Baked Sour Cream Donuts

Baked Sour Cream Donuts are easy to make and so much less fuss than the fried kind.  I love donuts, but I’ve been really intimidated to make them. 

I know I really didn’t want to use yeast in my donuts, and the thought of all of that hot oil and deep-frying makes me nervous!

Then I found a recipe for baked cake donuts and I experimented at home. Not only are these donuts less of a hassle to make, but they are just as delicious as the fried version!

After you bake the donuts they are dipped in a sweet vanilla glaze.  The glaze is simply made of powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla.  You can omit the glaze if you’d prefer to just make sour cream plain donuts.

These baked sour cream donuts are great for breakfast, coffee breaks, and lunchbox treats.  Once you try them out and see just how simple they really are, you’ll be making them all the time!

What You’ll Need to Make Baked Sour Cream Donuts

• Donut Pan or a muffin pan rigged up to make donuts (I’ll explain how to do this in a minute!)
• Piping bag or a plastic storage bag with the corner cut off for piping the batter into your pan
• Sour Cream – I prefer to use full-fat in this recipe
• Egg – large size
• Vanilla extract
• Vegetable oil – any mild-flavored oil will do
• Sugar – granulated
• Flour – all-purpose flour works best in this recipe
• Baking Soda
• Nutmeg – if you have some, but it isn’t essential
• Salt
• For the glaze:
  • Milk
  • Powdered Sugar
  • Vanilla extract

The Easiest Way To Make Baked Sour Cream Donuts

Preheat your oven and grease your pan.  I like to use non-stick cooking spray.  You can also use regular oil or butter.

Whisk together all of the sour cream, egg, vanilla, oil, and sugar in a medium-sized bowl.

Stir in the dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon until everything is well combined.

Using a small spoon or a piping bag, fill the donut pan or muffin pan with your batter and bake for 12 – 16 minutes.  You’ll want your donuts to spring back when you touch them with your finger.  You should also notice that the sides are starting to turn brown.

While your donuts cool, you can combine all of the ingredients for the glaze.  Once your donuts have cooled enough to handle, dunk them into the vanilla glaze bath.  

These donuts come together in a snap, but people will think you spent hours in the kitchen!

Tips for Making Baked Sour Cream Donuts

Check your donuts a minute or two before the end of the baking time.  You want to avoid drying your donuts out too much.  Look for a couple of moist crumbs sticking to a toothpick inserted in the center of a donut.

Make sure your donuts have cooled a bit before dipping them into the glaze.  Otherwise, the glaze will just slide off a too hot ring!

Place a piece of waxed paper under your baking rack to catch any drips from the glaze.  This will make cleanup a breeze!

I don’t have a donut pan. Can I still make donuts?

Yes, you can!  I discovered this really neat hack when I was starting to bake donuts at home. 

I don’t have a donut pan and I’m not really interested in investing in one because I just don’t have the space to store one more thing. 

I researched some alternatives and came up with the best option:

• Convert a regular muffin pan into a donut pan with the help of a little bit of tin foil!

Cut pieces of foil that are approximately 4” x 4”.  Fold and roll the foil so you have an oblong shape with a flat base.  Place the tinfoil in the middle of every muffin tin hole and pipe the batter around the tinfoil.  The tinfoil will easily pull out of the donut once it’s baked.

What’s the difference between a cake donut and a yeast donut?

Cake donuts, like the ones in this recipe, use baking soda as its leavening agent.  These types of donuts will have a similar texture to…you guessed it…cake!

Yeast donuts, on the other hand, use yeast as their leavening agent.  The texture of these types of donuts is airier and has a bit of chew to it. A chocolate dip donut or a Boston cream donut are examples of yeast donuts.

How do I store donuts?

Store donuts in an airtight sealed plastic bag in the fridge for 3 – 4 days.  You can also freeze the donuts in freezer bags for up to 2 months.

Enjoy these baked sour cream donuts today and share your photos in the comments.

How To Make Baked Sour Cream Donuts – Step By Step

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray donut pan or muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.  If you’re using a muffin pan, take small sheets of foil and wrap them around your finger to create a ‘hole’ in each cup.

Step 1: Whisk together the sour cream, egg, vanilla, oil, and sugar in a medium-sized bowl.

Step 2: Add flour, soda, salt, and allspice, and stir together until just combined and all traces of flour are gone.

Step 3: Fill your donut pan or muffin pan with the batter and bake for 12-16 minutes or until the tops spring back when you poke them with a finger. The sides of the donuts will be brown.

Step 4: Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.

Step 5: Prepare the glaze for the donuts and, once the donuts are cooled, dip them into the glaze.

In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar & milk together. Add the vanilla. The glaze will be thin so you can easily dip the donuts to glaze them. 

Once the donuts have cooled, dip your donuts into the glaze, covering all sides. 

Step 6: Place the glazed donuts on a cooling rack with some parchment paper underneath to catch any drips of glaze.

Step 7: Serve and enjoy!

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