Can I fill the donut pan without a piping bag?

If you don't have a piping bag, use a spoon to fill the donut cavities in the pan, one small scoop at a time. It helps to use a second spoon (or butter knife) to gently push each scoop of batter off the first spoon, so that you have more control over where the batter lands. To ensure uniform baking, use a butter knife to smooth the tops of the donuts before placing them in the oven. (The photo below features our confetti baked donut batter !)

How full should my donut pan be?

These donuts rise quite a bit in the oven - you probably need less batter than you think! For best results, fill each cavity a little less than halfway.

How should I grease the donut pan?

The easiest way is to use a bit of cooking spray (we love our refillable Misto sprayer !) If you don't have cooking spray, use a pastry brush to lightly brush each donut cavity with a neutral oil (like canola, vegetable, avocado, or grapeseed oil):

Why are my donuts sticking to the pan?

The shape of the molds in a donut pan can make it a little tricky to get donuts out of the pan once they're baked. A nonstick pan that's in good condition and properly greased tends to pop the donuts out no problem - but when we tested this recipe with older or scratched pans, or when we skipped the cooking spray, the donuts could definitely stick a little more. We've found the easiest way to coax donuts out of the pan is to let them cool right in the pan for a few minutes (just until they're cool enough to handle). Then, use a butter knife or a small spatula to gently press each side of the donut away from the side of the cavity, and slowly lift each donut out of the pan (pictured below). This can take a bit of practice, but it gets easier the more you do it! It also helps to use a nonstick metal donut pan and grease it with a bit of oil or cooking spray before each use. The donuts will likely leave a thin layer of crumbs in the pan once they're removed, but they'll still hold their shape quite well. We did test this recipe with a greased and floured pan (as opposed to just a greased pan), but didn't find the flour made much of a difference in getting the donuts out of the pan.

Chocolate Baked Donuts

Description

These easy chocolate cake donuts are baked in a donut pan! Topped with a quick, fudgy chocolate icing.

Ingredients

Scale

For the donuts:

150 grams all purpose flour (approximately 1 ¼ cups)
65 grams cocoa powder (⅔ cup)
130 grams sugar (2/3 cup)
4 grams baking powder (1 teaspoon)
2 grams baking soda (1/2 teaspoon)
3 grams kosher salt (¾ teaspoon)
120 grams milk (1/2 cup)
70 grams plain Greek yogurt (1/4 cup)
1 egg
7 grams vanilla extract (1 ½ teaspoons)
45 grams unsalted butter (3 Tablespoons), melted

For the frosting:

100 grams powdered sugar (1 cup)
25 grams cocoa powder (1/4 cup)
Pinch of kosher salt
45 grams unsalted butter (3 Tablespoons), melted
2 grams vanilla extract (1/2 teaspoon)
60 grams hot water (¼ cup - you may not need it all!)
Rainbow sprinkles for topping the donuts (optional)

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Instructions

Make the donuts:

Heat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Spray a metal donut pan with cooking spray, or brush it with a thin layer of neutral oil.
Combine dry ingredients. Whisk flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt together in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
Mix wet ingredients. In a separate mixing bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together milk, Greek yogurt, egg, vanilla extract, and melted butter.
Mix the batter by slowly adding the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring until the batter is just combined. It should look and feel like thick cake batter!
Transfer batter to a pastry bag. Pipe the batter into your prepared donut pan, filling each cavity a little less than halfway (these donuts will rise quite a bit in the oven!) Note: Depending on the size of your pan, you will likely need to bake these donuts in batches.
Bake donuts at 350° F for 12-15 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove donuts from oven. Let them cool in the pan for 2-3 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling. Note: If your donuts are sticking, use a butter knife or small spatula to gently pry them out of the pan. This can take some practice!
Let donuts cool completely before making the chocolate glaze.

Make the frosting:

Whisk powdered sugar and cocoa powder together with a pinch of kosher salt in a medium mixing bowl.
Whisk melted butter and vanilla extract into powdered sugar mixture. The mixture will be clumpy - that's ok!
Add hot water a tiny bit at a time, whisking well between each addition, until you have a smooth, shiny glaze. You likely won't need all of the hot water!
Dip the top of each donut into the glaze and return donuts to the wire cooling rack (you may want to put a towel or plate under the wire rack to catch any drips of frosting). Top donuts with sprinkles while glaze is still wet (optional). Let the frosting set for an hour or so to firm up, then serve and enjoy.

Notes

Please use a kitchen scale! While we have provided approximate volume measurements, please note that measuring dry ingredients - especially flour - by volume (with cups) is notoriously unreliable. For best results, use a kitchen scale to measure by weight using the gram measurements provided above.

This chocolate frosting can take some practice. For best results, the glaze should be a pourable - but not watery - consistency when you dip the donuts. You want it to resemble chocolate syrup. If the glaze soaks into the donut or runs right off and leaves a too-thin layer, let it sit for 5-10 minutes, then stir and dip again. If the glaze thickens too quickly, add a splash of hot water or microwave it for a few seconds to loosen it back up. Learn more in our full article on chocolate glaze for donuts.