Baked Chocolate Donuts
Baked chocolate donuts have a cake-like texture and a smooth chocolate glaze. They are ready in under 30 minutes!
Dessert for breakfast is what I like to call these donuts. With a tender, cake-y texture and rich chocolate glaze, these donuts will surely satisfy your sweet tooth. Bake chocolate donuts are so easy to make in a donut tin, but the batter works in a muffin tin as well!
Why this recipe works: The donut has a small amount of espresso to increase the chocolate flavor making each bite even more delicious. The chocolate ganache glaze stays shiny and smooth after dipping each donut.
How to make chocolate donuts
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a donut tin and set aside.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients—flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder. Set aside.
- Combine the wet ingredients. Beat egg and sugar, then add milk, yogurt, melted butter and vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients. Transfer batter to prepared donut tin, filling each cavity three-quarters full.
- Bake donuts at 350 F for 8 to 10 minutes. Allow the donuts to cool in the pan for a couple minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the glaze. Place chocolate, heavy cream and butter in a bowl and microwave on 50% power level for 1 minute. Let the mixture sit for a couple minutes, then stir until smooth.
- Dip the top of each donut in the chocolate glaze and place back on the wire rack to set. Garnish with chocolate shavings and serve.
Helpful tips
Weigh your ingredients with a kitchen scale if you have one. If not, aerate your flour and spoon it into a measuring cup (don’t pack it in). Use room temperature ingredients for a smooth batter. I suggest good quality cocoa powder and chocolate chips for the best flavor. I prefer Ghirardelli.
For ease, transfer the batter to a piping bag and pipe the batter into the donut tin. When making the glaze, check that the microwave is on 50% power level so the chocolate does not burn. Allow the ingredients to sit after heated before stirring so the chocolate can melt. If the chocolate is not all the way melted, reheat for 30 more seconds on 50% power level.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! Double all the ingredients and this recipe will make 16 donuts.
Yes, the espresso powder may be omitted. However, it does enhance the chocolate flavor and is not noticeable in the taste of the donuts.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. A single layer works best so the glaze stays in tact.
Yes, the batter may be made in a mini muffin tin to make donut holes. Baking time will be about the same.
Related recipes
Baked donuts are so easy to make and turn out with the perfect cake-like texture. The most popular recipe is for these baked birthday birthday donuts. All the sprinkles make for an especially fun treat. If you prefer a little alcohol in your baked goods, try these Guinness chocolate donuts.
During the fall, I prefer seasonal flavors. Coat these apple cider donuts in cinnamon sugar or try baked pumpkin donuts loaded with pumpkin spice.
Treating yourself to a chocolate donut is almost like having dessert for breakfast! The donuts have the best cake texture and rich chocolate flavor thanks to the silky smooth glaze. Some sprinkles or chocolate shavings add an extra fun touch if you have them on hand!
Try these donuts for a birthday breakfast or when you just want a kick of chocolate in the morning. If you enjoyed this recipe, leave a review below and tag @ifyougiveablondeakitchen on social media.
Get the Recipe: Baked Chocolate Donuts
Ingredients
Baked Chocolate Donuts
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (25 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon espresso powder, optional
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) milk, room temperature
- ¼ cup (60 ml) plain, full-fat yogurt, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) unsalted butter, melted
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate Glaze
- ½ cup (85 g) good quality semisweet chocolate chips
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a donut tin with butter or nonstick spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg and sugar until well combined. Add the milk, yogurt, melted butter and vanilla extract. Mix until incorporated and smooth. Pour wet ingredients into bowl of dry ingredients and mix just until combined.
- Using a piping bag or a spoon, transfer the batter to the prepared donut tin, filling each cavity about three-quarters full. Bake donuts at 350 F for 8 to 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into one comes out with little to no crumbs. Allow the donuts to cool in the pan for a couple minutes before inverting them onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- For the glaze, place the chocolate, heavy cream and butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat on 50% power level for one minute. Let the mixture sit for a couple minutes, then stir until smooth. If not smooth, heat for another 30 seconds on 50% power level.
- Dip the top of each donut in the chocolate glaze and place back on the wire rack to set. Garnish with chocolate shavings if desired.
