Easy Baked Donuts with Cake Mix and Homemade Glaze
Looking for an easy recipe for baked donuts with cake mix? These fluffy cake mix donuts are simple to make, easy to customize, and topped with chocolate glaze. Includes a video.
Who wants donuts?
Okay, that’s probably a silly question because I’ve never met a person who turns down a donut. The real question is this: who wants donuts without dragging out a deep fryer, heating up a gallon of oil, and wondering if they’re about to make a giant mess of their kitchen?
That’s where these baked donuts with cake mix come in.
I love a good shortcut, especially when it delivers results that taste like you worked a lot harder than you actually did. And that’s exactly what’s happening here.
Instead of measuring flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and everything else that goes into traditional cake donuts, we’re starting with a box of cake mix and letting it do most of the work for us.
Now, if you’ve searched for cake mix donuts before, you’ve probably seen recipes that use pumpkin, applesauce, bananas, yogurt, or another mix-in instead of following the directions on the box. Those recipes definitely have their fans, but I wanted something that tasted more like classic cake donuts.
By using the dry cake mix along with the eggs, vegetable oil, and liquid that help create the batter, these donuts bake up light, fluffy, and wonderfully cakey. They’re still a shortcut recipe, but they have a texture that’s much closer to what you expect when you bite into a donut.
And honestly? This is a great recipe becuase the flavor options are endless.
Start with a yellow cake mix and top the donuts with a rich chocolate glaze. Grab a chocolate cake mix if you’re a serious chocolate lover. Want something fun for spring? A strawberry cake mix with colorful decoration is adorable. I’ve even seen people use gluten free cake mixes with great results.
The best part is that every box gives you a completely different flavor experience without changing the process. Once you’ve made your first batch, you’ll immediately start looking around your pantry wondering what other combinations you can try.
I also love that these cake mix donuts are one of those recipes that kids can actually help make. The batter comes together quickly, there’s no dough to knead, nothing to proof, and decorating is half the fun. Hand a child some rainbow sprinkles and suddenly you’ve got an enthusiastic assistant.
Of course, we need to talk about the glaze.
A good donut glaze can take an average donut and turn it into something that disappears from the cooling rack suspiciously fast. The chocolate glaze in this recipe is rich, simple, and just sweet enough. It complements the donuts without overpowering them, and it gives them that classic bakery look we all love.
If you’re feeling creative, don’t stop there. Add a mix-in like mini chocolate chips to the batter. Try your favorite toppings. Swap the chocolate glaze for a vanilla version. Add extra rainbow sprinkles for birthdays. The possibilities are endless.
Cake Donuts vs. Yeast Donuts
It’s worth mentioning that these are cake donuts, not yeast donuts.
If you’re expecting a Krispy Kreme-style donut, that’s not what you’re getting here. Yeast donuts rely on dough that rises before cooking, which creates that airy, stretchy texture.
Cake donuts are different. They’re softer, more tender, and a little more substantial. Think somewhere between a donut and a piece of cake. That’s exactly why so many people love them.
These baked donuts with cake mix have that classic cake donut texture while being dramatically easier to make than recipes from scratch.
A Few Helpful Tips
A donut pan makes the process much easier and gives you that perfect donut ring shape. I use a Wilton donut pan, but any standard donut pan will work.
Don’t have one? You can still make these in a muffin pan with a simple foil trick, though the finished shape won’t be quite the same.
When filling the pan, a piping bag works best, but a plastic bag with the corner snipped off does the job beautifully too.
And don’t overbake them. The goal is soft, fluffy cake donuts, not hockey pucks.
Storing Leftovers
If you somehow end up with leftovers, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for a couple of days.
For longer storage, place them in the refrigerator. They keep in the fridge for about four days. I actually prefer letting them sit at room temperature for a few minutes before eating because the texture softens up nicely.
Of course, around my house, storing them isn’t usually a problem. They tend to disappear long before that becomes necessary.
Ready to make your own cake mix donuts? Grab your favorite cake mix and get the printable recipe below!
Baked Cake Mix Donuts
Equipment
- Piping bag or Ziploc bag
Ingredients
Batter
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 1 egg(s)
- 1/4 cup oil
- 1 cup water
Glaze
- 2 T butter melted
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 T milk
- 1/2 tsp water
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Video
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Mix wet ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the cake mix and stir until just combined.
- Spray non-stick cooking spray on the donut pan Take a Ziploc bag, fill it up with the batter and cut off a corner. Fill up each donut mold about halfway.
- Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until golden brown (check with a toothpick).
- Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 2-3 minutes.
- Remove the donuts from the pan with a spatula and place on a wire rack for about 5-10 minutes. While you wait for them to cool, make your glaze.
- Melt the butter in a medium bowl. Mix the remaining ingredients for the glaze with the melted butter. Dip the donuts into the mixture, and return them to the cooling rack. You can also use a spoon to drizzle the glaze over the top.
- Add some sprinkles to the top to finish.
Notes
Nutrition
Did you enjoy these? Let me know in the comments! I’d also love for you to check out these other posts:
Apple Peach Crisp • Applesauce Cake • Baked Apple Cider Donuts • Banana Pudding • Honey Cupcakes • Instant Pot Bread Pudding • Jiffy Cake Mix Recipes • Make a Mug Cake • Mini Cheesecakes • Tea Biscuit Cookies • Unique Cookie Recipes • Vanilla Cookies • Yellow Cake with Strawberries
I use 2 cups applesauce in place of the egg, oil and water.
verygood recipes and so easy to make,
Did cake mixed to your recipe. Baked 10 min at 350 . Cooled they are crumbling and dry. Waiting to see if gaze helps. What did l do wrong?
Hi Kate! I’m not sure. The butter and oil are enough to make them not crumbling and dry, like regular cake. Wondering if the cake mix matters. I recommend checking out what they recommend for oil. The box mix should be around 16.25 ounces. Is that what kind you are using?
@Amy, you stated in your reply to Kate that the butter and oil should have kept the donut from being dry and crumbly but the recipe does not list butter. Only oil is listed. Am I misunderstanding something? Is it just oil or butter and oil? I am excited to try this recipe so just want to make sure the ingredients are correct.
@Amy, mine was crumbly also and would not come out of pan it did not state on recipe to oil pan so I didn’t.
Can I use pound cake mix to make donuts?
I’d give it a try if you don’t want to make the pound cake! I imagine it would be very thick but . . . why not? I can’t guarantee anything but it might be a fun experiment. 😮
I was doing a writing piece and this really helped me with how to make donuts thank you.