Chocolate Cake Mix Donuts
Chocolate cake donuts are rich, soft, and perfectly chocolatey — and the best part? These homemade donuts are baked, not fried.
This recipe is perfect for weekend brunch, special birthday mornings, or anytime a serious chocolate craving hits and you want something homemade but easy.
These donuts are moist, tender, and deeply chocolatey—like your favorite slice of chocolate cake turned into a fun, handheld treat with a sweet glaze on top.
Made with a simple cake mix base, they’re incredibly easy to whip up with less mess and more confidence in the kitchen.
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How to Make Chocolate Cake Donuts
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and lightly spray your donut pan, even if it’s non-stick or silicone.
- Prepare the cake mix according to the package directions, then transfer the batter to a piping bag (or zip-top bag) and pipe it into the donut molds, filling each about halfway. Don’t overfill the pan.
- Bake and start checking at 10 minutes. You want a toothpick to come out with a few moist crumbs — not wet batter.
- Let the donuts cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.
- While they cool, melt chocolate chips with a little heavy cream to make a rich glaze, then dip the donuts and let them set — or enjoy them warm right away.
Don’t Forget To…
- Scroll down to print the full recipe with step-by-step instructions and exact measurements.
- Check out my Kitchen Essentials for the pans, mixing bowls, and baking tools I use to make this recipe a breeze.
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Yes! Since cake mix already includes flour, sugar, and leavening, you only need to add a few simple ingredients before baking the batter in a donut pan. The result is soft, fluffy, cake-style donuts that are perfect for glazing or frosting.
No. Donut mix is specifically formulated for traditional fried or baked donuts and may contain slightly different ingredient ratios for texture and structure. However, cake mix works great for baked cake-style donuts and is a convenient shortcut when you want an easy, reliable recipe.
Yes! Freeze the donuts (without glaze) in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw and glaze before serving.
Fix baking fails fast with this handy troubleshooting guide.
Bellemain Premiere Donut Pan for Baking | Nonstick 12.5 x 8.5” Doughnut Pan with 6-Doughnut Molds | Steel Donut Trays | Make Perfect Bagels and Cake Donuts (2)
Riccle Piping Bags and Tips Set, 11.8 Inch 100 Anti Burst Piping Bags, 124 Pcs Cake Decorating Kit with 16 Piping Tips, 1 Reusable Pastry Bags, 3 Cake Scrapers, 2 Couplers, and 2 Icing Bags TiesSpring Chef 10 x 15 Inch Stainless Steel Cooling Rack for Cooking & Baking – Heavy Duty Cookie Cooling Rack for Kitchen – Oven Safe – Fits Jelly Roll Pan – Dishwasher Safe
- If you love baked donuts, be sure to try my Bisquick Donuts, Christmas Donut Recipes, or Donut Holes Made from Biscuits.
- If you’re a serious chocolate fan, don’t miss my Dr Pepper Cupcakes, Chocolate Covered Oreo Pops, or other chocolate dessert recipes.
Chocolate Cake Donut Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 15.25 fl oz box of chocolate cake mix
- ingredients according to the cake mix
- Sprinkles Nuts or Other favorite toppings
- ¾ cup chocolate chips semi-sweet
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. If you are using a non-stick donut pan, spray the pan with your favorite non-stick cooking spray. If you are using a silicone donut pan, you may also need to spray that pan as well.
- Make the cake mix according to the directions on the box in a large bowl.
- Spoon the donut batter into a piping bag (or Ziploc bag), cut off the tip of the bag, and add the batter into the donut molds. You don’t want to overfill the mold. Just fill them approximately ½ full.
- Bake the donuts for a cooking time of 10 – 12 minutes or until your toothpick or cake tester comes out with just a few moist crumbs on it.
- When they are done, allow the donuts to rest in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn the pan upside down (if using a non-stick one) on a wire rack and allow them to finish cooling.
- While the donuts are cooling, you can prepare the rich chocolate glaze.
- In a medium-sized heavy-bottomed saucepan, add the chocolate chips and half of the heavy whipping cream. (Only add in a little bit of the cream at a time. You may find you won’t need to use all of it). Turn the burner on medium heat and let the chocolate begin to melt.
- Once you have melted chocolate, start dipping your donuts.
- You can let the donuts sit for the chocolate to harden or you can eat them right away.
Notes
How to Store Chocolate Cake Donuts
In an airtight container:- Room temp: 2–3 days airtight
- Fridge: 5 days
- Freezer: up to 2 months (unglazed)
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