Donut Flavored Layer Cake

How to make donut cake that tastes just like a freshly made donut! Frosted with maple buttercream and pink donut icing drip. I was shocked how much this cake literally tastes just like a real donut.

I made this donut cake flavor for my gravity-defying squirrel tutorial but ended up LOVING the flavor of the cake so much, I had to make it into its own recipe!

What makes this donut cake taste like a donut?

The cake layers taste exactly like a real donut. The secret is using a little nutmeg, cinnamon, buttermilk, and what I like to call "donut fat".  After frying my classic cake donut, I save the leftover shortening to replace some of the butter in my recipe. See those little brown bits? They are leftover browned bits of donut and when you add them to the cake batter it really adds a ton of flavor!

Now if you don't have any leftover shortening from a recent batch of fried donuts, no worries, you can just use regular shortening or even all butter. I keep my donut fat frozen in the freezer until I need it.

I'm also using nutmeg as well as a little cinnamon in this donut cake which are classic spices you normally use in cake donuts.

Buttermilk gives the cake layers a delicious flavor and also adds lots of moisture and a velvety texture to the cake layers just like my white velvet buttermilk cake.

Donut cake ingredients

What is the reverse creaming method?

Before we get to the mixing, we should talk about why we are mixing in a way that might seem unfamiliar. We are mixing this cake using a process called the reverse mixing method. We will coat the dry ingredients in butter similar to when you make a shortbread cookie. The butter stops gluten from developing and gives our cake layers a velvety texture.

Then we add in the liquids and the eggs which aerate the cake batter and add structure.

With the reverse mixing method, we can add much more sugar and liquid to our cake batter than with traditional mixing methods resulting in a finer, moister and more delicately textured cake.

When you use the reverse creaming method it's important to use cake flour which has less protein (gluten) than all purpose flour. If you use all purpose flour, your cake can end up with too much gluten development and a cornbread texture.

Donut cake recipe step-by-step

1. Bring your ingredients to room temperature and I like to pre-measure all my ingredients so that I can just mix without pausing.
2. Preheat your oven to 335º F and prepare three 6"x2" cake pans with cake goop or any other preferred cake release.
3. Combine ½ cup of the buttermilk and the oil together and set aside.
4. To the rest of the buttermilk, add the vanilla and the eggs. Whisk gently to combine and then set it aside.
5. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment attached.  
6. While mixing on low, begin adding in your softened butter and donut fat in small chunks. Let it continue to mix until it resembles coarse sand.
7. While mixing on low, add in your oil/buttermilk mixture and mix on medium speed for two full minutes to develop the cake's structure.
8. Reduce the mixer to low and then slowly add in the milk/egg mixture. Continue mixing until everything is combined and your batter looks cohesive. Don't worry about over-mixing, usually, people undermix.
9. Divide the cake batter between your prepared cake pans and bake them for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out cleanly.
10. Immediately after removing the cakes from the oven, gently press the dome down and brush the surface with melted butter. This adds even more flavor to the cake layers.
11. Let the layers cool in the pan until the pan is barely warm, then transfer them to a cooling rack. You can flash cool in the freezer for 60 minutes if you want to decorate right away or wrap in plastic wrap and freeze to use later

Maple frosting recipe step-by-step

1. In the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachments attached, cream your butter until smooth.
2. While mixing on low, begin adding in your powdered sugar one cup at a time until it's all added.
3. Add in the maple syrup, maple extract, vanilla extract, salt and white food coloring. Mix until it's smooth.

Pink donut drip

1. Add the chocolate wafers to a bowl and microwave for 1 minute to soften.
2. Pour the hot water over the top of the chocolate and let it sit for about 3-5 minutes.
3. Whisk until smooth then add in your pink and white food coloring.
4. Let the drip cool to 90ºF before using it so it doesn't run down the side of the cake.

Cake assembly and decoration

If you need to learn more about how decorate your first cake, check out this tutorial.

1. I colored about 1 ½ cups of my buttercream with some electric pink food coloring and a few drops of white food coloring.
2. Frost and fill your layers with the pink layer and apply a crumb coat.
3. Place the cake in the fridge to chill for about 15 minutes.
4. Apply the final layer of buttercream and smooth it with an offset spatula and bench scraper.
5. Chill your cake again for 15 minutes. This is usually where I make my drip and let it cool down.
6. I dipped a cake donut in the pink frosting (you can use one that you made or use a store-bought donut) and add some sprinkles.
7. Drip the pink chocolate on top of the cake and add some more sprinkles.
8. Then attach the donut with a cake pop stick or skewer to keep it standing up.

Recipe