did!

This baked chocolate doughnut recipe is a modification of a recipe from King Arthur Flour. I made a few changes to the original recipe, including replacing the light brown sugar with dark (I love the richness added to baked goods with the increased amount of molasses in the dark brown sugar), decreasing the amount of chocolate chips called for in the batter (I felt it didn’t need quite so many), and adding a touch of cinnamon to change the flavor profile a bit (to me, cinnamon and chocolate flavors marry beautifully together). If you aren’t a fan of cinnamon in chocolate baked goods, feel free to omit it from the recipe.

Baked Chocolate Cake Doughnuts

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Serves	12
Prep time	20 minutes
Cook time	14 minutes
Total time	34 minutes
Meal type	Breakfast

These baked chocolate cake doughnuts make a decadent breakfast treat, but they are equally delicious as a dessert served a la mode with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Ingredients

• 2/3 cups cocoa powder
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 2 Large eggs
• 3/4 cups milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1/2 cup butter (melted and cooled slightly)

Directions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350. Spray the wells of a standard doughnut pan with non-stick spray.

Step 2

In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk together the cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking power, baking soda, salt, chocolate chips and cinnamon (if using). In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla and vinegar.

Step 3

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring just until combined. Gently stir in the melted butter. (Do not overmix; the batter doesn't need to be totally smooth, just well-combined.)

Step 4

Place batter into a gallon-sized zip-top bag, and snip off a small portion of one of the bottom corners of the bag. Carefully pipe the batter into each cavity of the prepared pan, filling each cavity until it is just full.

Step 5

Bake doughnuts or 12-14 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted into the center of one comes out clean. Immediately turn the doughnuts out onto a cooling rack, and allow to cool for 10 minutes or so before sprinkling with a generous amount of powdered sugar.

Helpful Doughnut-Making Tips and Tricks

In order to make a batch of these doughnuts, you will need to purchase a pan specifically intended for this purpose. I purchased this Wilton doughnut pan at Jo-Ann with a 40% off coupon. If you can manage the expense, buying more than one pan eliminates the need to wash and re-grease the pan between batches, but I have managed just fine so far with having only one.

A time-saving technique you must try when making these doughnuts is to pour the prepared batter into a gallon-sized zip-top bag. Carefully snip off a small notch from one of the bottom corners of the bag, and then use the bag to pipe the batter into the prepared pan before spreading the top of the batter smooth with a small spatula. This is so much easier than trying to ladle the batter into the pan with a spoon! When the pans are filled, I have found that the doughnuts bake up best when each well in the pan is almost filled to the very top with batter.

My go-to place for baked doughnut recipes is always the King Arthur Flour website, which is where I found today’s recipe. I have prepared two of their doughnut recipes so far. These chocolate cake doughnuts…

…and their pumpkin doughnuts in the fall. It is honestly impossible to determine which was more delicious!

(Images via PositivelySplendid on Instagram. I would love for you to follow along!)

Doughnuts are the perfect treat for packaging and giving as gifts. A great way to do so is to make a stack of 4-6 doughnuts and then push a wooden skewer down through all of the layers to anchor the stack. Add a cute little tag to the top of the skewer, wrap everything up with a bit of cellophane, and you are all set! I am going to give doughnut gifts to each of my kids’ teachers for Valentine’s Day.

 Thanks for stopping by!

Linking this to Tatertots and Jello

Amy @ Positively Splendid

Having grown up in a home brimming with sewing notions and paintbrushes, Amy has a deep love for all things creative. On any given day, you’ll find her knee-deep in her latest creative endeavor, with projects ranging from sewing and crafts to home decor and kid-friendly ideas. Amy believes that everyone, regardless of skill level or experience, possesses the ability to create something beautiful, and Positively Splendid was born of her passion for helping others harness their innate creative potential.