Glazed Chocolate Donut Cake

This Glazed Chocolate Donut Cake tastes just like everyone’s favourite coffee shop donut! It’s the perfect chocolate bundt cake recipe: quick and easy, moist and fluffy, and oh so chocolatey! And the simple and easy sugary glaze just puts this dessert over the top!

 

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

Every now and then there’s a recipe that stands above the rest. A recipe that’s just SO amazingly good it gets rave reviews every time you serve it. In our kitchen, this Glazed Chocolate Donut Cake is THAT recipe. It’s a super tender and moist chocolate cake with the BEST sweet, crinkly glaze – just like a glazed chocolate coffee shop donut. It’s a recipe we go back to again and again, and we know you’re going to love it too!

There’s one ingredient in this recipe that takes this chocolate cake from good to AMAZING: boiling water.

Yes, you read that correctly – adding some boiling water to the cake batter right before baking causes the batter to become very fluid, but it bakes up into the most moist and decadent chocolate cake ever.

And if you want to elevate your homemade chocolate cake even further, add fresh hot black coffee instead of plain water. The hot coffee will moisten the cake just like the boiling water, and it will deepen the chocolate flavour even further. It’s truly the BEST and easiest secret ingredient to the perfect homemade chocolate cake that tastes like it’s from a fancy restaurant!

Here’s all our best cake-baking tips that will take this glazed chocolate donut cake from great to AMAZING!

Make sure your milk and eggs are at room temperature. This will create a smooth cake batter and help the ingredients combine properly.

The best way to measure flour is in grams, but if you’re using cup measurements, be sure to fluff the flour in its bag or container before scooping VERY gently (don’t pack the flour into the measuring cup at all), then level it off with the back of a knife or other flat object.

Vegetable oil, when added to chocolate cakes, makes the cake ultra moist and gives the cake a soft, fluffy texture.

Do not over-mix, especially after adding the wet ingredients. Over-mixing can create a dry, tough cake.

This can create something called tunneling where long, thin air bubbles appear in the baked cake. This is caused by vigorous mixing that strengthens the gluten strands in the cake batter too much. Instead, mix on low to medium speed just until the ingredients combine.

Always grease your cake pan generously with butter or baking spray and dust the inside with flour (use flour if you’re making a white cake and cocoa powder for a chocolate one). This will prevent the cake from sticking to the pan.

Don’t let an unbaked cake sit out on the counter. Always preheat your oven first and bake the cake immediately after adding the batter to the pans. This will help the cake rise properly in the oven as the leavening agent in the cake batter is activated as soon as the wet and dry ingredients are combined.

Don’t place the pan too close to one side of the oven as this can cause it to brown unevenly. Add the pan to the centre of the oven so it bakes evenly.

Avoid opening the oven during baking unless it’s absolutely necessary to rotate the cake while baking (if your oven is small or has a hot spot). Opening the oven door at the end of the baking time is okay, especially because testing the cake with a toothpick is necessary to prevent over-baking.

Over-baked cakes are dry and crumbly. Be sure to remove them from the oven as soon as a toothpick inserted into the top of the cake comes out clean.

Under-baked cakes are partly baked but gummy on top and in the centre. Test the cake with a toothpick to be sure the cake is baked completely.

Don’t try to frost or glaze a cake that’s still warm, especially if you’re using a butter-based frosting as the butter will melt and you’ll be left with a mess. Wait for the cake to cool completely, then add the glaze or frosting.

Here are some common problems you might encounter while baking cakes and how to prevent them:

• Make sure to measure ingredients accurately, especially the leavening agents like baking powder.
• Do not over-mix the batter as this can result in excess air being incorporated into the batter, leading to uneven baking and sinking in the centre of the cakes.
• Ensure the oven is preheated to the correct temperature before placing the cake inside.
• Avoid opening the oven door during baking as this can cause major changes in oven temperature and result in an uneven rise.

• Measure the flour properly by spooning it into the measuring cup and levelling it off, rather than scooping it directly from the bag (using the fluff and scoop method also works well).
• Do not over-mix the batter as this can over-develop gluten in the batter and lead to a tougher texture. Mix until the ingredients are just combined and the flour disappears.
• Check the baking time and temperature. Over-baking can cause the cake to dry out. Use a toothpick to check for doneness.

• An oven temperature that’s too high can cause the cake to rise too quickly and crack on the surface. Double-check that your oven temperature is correct by using an oven thermometer.

• Avoid opening the oven door during the first half of baking. This can cause sudden temperature changes that contribute to cracking on the top of the cake.

• Properly grease and flour the cake pans (dust with cocoa powder instead of flour for a chocolate cake). You can also use parchment paper to line the bottoms of the pans to prevent sticking.
• Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10, 15 or even 20 minutes before inverting it onto a wire rack. Cooling the layers in the pan for several minutes helps the cake release more easily.

Here’s everything you’ll need to have in your kitchen to make this delicious chocolate donut cake recipe (paid links):

• Bundt Pan
• mixing bowls
• measuring cups and spoons
• Whisk
• Silicone Spatula
• liquid measuring cups

Here’s a list of all the ingredients you’ll need to make this delicious chocolate donut cake recipe (paid links):

For the cake:

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
• 1 cup cocoa powder dutch processed is best
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 1/4 cups low-fat buttermilk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup boiling water

For preparing the bundt pan:

• 2-3 teaspoons butter or margarine
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder

For the glaze:

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 6 tablespoons whole milk
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

We hope you love this Glazed Chocolate Donut Cake as much as we do! Let us know in the comments below, what’s your favourite donut flavour? We’d love to know!

Watch the video below to see exactly how I make this chocolatey recipe. You can find more delicious recipe videos on my YouTube channel.

 

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