Baked Lemon Cake Donuts
“Donuts here!! Come get your fresh lemon donuuuuts Raaaalph!!!” What movie is that line from? If you know, then you are really strange and a bit off…like me! We’ll just leave it at that. I won’t tell if you won’t.
Well folks it’s happened again!! Remember that lemon kick that I get on every year? It’s started up again!! I’ve made several pitchers of fresh lemonade, lemon ricotta cookies, lemon oatmeal (that was so gross, what was I thinking!?), and now these BAKED LEMON CAKE DONUTS!!! Just look at them….don’t they make you feel all happy and sunny and stuff?
You guys have been asking me for a lemon cake for the longest so hopefully, these will suffice until I can get my sister’s lemon cake recipe. FYI: I’ve asked her for the recipe several times and she says “she needs to perfect it first”. Humph! Tasted just fine to me! I wonder if that’s her way of telling me “kick rocks lil girl!” ( I hope she’s reading this)
Oh well, these baked lemon donuts are amazing!!! I’m talking rainbows, unicorns and lollipops amazing!! Sweet, tart and packed with fresh happy sunny lemon flavor. They are also crazy easy to make and a 1-bowl recipe!! I felt all Martha Stewartish after I baked up these lemon cake donuts, piled them up on a pretty white plate and went off to fold laundry all before 11 pm.
They bake up super fluffy and have the texture of a cupcake, but only in donut form. If you prefer a tighter, denser crumb follow the NOTES in the recipe box. Cutting back on the sugar and using oil instead of butter totally changes up the crumb texture. I prefer them light and fluffy though!
Bake up a dozen of these lemon cake donuts and give them to somebody special to brighten up their day! P.S You totally count as somebody special. (hint hint)
Watch me make these Baked Lemon Cake Donuts from start to finish!
Get the Recipe: Baked Lemon Donuts
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 cup white granulated sugar
- zest of 2-3 large lemons
- 1 egg, beaten
- 4 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
- few drops of yellow food coloring, optional
- LEMON GLAZE
- 2 cups confectioners sugar
- 1/4 cup hot milk
- 1 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Generously grease donut pan set aside.
- In a large bowl whisk together baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and lemon zest.
- Make a well in the center of the bowl.
- Add egg, butter, sour cream, and milk to the center of the well.
- Stir only wet ingredients together.
- Once wet ingredients are combined, add in the dry ingredients and stir until combined.
- Fold in vanilla extract and food coloring.
- Add batter to a piping bag.
- Pipe batter into the doughnut pan, filling about 2/3 full.
- Bake for 8 minutes or until donuts springs back when touched.
- Let cool in pan for 2 minutes.
- Remove donuts to a cooling rack to finish cooling completely.
- Prepare lemon glaze by combine all lemon glaze ingredients.
- Drizzle glaze over completely cooled donuts and let sit until glaze has hardened.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Wreck it Ralph the movie with doughnut line
Amazing donuts!
They only rose flat to the level of the donut tray. After 8 minutes they were still way undercooked. At 350 temp needs at least 11 minutes. Tasted fine but not impressed.
What Brand of all purposes flour do you use for your donut? i love your show too!
OMG these were dang delicious and everything that was promised it would be…easy to make and AH-MAZING! The third time baking donuts, I adapted this recipe to make coconut donuts, using coconut extract (adjusted the measurement as coconut extract is strong) instead of the other flavorings, then lightly sprinkling unsweetened coconut flakes atop the still wet glaze. Magically, these donuts disappear almost instantly no matter what flavor it is. That’s it, this is the recipe that kicked every other baked donut recipe out the kitchen.