So I’m thinking that today is a good day for a donut … but like let’s be real, every day is a good day for a donut – amiright?
Okay, okay – I know the whole idea of making homemade donuts can sound a little daunting, but I promise, you got this.
These donuts have that trademark sour cream cake donut flavour; Their fragrant spice from the nutmeg and cinnamon is absolutely perfect, and by adding just a hint of lemon zest to the batter really balances out the richness of the donut.
Tender, fluffy donut insides, crisp golden exterior doused in maple brown butter glaze. Yup. I’m just gonna let that thought sit with you for a hot minute…
Even if you’re still feeling like donuts are a little bit out of your baking comfort zone, I guarantee that homemade donuts are worth the extra effort it takes to make them.
So let’s do it. Happy baking babes!
KPxoxo
Sour Cream Cake Donuts with Maple Brown Butter Glaze
Makes: 12 donuts + 20 donut holes
Things you need…
Sour Cream Cake Donuts
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
pinch of salt
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon zest
1 cup sour cream {full fat, none of this low fat rubbish}
Canola oil for frying
Maple Brown Butter Glaze
3 cups icing sugar
3 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp brown butter
3-4 tbsp milk
* This recipe adapted from Epicurious Sour Cream Donuts*
How to make…
Sour Cream Cake Donuts
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; make a well in the center and set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl using an electric mixer, cream together eggs, sugar, vanilla and lemon zest until pale and thick. Slowly add in melted butter and beat until combined. Add half of the sour cream in and beat to combine; add the remaining sour cream and beat until smooth and completely combined.
Pour wet ingredients into the well of the dry ingredients and use a spatula to gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined.
Spoon dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap, and wrap up tight. Refrigerate the donut dough for at least one hour or over night.
When you are ready to cook your donuts, heat a heavy bottomed pot of about 2 inches of oil over medium heat to 350 degrees, no hotter and no lower.
While your oil is heating up, lightly flour a cool work surface and turn your donut dough out. Dust the top with flour and roll your dough to about 1/2 inch thickness. Using a donut cutter {if you have one} cut out your 12 donuts and set the donut holes aside.
**Tip: To create the rustic look on the tops of your doughnuts, simply take a sharp knife and use the tip to slice a circle around the centre of the doughnut, just inserting halfway through the dough so as not to pierce all the way through the doughnut.
**Note: You will most likely have some scraps, I usually just cut these into more little donut holes rather than re-rolling them.
Once your oil is heated, gently place 2 -3 donuts at a time into the oil to cook. Once your donuts float nicely to the top, allow them to cook for about 1 more minute before flipping and frying for an additional one minute on the other side. You can always look to see the colour before flipping to check that your donuts are a nice light golden brown before flipping them.
Once cooked, use a slotted spoon and allow the donus to drip off any excess oil into the pot. Place the cooked donuts onto a wire rack with some paper towel underneath to cool and drip off anymore excess oil. They will be extremely hot, so please take care not to burn yourself.
Allow to cool for a few minutes before dipping in the glaze.
Maple Brown Butter Glaze
To brown your butter; place your butter into a sauce pan over medium heat to melt. Once melted, kick the heat up to medium high and cook until fragrant and golden brown. Remove from heat, and transfer to a mixing bowl.
Add in your icing sugar, vanilla, maple syrup and 2 tbsp of the milk. Whisk all ingredients together until smooth. If your glaze is too thick, add in your additional milk 1 tbsp at a time. You want the glaze to be a pour-able consistency but not too runny.
Once your donuts have cooled for a few minutes submerge 3/4 of the donut into the glaze, allow any excess to drip off back into the bowl, and return the glazed donuts to your wire rack.
Allow the donuts to sit for about 10 minutes so the glaze can set up a bit before serving…. if you can possibly wait that long that is 🙂
These donuts keep very well and are still delicious even 2-3 days after they have been cooked. So if you somehow find yourself saddled with some donut left overs {not likely} fear not, because they are just as amazing eaten the next day.
And voila – You are now capable of making homemade sour cream cake donuts! Hip, hip, hooray! I have said it before and I will say it again… with great power comes great responsibility…
I feel it is my duty to warn you that once you share these homemade donuts with people, you will probably find yourself being begged to make them ALL the time because let’s be real, there are few things in life that are better than a homemade glazed sour cream donut. Agreed? So share these donuts wisely lol!
Thanks for popping by everybody! Happy donut baking <3 <3
KP xoxo
Is the amount of baking powder correct it seems like a lot!
