Baked Red Velvet Donuts
No more need for frying, these easy baked red velvet donuts are quick to make, and perfect to satisfy any sweet-tooth! Made with buttermilk and sour-cream for that extra red-velvety zip, these baked red velvet donuts are glazed with a classic cream cheese frosting. Perfect for this time of year!
Red Velvet vs. Chocolate Cake: The Great Debate
I consistently hear that red velvet cake is the same as chocolate cake, but red. While chocolate cake and red velvet share some basic ingredients, they are in fact quite different. Mainly, red velvet contains a significantly less amount of cocoa, and also has the addition of vinegar! This vinegar, along with the buttermilk or sour cream (or both in this recipe!) provides a tangy flavor, but also helps with the texture. The extra acid interacts further with the baking soda in the recipe, resulting in more leavening, and a springier fluffier cake. Furthermore the acid softens the flour by interacting with the starch chains as well, leading to finer crumb in the cake as well.
Baked Red Velvet Donuts
Now that we have gotten that out of the way, I present to you Red Velvet Donuts! Now why donuts? Well why not! Everybody loves a good red velvet cupcake this time of year, so for an interesting take on red velvet cake, why not make them into donuts!
There are a few things that had to change for a red velvet cake to work as donuts, namely a tad more flour for more structure, as well I added in sour cream too! The sour cream adds an unmatched moistness to the donuts, without having to drown them in a tub of oil, but due to its thick texture it also adds more structure to the batter than oil would. As well, the sour cream also further boosts that distinctive tangy characteristic of red velvet!
Place into a Piping Bag for Uniform Donuts
Personally I like to place the batter into a piping bag, and pipe the batter into the donut pans. I find that I get the best control over the size of the donuts, ensuring that they are all unison in size, and bake evenly. However feel free to spoon the batter into the pans as well. The consistency of the batter works perfectly for both!
Thick or Thin Glaze
For the glaze, the thickness and sweetness is your choice. If you prefer a glaze that is not overly sweet and that is thin, just slightly coating the donut, just add more heavy cream to the glaze. If you like a thicker, sweeter glaze, then simply add less heavy cream, but ensure that the glaze is still thin enough to dip the donut in.
Get the Recipe: Baked Red Velvet Donuts
Ingredients
Baked Red Velvet Donuts
- 1 1/4 cups Flour
- 3/4 cup Sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp Cocoa Powder
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 cup Full-Fat Sour Cream
- 1/4 cup Buttermilk
- 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
- 1 Egg
- 1 tbsp Red Liquid Food Coloring
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 1/2 tsp White Vinegar
Cream Cheese Glaze
- 1/4 cup Cream Cheese
- 2-6 tbsp Heavy Cream
- 1 cup Confectioner’s Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla
Instructions
Baked Red Velvet Donuts
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare 2 donut pans (12 donuts total) by spraying them with cooking spray, or wiping down with oil.
- In a medium mixing bowl add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt, whisking well to combine. In a separate bowl, add all the remaining ingredients and beat well to combine. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and beat until just combined.
- Add batter to a piping bag and pipe into each donut cavity, until about half-filled. Or if using a spoon, simply spoon mixture carefully into each cavity.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes. Allow to completely cool before glazing.
Cream Cheese Glaze
- Add cream cheese, confectioners sugar to a bowl. While whisking, add 1 tbsp of heavy cream at a time, until desired consistency is achieved. Add vanilla, and mix to combine.
- Dip each donut into the glaze, and set aside for a few hours to slightly harden.
