Baked Chocolate Donuts
These baked chocolate donuts with chocolate ganache are a fantastic dessert recipe for anytime of year! They can be made with basic pantry ingredients, and the homemade ganache only takes 2 ingredients. Sprinkle with your favorite toppings and serve up for a cozy, movie night treat!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
- Moist, cakey donut combines with silky smooth ganache and crunchy toppings for a taste sensation!
- You can make the donuts 2-3 hours ahead of time, and keep them refrigerated until ready to serve.
- This recipe makes 16 donuts, serving enough for a crowd
- It’s a fancy, unexpected dessert that always looks impressive! (but they are actually a cinch to make!)
The Ingredients:
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips Even though the donut recipe calls for unsweetened cocoa powder I do like to add a few chocolate chips in the mix as well. I find it gives the donuts a richer flavor when they melt with the hot water in the first step of this recipe (and not to worry you’ll use the rest of the chocolate chips in the ganache)
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder Anytime you want a rich, chocolatey flavor reach for the unsweetened cocoa powder. It always delivers the best results! My favorite brand is Hershey’s. I think you best the best results from it. (and I’ve tried them all!)
- Boiling Water The water needs to be hot enough to activate “the blooming” of the cocoa powder and melt the chocolate chips
- Eggs The eggs gift these donuts a nice lift and richness
- Vegetable Oil I prefer vegetable oil, over butter because it’s pure fat and creates a donut that will be moist and delicious. I find baked donuts made with butter can be a bit dry.
- Buttermilk The buttermilk gives these donuts a nice fluffy texture. And then you can use the rest of the buttermilk for my Flakey Buttermilk Biscuits. If you don’t have buttermilk you can use 1/2 cup of whole milk + 1 1/2 tsp of vinegar. Let sit for 5 minutes and then use as directed.
- Vanilla Extract The vanilla will accentuate the flavor of the chocolate. Be sure to buy pure vanilla extract (not imitation!) you’ll get the best flavor that way.
- All-Purpose Flour Let’s keep things easy, shall we? I always use all-purpose flour in my recipes, unless something else is absolutely necessary. No need for cake flour.
- Baking Soda and Baking Powder I find you get the best lift, and avoid any baking soda after taste, by using both.
- Salt Salt is a great flavor enhancer! It will spike the flavors of the chocolate and vanilla
Allow the Cocoa Powder To Bloom
The hot boiling water will help the unsweetened cocoa powder to “bloom” or bring out its best flavor. Once the hot water is added allow it to sit for 5 minutes. This will help activate the process while melting the chocolate chips below.
Donut Pans
You will need a donut pan for this recipe. Because this recipe makes 16 donuts, I use two. My favorite pan is Nordicware’s non-stick Donut Pan. I think it works great! Since this batter is pretty chocolatey, I do spray it as well with baking spray for added “insurance” and then distribute it well with a pastry brush.
How High to Fill The Donut Pan?
It’s best to fill the donut pan with batter almost right up to the top, I go right below the little ledge of the donut pan rim. That way you’ll get a more generous donut and it won’t be so full that it cover the donut hole completely once the donuts bake and rise.
Allow the Donuts to Cool
- After the donuts are baked, it’s best to allow them to cool for at least 10-15 minutes.
- As they cool, they set up and become more sturdy.
- This makes them easier to handle. If you try and take them out too soon, they are more fragile and could fall apart.
Making the Chocolate Ganache
- The best part of these donuts is the chocolate ganache! It creates such wonderful chocolate flavor and silky smooth texture against the cakey donut below.
- And it couldn’t be easier to make! Just two ingredients, heavy cream, and semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- You could also use dark chocolate or milk chocolate chips to switch up the flavors.
Make Ahead Tips + Serving
- I find these donuts are best eaten the day they are made! They will be extra moist, and flavorful.
- Bake them up to 2-4 hours before serving. Add the ganache and toppings, and then place them in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
- Or bake the donuts a few hours ahead. Leave them at room temperature, and then dip them in the ganache and add the toppings with your guests! It would be a fun interactive way to serve them, and the gooey ganache freshly dipped would be oh so good!
- Serve these donuts with my Sticky Pecan Bars with Shortbread Crust and Homemade Apple Pie for a fun “Halloween-Themed Dessert Bar”
More Chocolate Recipes You’ll Love!
- The BEST Vegan Chocolate Brownies
- Profiteroles with Chocolate Sauce
- Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce
- Chocolate Banana Bread
If you Enjoyed This Recipe,
Please Leave a Rating and a Review Below!
Baked Chocolate Donuts
These baked chocolate donuts with chocolate ganache are a fantastic dessert recipe for Halloween! They can be made with basic pantry ingredients, and the homemade ganache only takes 2 ingredients. Sprinkle with your favorite toppings and serve up for a cozy, Halloween-themed movie night!
