buttermilk donuts with raspberry glaze

These light and delicate buttermilk donuts are quick to make and hard to forget. Finish them in a sweet-tart raspberry glaze, or keep it old-fashioned with powdered sugar.

These buttermilk donuts aren’t your average cake donut. In fact, they’ve converted this cake donut skeptic into a loyal fan. The dough is so delicate, it’s almost airy. The edges are crispy and dry (especially if you fry the donuts in coconut oil). The texture is fluffy and tender. Once you make your own buttermilk donuts, you’ll be hard pressed to go back to those dry, heavy, crumbly store-bought ones.

The great news is buttermilk cake donuts are shockingly quick to make. The dough comes together in about 5 minutes, it needs an hour to chill, and takes less than 20 minutes to fry. And I bet you have everything you need in your fridge to make these donuts on a whim. Do you have friends or family stopping by at the last minute? I can’t imagine a better way to welcome them in than with a hot, freshly fried buttermilk donut.

what makes these buttermilk donuts so good?

Buttermilk: This is the most important ingredient here, and it has several effects. First, the weak acids react with baking soda to produce carbon dioxide and leaven the dough. It helps make these cake donuts super light. Second, the acids break down long gluten strands to tenderize the dough. Finally, the buttermilk adds a delicious, tangy flavor to the donuts.

Baking powder and baking soda: For extra lift and lightness, I use both leaveners here. The baking soda neutralizes the acids in the buttermilk and gives some lift, but the baking powder ensures we have enough rise for a light donut. Also, baking soda reacts immediately with the acids. Since we rest the dough for an hour, it needs a little extra boost from the double acting power of baking powder (first with liquid, then with heat).

Wet dough: I’ll be honest, this dough is weird and tricky to work with. Use a lot of flour on any surface it touches and don’t be discouraged. Heavily flour the work surface, pat the top with flour, dip the donut cutter in flour… you get the point. It’s annoying, but the wet dough is the key to making tender, light donuts. Don’t overwork it. And if your donuts start to stick or become a little misshapen on the way to the oil, it’s okay. Their taste and texture will make up for whatever they’ve lost in looks!

Rest period: Refrigerating the dough for an hour lets it relax, so the donuts are soft and tender. It also makes the dough easier to work with, so don’t skip it.

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tips for frying donuts:

Use coconut oil: For the crispiest, non-greasy crust, use refined coconut oil. The flavor has been removed, so your donuts won’t have any coconut flavor. The oil is almost fully saturated and the smoke point is 400°F-- it’s an ideal choice for deep frying.

Monitor the oil temperature: This is a wet dough, so it’s important to carefully watch and adjust your oil temperature as you go. You want to make sure the donuts cook through but don’t burn. Start with the oil at 360°F and fry for about 1 minute and 15 seconds per side. Drain and check the donut. If it’s not cooked all the way through, cook it for a little longer and/ or reduce the oil temperature to 350°F next time. 

more topping ideas for buttermilk donuts:

• Powdered sugar
• Cinnamon sugar
• Cardamom sugar
• Chocolate glaze
• Nutella glaze
• Nut butter glaze
• Maple glaze
• Almond glaze
• Citrus glaze
• Berry glaze
• Vanilla bean glaze

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how to make buttermilk cake donuts:

1. Whisk together flour, baking powder and baking soda
2. Beat sugar, butter, eggs, buttermilk, vanilla and salt together
3. Mix in dry ingredients
4. Chill for 1 hour
5. Roll out to ½-inch thickness
6. Cut donuts, only re-roll scraps once
7. Fry for a little over 1 minute per side
8. Drain, glaze and eat!

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extra-thick cinnamon brioche french toast

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