Moist and fluffy chocolate donuts, in four different ways! Baked, not fried, they are glazed with thick chocolate glaze making them perfect for any chocolate craving.
If you've tried my carrot cake donut or banana donut recipes, you know I love baked donuts recipes. After years of working as a pastry chef, and many rounds of testing, I have perfected homemade chocolate donuts.
These chocolate donuts are moist, cake-like, and full of chocolate flavor. I even included four different flavor variations that are sure to fulfill any chocolate lover's dream!
If you love sweets for breakfast, you must try my most popular Snickerdoodle Coffee Cake, Cookies and Cream Cinnamon Rolls, Fruity Pebble Donuts, and Cinnamon Bun Muffins.
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why you'll love these chocolate donuts
- Chocolate glazed donuts: These donuts have a rich chocolate glaze and are topped with rainbow sprinkles, chocolate shavings, chocolate crumbs, and peanut butter!
- Easy: These are baked donuts, meaning no using hot oil or waiting for the dough to rise.
- Perfect for any occasion: Serve this variety of donuts for a sweet breakfast treat or brunch, along with my brioche french toast casserole!
ingredient notes & substitutions
Buttermilk: This type of milk helps create a very moist chocolate donut. I don't recommend making it yourself with vinegar as the taste and texture is not the same.
Cocoa powder: Unsweetened dark cocoa powder is best for the richest chocolate flavor. If you don't have any on hand, regular cocoa powder is fine.
Oil: Any flavorless oil will work, like canola, vegetable, or avocado oil.
Sour cream: You can substitute the sour cream with full-fat plain Greek yogurt!
Toppings: You will need peanut butter, rainbow sprinkles, and chocolate shavings for the tops of the donuts. You can substitute them with any of your favorites like coconut shavings, holiday sprinkles, your favorite nut butter, chopped candy bars, or whatever else your heart desires!
Find the full ingredient measurements and instructions in the recipe card below!
recipe instructions
Before you start, preheat the oven and lightly butter two nonstick donut pans.
Step 1: Make the chocolate crumb. In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and brown sugar until crumbs form. Keep in the freezer until ready to use (image 1 below).
Step 2: Whisk the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt (image 2 below).
Step 3: Whisk the wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, granulated sugar, egg, melted butter, sour cream, oil, and vanilla extract (image 3 below).
Step 4: Combine the wet and dry. Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet, mixing until JUST combined (image 4 above).
Step 5: Fill the donut pan. Use a piping bag (or ziplock bag with the corner cut) to fill the molds a little more than halfway (about â…” full) (image 5 below).
If you only have one (6-mold) donut pan, you will need to do two rounds in the oven. Bake the first tray of donuts then let them cool for 10 minutes. Then remove them from the pan, wash the pan, re-butter it, then fill it with the rest of the batter.
Step 6: Make the crumb donuts. Break up the chocolate crumb into smaller pieces. Evenly sprinkle them over three of the molds in the pan. Gently press the crumb into the batter with your hand (image 6 below).
Bake the donuts for 9 minutes, or until the tops bounce back when touched. Then allow the pan to cool on a wire cooling rack.
Step 7: Glaze the donuts. Once the donuts are completely cool, make the vanilla and chocolate glaze (image 7 above).
Grab your rainbow sprinkles, chocolate shavings, melted peanut butter (in a piping bag or ziplock bag with the corner cut), and chopped peanut butter cups.
decorating instructions
While these flavors are my favorite, feel free to switch up the toppings! You can also make just one flavor if one is really speaking to you! See the above photo for visual guidance on decorating.
For the chocolate crumb: Dunk the tops of the three crumb donuts into the vanilla glaze. Set aside on a wire rack to set.
For the peanut butter: Dunk the tops of three donuts into the chocolate glaze. Pipe a thin zigzag of the melted peanut butter across the top, then sprinkle with chopped peanut butter cups if desired.
For the triple chocolate: Dunk the tops of three donuts into the chocolate glaze. Sprinkle with chocolate shavings.
For the rainbow sprinkles: Dunk the tops of the last three donuts into the chocolate glaze. Sprinkle with rainbow sprinkles.
expert baking tips
- Use a kitchen scale. Baking with a scale is much more accurate than cup measurements. To convert this recipe, click the "metric" button next to the ingredients title on the recipe card. If you do not have a scale, use a spoon to fluff the flour first, then spoon it into your measuring cup.
- Use room temperature ingredients: Using room temperature ingredients creates a smooth, fully blended batter that will result in a uniform texture and even baking.
- No piping bag? No problem! You can also use a zip-lock bag. Fill it with the batter, then cut a small part of the corner.
storage & freezing
Since they are baked, they are best enjoyed on the same day! If you have some leftovers, store them loosely covered in a container for 1-2 days at room temperature.
If you would like to freeze them, I recommend freezing them without the glaze. The plain donuts can be stored in a freezer bag or airtight container (with parchment in between stacks) for up to one month.
recipe faqs
Yes! Even if your pan is brand new, the donut may stick to the side and make it difficult to remove.