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp (15ml) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup (50g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup (120ml) hot, boiling water
- 3/4 cup (150g) sugar
- 1/3 cup (80ml) vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp (10ml) vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (120ml) buttermilk (or 1/2 cup (120ml) milk + 1 1/2 tsp (7.5ml) plain white vinegar. Allow to sit for 5 mins)
- 1 1/4 cup (150g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp (2.5ml) baking soda
- 1/2 tsp (2.5ml) baking powder
- 1/2 tsp (2.5ml) salt
- FOR GANACHE
- 3/4 cup (180ml) heavy cream
- 1 cup (150g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- TOPPINGS:
- Chopped Nuts (I love hazelnuts! But Pecans, Almonds, Walnuts are great too!)
- Chocolate Sprinkles
- Crushed Butterfinger Bars
- Unsweetened Coconut
Instructions
- Place 1 Tbsp (15ml) of the chocolate chips in a heat-safe bowl. Add the cocoa powder. Pour the hot water over and allow the cocoa powder to sit for 5 minutes. The whisk until smooth and the chocolate chips have melted.
- Add the sugar, whisk until dissolved and combined. Then add the two eggs, one at a time, whisking in between each addition. Add the oil, and the vanilla, whisk well until combined. Then add the buttermilk and set aside.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until smooth.
- Grease 2 donut pans with baking spray, distribute the spray with a pastry brush. Using a small cookie dough scoop, fill the donut trays almost to the top, leaving 1/4 inch for them to rise. Bake at 350F for 9-11 minutes until risen and set.
- Allow them to cool for 15 minutes. Then remove the donuts and place them on a cooling rack fitted into a sheet pan lined with parchment paper (to catch the drippings of the ganache and the toppings)
- Combine the heavy cream and 1 cup of the semi-sweet chocolate chips in a small, non-stick saute pan. Whisking until the chips have melted and a smooth ganache forms. Turn off the heat. Dip the donut in the ganache, top side up, bottom side down. Then remove it from the ganache by placing one finger in the donut hole, and your thumb around the donut flip top side up and place it on the cooling rack. Then top with your topping of choice.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve. Best eaten 2-5 hours after making. Enjoy!
Notes
Make-Ahead Tips + Serving
- I find these donuts are best eaten the day they are made! They will be the moistest, and most flavorful.
- Bake them up to 2-4 hours before serving. Add the ganache and toppings, and then place them in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
- Or bake the donuts a few hours ahead. Leave them at room temperature, and then dip them in the ganache and add the toppings with your guests! It would be a fun interactive way to serve them, and the gooey ganache freshly dipped would be oh so good!
- Serve these with my Sticky Pecan Bars with Shortbread Crust and Homemade Apple Pie for a fun "Halloween-Themed Dessert Bar"
Last Christmas I had a lot of ganache left over. It went into the freezer. Thawed at room temp and was available for a new recipe.
I’d love a vanilla donut recipe please.
Made these today and they were so delicious. My little ones said that these were the best donuts! This recipe was super easy to make and love that they are baked. Thank you!
Aww so glad to hear that Christy! My kids love these too! Ha! 🙂
Hi Beth – at which point do we add the buttermilk. I’m assuming it’s after the eggs and vanilla however unless I’ve missed it somehow, the written instructions do not mention it. Could you please clarify that? Thanks.
So sorry just added the buttermilk! Apologies for the confusion, it should be added after the oil and vanilla have been whisked in. Hope you enjoy these!
Looking forward to trying this recipe. It looks fantastic! I know I have said this before, but it deserves repeating over an over… you are THE most pleasant and fun person to listen to and to watch. I love your recipes, of course. That is separate from this comment, though. There is just no way to fully express how much I enjoy YOU… your recipes and YOU. You make everything so simple, yet you don’t overexplain. You give great information and tips. I never feel as if you are putting on a game-face to talk to your audience. You come across on camera as if what I am watching is exactly what I would get if I were sitting across a kitchen table from you. So genuine and real and pleasant and conversational. Just my very favorite. I could not enjoy you more!
And, yeah… the donuts look great! LOL Going to try those out this week.
Aww Jenny you are too kind 🙂 I’m so glad you are enjoying the recipes and little ol’ me 🙂 It’s always a fun place to connect with you all in my tiny corner of the internet 🙂 Hope you enjoy the donuts! Let me know how they turn out! Try them with that Butterfinger bit topping, they are SO insanely good ha!
Does the ganache set up or does it remain gooey?
Yes it sets up the longer it sits in the fridge. I think the best consistency is when it sits in the fridge for 1 to 2 hours. That way you get the best of both words. Set a little but still gooey! 🙂