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So, if I'm completely honest, I'm not a chocoholic - but my husband most certainly is! To accommodate his sweet tooth - my baked chocolate donuts with sprinkles are the ultimate chocolate treat. These donuts are filled with extra chocolate chips and topped with the most decadent ganache.
Ingredients
For these baked donuts, you'll need:
- Butter - unsalted and at room temperature.
- Caster sugar or superfine granulated sugar.
- Egg - one egg at room temperature.
- Vanilla extract - vanilla is key to accentuating the flavour of chocolate, so it is always important to include some good quality vanilla extract in the bake.
- Flour - all purpose flour or plain flour will work in this recipe.
- Leavening agents: baking powder and baking soda.
- Salt
- Instant coffee granules - the secret to chocolate recipes is often in adding coffee. Coffee is a natural compliment to chocolate and heightens the flavour.
- Water
- Yoghurt - plain yogurt or Greek style yogurt will both work in this recipe.
- Chocolate chips - I suggest using dark chocolate chips in this recipe, but you could substitute milk chocolate or even white chocolate to suit your preferences.
Why use coffee in a chocolate recipe?
So, you might be confused why this chocolate donut recipe calls for coffee. Coffee is a natural amplifier for chocolate flavour - it compliments and accentuates it.
Just mix the coffee granules into the water to make a quick instant espresso.
This recipe will not taste like coffee, so don't worry if you're not a fan! Also, if you don't have any instant coffee granules, you can replace the water with equal amount of filter coffee or espresso (whatever you have available).
If you would prefer to leave coffee out entirely - use just plain water.
Making Easy Baked Donuts
Baked donuts are essentially just mini donut shaped cakes, so the process here is quite a lot like a standard cake recipe.
Simply cream together your butter and sugar. Add your egg and vanilla and then your coffee and yoghurt. Once your wet ingredients are well combined, sift in your flour, leavening agents and salt. Stir well and then fold in the chocolate chips.
Pipe into prepared donut moulds - I like to use these silicone moulds - and bake in a preheated oven. This recipe takes about 20 minutes - test with a skewer for doneness if you're unsure.
Ganache for Donuts
Who doesn't love a decadent chocolate frosting?! You can't get easier donut topping than ganache. This is a two ingredient recipe:
- Chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate).
- Heavy cream or double cream.
Making stovetop ganache is super simple - just place the cream in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over a medium heat. Be careful since you don't want this to catch. Allow to simmer for a couple of minutes before pouring over top chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl.
The most important step now is to wait 2 minutes. Let the heat from the simmered cream do the work of breaking down the chocolate. If you start stirring too soon, your chocolate may not melt fully and your ganache may be more inclined to separate.
After two minutes stir until smooth and then frost your donuts! Once given a nice ganache coating, you can decorate these with sprinkles and leave these to set up a bit. As it cools, the ganache will become a bit thicker and more solid, which will make the donuts easier to transport if needed.
FAQs for Chocolate Sprinkle Donuts
Baked donuts in general are usually best on the day they're made. This is when they're at their freshest. These chocolate donuts do keep well though and will stay pretty fresh for about 3-4 days at room temperature.
Yes, these baked chocolate donuts can be frozen for later! If you're planning to freeze them, it would be best to do so unfrosted - this gives you maximum flexibility for future and avoids any issue of the frosting sweating or decorations discolouring as it defrosts.
Allow the donuts to cool completely before placing in freezer safe bags to store in the freezer for up to three months.
You can also freeze fully decorated - the ganache should be fine, but sprinkles or other decorations may discolour over time or during defrosting.
If you'd prefer to try something other than ganache, these donuts work well with buttercream. In particular, dulce de leche buttercream is a great accompaniment to chocolate donuts. A half batch of my recipe should be sufficient for 12 baked donuts (dependent on the amount you want to use). Similarly vanilla buttercream is always a staple frosting in my house.
Alternatively, try a glaze of powdered sugar with coffee for a mocha baked donut.
If you like this recipe, check out some other baked donuts:
- Eggnog Baked Donuts
- Lemon Raspberry Baked Donuts
- Maple Bacon Baked Donuts
- Bay Leaf and Blackberry Baked Donuts
Chocolate Baked Donuts
Equipment
- Donut baking tray
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- ½ cup caster sugar or superfine granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all purpose flour or plain flour
- 3 tablespoon cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup plain yoghurt
- 8 oz dark chocolate chips divided into 2 ounces for donut batter and 6 ounces for ganache top
- ½ cup heavy cream or double cream
- sprinkles for the top optional
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 350°F (175C/155C Fan) and prepare donut trays.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Add the egg and vanilla, beating until smooth.
- Next, sift in half of the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder). Beat until just combined.
- In a small bowl, mix together the water and instant coffee granules until dissolved. Add this to the donut batter, followed by the yoghurt. Beating to combine.
- Sift in the last half of the dry ingredients, beating to combine.
- Fold in two ounces of the chocolate chips (this step is optional and you can leave these out if preferred).
- Add the batter to a piping bag and fill the donut moulds evenly. This is enough for 12 baked donuts.
- Place in the centre of the preheated oven for about 20 minutes - checking for a toothpick inserted in the centre to come out clean.
- Remove from the oven - and allow to cool in the pan for a couple of minutes before carefully turning out or unmoulding and allowing to cool on a wire rack.
- Once cool, make the ganache by heating the cream in a small saucepan until simmering. Allow to simmer for about 2 minutes. Then, pour over the remaining chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl. Allow to sit for 2 minutes and then stir until smooth.
- Dunk or frost each donut generously with the fresh ganache. Top with sprinkles or other decoration if desired.
Mr Blancmange
I most certainly am a chocoholic!