Once the pan is cool enough to touch comfortably, gently tilt the pan at an angle and use an offset spatula, your finger, or a knife to gently pull each one out of the pan.
Yes! For example, if you only want to make chocolate sprinkle donuts, simply omit the ingredients and steps needed for the other three flavors.
If you want to make all chocolate crumb donuts, I have included the recipe in the recipe card below for making a full batch instead of just three.
If you don't have one, I highly recommend investing in one! You can find them anywhere like Amazon and are less than $20. However, if you don't have a donut pan you can also use a mini muffin pan.
There are two reasons why they could be dry. Overbaking the donuts or not properly measuring the flour can be the cause.
more breakfast ideas to try!
If you make this recipe, let me know how it went in the comments below, I'd love to hear from you! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!
Recipe 📖
Baked Chocolate Donuts (4 ways!)
Equipment
Ingredients
Chocolate Crumb
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon unsweetened dark cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
Donut Batter
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup buttermilk room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 4 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
- 2 tablespoon sour cream room temperature
- 2 tablespoon canola oil
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Vanilla Glaze
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate Glaze
- 1 ¾ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 3-4 tablespoon milk
- 2 tablespoon melted peanut butter
- 1 peanut butter cup chopped, optional
- 2 tablespoon rainbow sprinkles
- 2 tablespoon chocolate shavings or sprinkles
Instructions
- Lightly butter a donut pan and preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C.
- Make the chocolate crumb topping. Combine the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, light brown sugar, and melted butter in a small bowl until crumbly. Keep in the freezer until ready to use.2 tablespoon all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon unsweetened dark cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon light brown sugar, 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, ¼ cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder, ¾ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sugar, egg, melted butter, sour cream, oil, and vanilla until combined.¾ cup buttermilk, ½ cup granulated sugar, 1 large egg, 4 tablespoon unsalted butter, 2 tablespoon sour cream, 2 tablespoon canola oil, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and whisk until just combined.
- Fill a piping bag with the batter.
- Fill the greased donut pan about â…” full with the batter. If you only have one pan, you will need to bake two rounds in the oven. Once the first pan is done cooling, wash the pan, butter it, then fill it with the rest of the batter.
- Take the crumb and break it up some with your hands. Then evenly sprinkle it across the tops of three donuts. Gently press it into the batter with your hand.
- Bake the pan for 9 minutes in the preheated oven.
- Allow the pan to cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes, then gently remove them and allow them to continue cooling on the rack before glazing (about 10-15 minutes longer). Continue baking the rest of the batter if needed.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. The glaze should be thin. Dunk the tops of the crumb topped donut into the glaze, then set it back on the rack to set.½ cup powdered sugar, ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon milk
- In another bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, and milk. The glaze should be thick, and fall off your whisk slowly but smoothly. Dunk the other 9 donuts in the chocolate glaze.1 ¾ cup powdered sugar, ¼ cup cocoa powder, 3-4 tablespoon milk
- For the peanut butter: Pipe or drizzle the melted peanut butter in stripes over the top. Sprinkle with chopped peanut butter cups if desired.2 tablespoon melted peanut butter, 1 peanut butter cup
- For the rainbow sprinkles: Sprinkle the tops with rainbow sprinkles.2 tablespoon rainbow sprinkles
- For the triple chocolate: Sprinkle a line of chocolate shavings across the top.2 tablespoon chocolate shavings or sprinkles
Notes
- â…“ cup all-purpose flour, 42 g
- 2 tablespoon cocoa powder, 10 g
- ¼ cup granulated sugar, 50 g
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar, 15 g
- 3 tablespoon butter, melted, 42 g
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- Use a kitchen scale. Baking with a scale is much more accurate than cup measurements. To convert this recipe, click the "metric" button next to the ingredients title on the recipe card. If you do not have a scale, use a spoon to fluff the flour first, then spoon it into your measuring cup.
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- Use room temperature ingredients: Using room temperature ingredients creates a smooth, fully blended batter that will result in a uniform texture and even baking.
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Nutrition
The calorie information provided for the recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.
Sarah C. says
These were so yummy and fun to make! The crumb was my favorite. Like the others, I recommend making all four and experimenting with toppings!
Cambrea Gordon says
Yay! Thanks SO much Sarah! 🙂
Stephanie M. says
Make all four. It's not hard and they are TO DIE FOR. Seriously I would die for that crumb topped donut.
Cambrea Gordon says
That's amazing!! Thanks Stephanie!
Barb says
These were delicious! Perfectly soft and moist. Wasn't sure about adding the cereal to it but it gave it a great flavor.
Michelle says
Everyone loved these mini donuts. I was most curious about the cinnamon toast crunch addition and it ended up being so good! You could really taste the cereal, and the donut was really soft and moist. We made a half batch and I really wish we would have made the full one because they're almost gone!