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Hello and welcome to a cheerful little segment I like to call “cake for breakfast.” If you read my previous donut post, you know I have a soft spot for donuts. These bake into donut shapes but taste remarkably like chocolate cupcakes—think the best of both cake and donut worlds combined. Rejoice.
On top of these fluffy, cupcake-like breakfast treats is a sticky, homemade strawberry buttercream. It’s like a strawberry shake reimagined as frosting—fruity, creamy, and without the brain freeze.
One of the best parts is how fast these come together. From mixing bowl to donut pan to oven and then cooled and frosted takes about 30 minutes, which makes them perfect for weekday breakfasts as well as weekends. Store frosted donuts in the refrigerator and they’ll keep for 2–3 days. If that idea doesn’t excite you, I don’t know what will.
To keep the 30-minute promise, start by combining the dry ingredients in a bowl and whisking them together. A few small lumps are fine. Try not to get cocoa powder on your white shirt.
In a separate small bowl, beat the eggs, then mix in both sugars, the vanilla, and the melted butter.
Combine the wet and dry ingredients, alternating with the cream, until everything is just incorporated—don’t overmix.
When the batter is smooth (and yes, you might be tempted to taste it—remember raw egg risks), transfer it into a large zip-top bag and snip a corner off to pipe the batter into a greased donut pan. A helper is handy during this step but not required.
Bake at 350°F for 9–10 minutes. The kitchen will smell like chocolate cupcakes, and that smell alone may convince you these are a suitable breakfast option.
Allow the donuts to cool in the pan for a couple of minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack or cutting board to cool completely while you prepare the strawberry buttercream. This fresh frosting will contain tiny strawberry seeds; if you prefer a seedless finish, substitute a bit of strawberry syrup. I love the pureed strawberry version for its bright, natural flavor.
The frosting is sticky, sweet, and utterly delicious—a strawberry dream. I find it easiest to spoon the buttercream into a baggie and pipe it onto the cooled donuts.
Chocolate and strawberry—heaven.
One more tempting photo, then the full recipe follows below.
Full recipe below!
Chocolate Cake Donuts with Strawberry Buttercream
Nichole
15 mins
10 mins
25 mins
12
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Cups cake flour
- 1/3 Cup cocoa powder
- 2 Tsp baking powder
- 1 Tsp baking soda
- 1/4 Tsp salt
- 1/2 Cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 Cup brown sugar
- 3/4 Cup heavy cream
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 Tbsp melted butter
- 1 Tsp vanilla extract
- Frosting:
- 1 Cup whole strawberries
- 1 stick softened salted butter
- 4 Ounces cream cheese
- 1/4 Tsp vanilla extract
- 3 Cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a large bowl sift or whisk together cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate bowl whisk together both sugars with the beaten eggs, melted butter, and vanilla.
- Using a mixer, add the wet ingredients to the dry, alternating with the cream, just until combined. Do not overmix.
- Grease two donut pans (or one if you have two rounds) for a total of 12 regular-sized donuts and fill each cavity about 2/3 full.
- Bake at 350°F for 9–10 minutes, until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
- Allow donuts to cool in the pan for 2–3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- When cool, place the strawberry buttercream into a piping bag or zip-top bag with the corner snipped.
- Pipe frosting onto the donuts and top with sliced strawberries or sprinkles if desired.
- Frosting: Puree the strawberries in a blender or food processor until smooth.
- With a mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese until fluffy.
- Add the powdered sugar, pureed strawberries, and vanilla; continue to beat until the frosting is smooth and spreadable.
Yum