Breakfast / Donuts, danish & sticky buns
Old-Fashioned Cake Donuts with Vanilla Glaze
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Dough chilled ahead means the morning is only frying and glazing. About four minutes in the oil, nutmeg in the air, and a second dunk in the glaze while they're still warm, because the second coat is the one that crackles.
The short version
Whisk a soft buttermilk dough, chill it at least 2 hours, roll it ½ inch thick, cut rings, and fry at 365°F for about 4 minutes total. Dip in vanilla glaze while warm. Active time is under an hour.
What makes ours better
the tricks Nonna pretends she never taught me
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Use buttermilk and a little baking soda. Buttermilk adds a gentle tang that keeps a sweet donut from tasting flat, and the baking soda reacts with it for extra lift and deeper browning.
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Add an extra yolk and a pinch of nutmeg. The yolk makes the crumb richer and more tender. Nutmeg is what gives an old-fashioned donut its bakery smell.
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Chill the dough before rolling. The dough is very soft. Two hours in the fridge makes it firm enough to roll and cut cleanly, and it fries up with a better texture than warm dough.
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Glaze them while warm, twice. A warm donut grabs the glaze and sets a thin, shiny shell. A second dip once the first has set gives you the thick, snappy coating a donut shop does.
What you need
the cast, in order of appearance
- All-purpose flour2 cups
- Ground cinnamon½ teaspoon
- Freshly grated nutmeg½ teaspoon
- Egg1 large
- Granulated sugar½ cup
- Buttermilk½ cup
- Unsalted butter3 tablespoons
- Vanilla extract1 teaspoon
Donuts
Glaze
yes, all of the butter
Steps
deep breath. you’ve got this.
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Whisk the dry ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg until evenly mixed.
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Mix the wet ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk the egg, yolk and sugar for about 1 minute, until thick and pale. Whisk in the buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla.
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Make a soft dough
Add the flour mixture and stir with a spatula just until it comes together. The dough will be soft and sticky, more like thick batter. Scrape it onto a piece of plastic wrap, pat it into a disc about 1 inch thick, wrap it, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.
Don't add flour to fix the stickiness. Chilling firms it up, and extra flour makes tough donuts.
About 120 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Roll and cut
Flour a work surface and the dough lightly. Roll it to ½ inch thick, flouring the top as needed. Cut rings with a floured 3-inch cutter and a 1-inch center cutter. Move the rings to a floured sheet of parchment. Press the scraps together once, roll, and cut again. Fry the leftover bits as holes.
Use flour sparingly and brush the extra off before frying. Burnt flour clouds the oil.
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Heat the oil
Pour the oil into a Dutch oven to a depth of about 3 inches and heat it to 365°F. Line a sheet pan with paper towels, and set a wire rack over another sheet pan for glazing.
Keep a thermometer in the pot and adjust the burner between batches. The oil drops when donuts go in.
About 10 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Fry the donuts
Lower 2 or 3 donuts into the oil with a spatula. Fry about 2 minutes per side, flipping once, until deep golden brown with a pale ring around the middle and craggy cracks on top. Fry the holes last, for about 1 minute per side.
Cut into the first donut to check the middle. If it's doughy, fry the rest 30 seconds longer.
About 4 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Drain and glaze
Move the donuts to the towel-lined pan for 30 seconds. While they cook, whisk the glaze ingredients until smooth and thick but pourable, adding milk a teaspoon at a time. Dip each warm donut top-side down, lift, let the drips fall, and set it on the rack. Dip a second time after the first coat sets, if you like.
Good to know
read this before somebody asks for seconds
- For a classic cinnamon-sugar version, skip the glaze and toss the warm donuts in ½ cup sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
- Use fresh oil with a high smoke point, such as canola, peanut or vegetable. Strained and cooled, it can be reused once or twice for more frying.
- No buttermilk? Stir 1½ teaspoons lemon juice into ½ cup of whole milk, wait 5 minutes, and use it. For a richer dough, use ½ cup sour cream thinned with 1 tablespoon milk.
- Flour your cutter between cuts. A sticky cutter pinches the dough and the donuts won't rise evenly.
- Storage. Best the day they are made, in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day. Unglazed, cooled donuts freeze 1 month; thaw and glaze. The raw dough keeps in the fridge up to 24 hours.
Questions, answered
the questions my cousins text me
Why are my cake donuts greasy?
The oil was too cool. Below 350°F the dough sits in the pot and soaks up fat. Use a thermometer, fry only 2 or 3 at a time, and let the oil recover between batches.
Why are my donuts dense or heavy?
Usually too much flour or too much stirring. Spoon and level the flour, mix just until combined, and keep the rolling flour light. Chilling the dough also helps.
Can I bake these instead of frying?
A fried donut and a baked one are different things. The fried version has a crisp shell and the craggy crack, while a baked one is more like a muffin. For a baked version, see cinnamon sugar baked donuts.
Do I have to chill the dough?
Yes, for at least 2 hours. The dough is too soft to roll or cut when warm, and it fries up better when cold. You can hold it in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
How do I know when a donut is done?
It's deep golden brown on both sides, with a lighter ring around the middle, and a toothpick comes out clean. Cut the first one open and adjust the time for the rest.
Can I use a different shape?
Yes. Cut rounds with no center, or squares with a knife, and fry them the same way. They may need an extra 30 seconds because they are thicker in the middle.
From the table
Made it? Tell me everything. Especially if somebody said it was better than their mother’s. I’ll keep your secret.
Made it?
be honest. I can take it. probably.
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Published October 29, 2026.