Hi Theresa! Yes this is the correct amount – seems like a lot I know, but I promise it works and there is no funny taste 🙂
Hello! This is my first visit to your blog! We are a
group of volunteers and starting a new project in a community in the same niche.
Your blog provided us valuable information to work on. You have done a extraordinary
job!
Hi there! So happy to hear that you enjoyed my posts 🙂 Thank you for the kind words <3 Best of luck in your new project! xoxo KP
is 350 degrees in fahrenheit or celsius??
Hi Lede! It is 350 degrees Fahrenheit 🙂
I own a donut shop called The Donut Hole in Reedsport Oregon. I want to try these on a larger scale. Do you know if the dough changes in any way if it is increased ie…. taste, flavor and size.
Hi Gary!
I can’t say with absolute certainty whether the dough changes on a larger scale. The largest I have ever done was triple the recipe and the consistency was the same when I did that. Hope that helps!
-KP
Beat donuts ever! ?????
Aw thanks lovely! I’m so happy you enjoyed them! <3 My fiance is hooked on these 😀
-KP
These look amazing! Cant wait to try them out!
Can’t wait to try these. What is icing sugar?
Hi Debbie!
Icing sugar is just super fine sugar – also called powdered sugar or confectioners sugar 🙂
Happy Baking!
KP
Just wondering how many one batch makes? They look so amazing and I would love to surprise my siblings with them!!! 🙂
Hi Anna!
I usually find that one batch will make about 12 doughnuts + a few scraps that I usually turn into doughnut holes 🙂
Happy Baking!
-KP
When you say to add the melted butter – how melted? liquid or just softened? thanks so much!!
Hi Tiffany!
For this recipe I use completely melted, so pourable liquid consistency 🙂
Happy Baking!
KP
Can these be baked instead of fried??
Hi Sue,
Thanks for your question! I have never tried baking this recipe in a donut pan – it’s more for frying. However if you want a nice base for a vanilla baked donut recipe you can check out my Lemon Raspberry Baked Donuts 🙂 Just search on my site.
KP xoxo
Hi there! I noticed the recipe included brown butter, I’ve never heard of it! Would the glaze still taste ok if I used regular butter? Is there another substitution? Thanks!
Hi Elizabeth,
Thanks so much for your question 🙂 Brown butter is made simply by cooking butter in a saucepan until golden brown. However if you didn’t want to add that, I would probably just omit it from the recipe and add a touch more water to thin the glaze. Hope this helps 🙂
KP xoxo
Hi! I want to make these for Easter Sunday breakfast. Yours are so beautiful, do you make small cuts on the tops to get that nice craggy appearance, or does that happen naturally when they rise while frying?
Hi Cammie,
Thanks so much for your question. Sometimes this happens naturally while frying – however to ensure you get that nice craggy appearance you mention, I would use a sharp knife to make a small circular cut around the center of the doughnut 🙂
KP
Hi KP,
You’re so nice to answer questions that wouldn’t need to be asked if people just read through the recipe’s directions.
These donuts sound delicious, and I aim to try making them.
Hi Karen!
You’re so sweet, and this made me giggle heheh! Happy Baking
KP
I substituted plain Greek yogurt for sour cream and they turned out great. Thanks
Yum! Great Idea Frances 🙂
KP
I’m late to the party, but can’t wait to make these! Any tips for how to cut them out if you don’t own a doughnut cutter?
Hi Geraldine!
Yes, you could just use the rim of a cup and free hand the inside cirlces or anything that is a circular rim 🙂
-KP
Mmm I would eat this for breakfast, lunch and dinner! And not only on Monday It might be my just-before-lunchtime-hunger speaking, but this looks so good!! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Just made these and they were DELICIOUS! My two-year old son loves helping me in the kitchen and he had a blast rolling out the dough, cutting the shapes, and glazing them (and himself!) I love sour cream donuts but in Louisiana where we live, no donut shops sell them! Thanks for this easy to follow recipe!!
Hey Courtney!
Yayyy! So happy to hear you and your son enjoyed making and eating the donuts!
Happy baking 🙂
-KP xx
These are wonderful!
How long would you suggest the dough could be kept in the refrigerator?
Hi Elizabeth,
I would say you could keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days 🙂
-KP xx
Excited to make these! One question though, I’m your photos they have different colored icing. Is that just different amounts of the icing? How did you get the more opaque vs light glaze look. Thanks!!
Hi there,
This is just the difference between adding more or less powdered sugar. If you want a thicker glaze, add more powdered sugar 🙂
-KP