This Old-Fashioned Donuts recipe is tender in the middle with the perfect crisp on the outside. It has a yummy glaze and is made without any special equipment.
Want more yummy desserts? Try Dulce de Leche Cake, Biscoff Cookies, Sticky Toffee Pudding, No-Bake Cheesecake, or Bananas Foster.
Old Fashioned Donuts
Old Fashioned DonutsI'm a big sucker for an old-fashioned cake donut and these are really fun to make from scratch. You don't need a special donut pan, or any weird ingredients, and they come together pretty quick.
There's something about the crisp edges, and soft, cake-like inside that's so delicious. What's your favorite donut?
How to make Sour Cream Donuts:
Make Dough: Sift cake flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg in a small bowl. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar, then add egg yolks, mixing well. Starting and ending with the dry ingredients, alternate adding dry mixture, and sour cream, a little at a time to the dough. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for 1 hour.
Cut Out Donuts: Roll out donut dough to about ½ inch thickness on a floured surface. Use a donut cutter or two round biscuit cutters to cut as many donuts out as possible, you should get about 12.
Fry Donuts: Heat 2 inches of canola oil to 325°F in a heavy bottomed pot. Fry two donuts at a time, making sure to not overcrowd. Cook on each side for about 2 minutes, watching carefully so they don't burn. Remove from oil and place on a paper towel lined plate.
Glaze: Whisk all glaze ingredients together in a shallow bowl. Dip each cake donut in the glaze, covering on each side then place on a wire rack above a baking sheet. Let donuts sit for 15-20 minutes until glaze is set. Old fashioned donuts are best enjoyed fresh, but if you have leftovers you can keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days.
More of my Bakery Favorites:
- Cinnamon Rolls
- Homemade Scones (any flavor)
- Sopapillas
- Cinnamon Roll Biscuits
- English Muffins
- Homemade Dinner Rolls
- Buttermilk Biscuits
- Cranberry Orange Muffins
- Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
- Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
- Oatmeal Creme Pies
- Orange Rolls
- Snickerdoodle Muffins
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Recipe
Old Fashioned Sour Cream Donuts
Equipment
- Donut Cutter , optional
Ingredients
Donuts:
- 2 1/4 cups cake flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons butter , room temperature
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- canola oil , for frying
Glaze:
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar , sifted
- 1 1/2 teaspoons light corn syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup hot water
Instructions
- Dry Ingredients: In a small bowl sift together the cake flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg.
- Wet Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until well combined (the texture will be sandy). Add the egg yolks and mix well.
- Combine in batches: Add the dry ingredients in three batches, alternating with the sour cream, and ending with flour.
- Chill: Wrap the dough in plastic wrap then chill for 1 hour.
- Form Donuts: Remove the dough from the fridge and roll it out on a floured surface to about ½ inch thickness. Use a donut cutter (or two round biscuit cutters) to cut as many donuts out as possible. You should get around 12.
- Fry: Pour about 2 inches of canola oil into a heavy bottomed pot. Heat the oil to 325° F. Fry 2-3 donuts at a time, being careful not to overcrowd the pot. Fry for about 2 minutes on each side, then remove to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Glaze: Whisk together glaze ingredients in a shallow bowl, until smooth. Place a wire cooling rack above a sheet pan. Dip donuts in the glaze, covering on each side, and place on the wire rack. Let sit for 15-20 minutes until glaze is set.
Notes
Nutrition
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*I originally shared this recipe July 2014. Updated July 2018 and October 2024.
Original recipe adapted from Handle the Heat
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Horrible, I fallow the instructions, but it was a total fail
unfortunately these were an epic fail…while the flavor and an old fashioned donut was there, they didn’t puff up at all, I feel like they need yeast or something and even tho I had my oil low, they did burn no matter now fast I turned them over. kinda bummed, they they looked NOTHING like this picture even in the slightest. I think something was missing
Is there a way to bake these or put them in an air fryer or do they have to be fried in oil? They look delicious!
After seeing the 1 star ratings I was challenged to make them myself. I had no problem with the dough being sticky. Followed directions, sifted my all purpose flour twice, then measured. The only differs was I got about 1/2 as many donuts as the recipe called for, but maybe that was b/c of my cutter?
I want to give this recipe 4 stars , the doughnut recipe what just right, they turned out very good. I can’t give the 5th star because of the icing….I didn’t like the icing at all , I think the next time I make these and I will definitely be making them again I will just use some vanilla cake frosting and warm it up to dip the doughnuts in……loved the doughnuts Lauren ☺
I had good experience with making them. Ever hear the old saying third times a charm well that is my true statement. I tried 3 times and the third batch came out wonderful and now it is getting better with more practices
These donuts turned out great. I made them successfully the second try. I did add about 1/8-1/4 cup more sugar to the dough. The dough is not sticky if you add flour as needed. Form dough into a ball and roll in flour before rolling it out. Also, place cutter in flour. Roll out and cut. I put the cut doughnuts back into the refrigerator for about 20 minuets. The challenge is making sure the oil does not get too hot, because they will burn easily. They cook rather quickly, so I take them out when they are lightly golden, flipping them once. I will make these again.
Thanks for sharing your tips!
Terrible recipe. Dough just melted in the oil.
Hot ass mess. The dough was too sticky to roll and they didn’t hold their shape, so I tried to just drop some batter in to the oil and they came out terribly. Kitchen is a total mess and donuts are in the trash.
I’m so sorry you had trouble with this recipe. Do you live in a very humid area? Sounds like the dough needed more flour.
Me too! What a disaster!!!!
It is the dead of winter, air is super dry. After all that work and wasted ingredients kitchen’s a mess and the “donut” mess is in the sink.
AWFUL!!!!!
Dear Lauren,
The donuts look soo delicious. I need to askhow am I going to do the glaze? just by mixing the sugar, water and vanilla?
Yes, just mix all of the glaze ingredients together until smooth. (powdered sugar, vanilla, hot water, corn syrup and salt.)