Red Velvet Donuts
Red velvet cake is both delicious and beautiful! These easy to make baked donuts have that subtle chocolate flavor and bright red color associated with red velvet cake. They are topped with a cream cheese glaze to complete the classic flavor combination. I also added some chocolate sprinkles, because who doesn’t love a sprinkle donut?! Read on to learn how to make them yourself.
Make the Red Velvet Donut Batter
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, baked donuts are great! They are so quick and easy to make and leave very few dishes to clean. Follow these steps to make the batter for these red velvet donuts:
Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set it aside until ready to use.
In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add buttermilk, egg, and vanilla and whisk until fully combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until just combined. Add enough red food coloring to achieve your desired shade of red, whisking until the batter is a uniform color.
Having trouble finding buttermilk? For this recipe you can substitute by mixing 1/2 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice with enough whole milk to get 1/2 cup of total volume. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes so the milk can slightly curdle and get that tangy buttermilk flavor.
Prep and Fill Donut Pans
Prepare donut pans by liberally brushing them with softened butter. DO NOT skip this step! This makes them easy to remove and does not leave any crumbs left behind in the pan.
Fill the donut pans about 2/3 of the way full with batter. An easy and mess free way to do this is by using a large piping bag.
Bake the Donuts
Bake the donuts at 350°F for 9-11 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the thickest part of the donut comes out clean. Let the donuts cool in the pan for at least 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Make the Cream Cheese Glaze
While the donuts are cooling, make the cream cheese glaze. In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese and butter using a handheld mixer until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons of milk and mix until fully combined. If the glaze is too thick, add an additional tablespoon of milk to thin it out.
Glaze the Donuts
Once the donuts have cooled, dip them in the cream cheese glaze. For easy cleanup, I like to put the glazed donuts on a wire cooling rack with a piece of parchment paper under it. This will catch any glaze that drips off.
If desired, sprinkle the donuts with chocolate sprinkles while the glaze is still wet.
Store glazed donuts in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. If making ahead of time, you can freeze unglazed baked donuts for up to 1 month and make the glaze when ready to serve.
Red Velvet Donuts
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Red food coloring
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2-3 tbsp milk
- Chocolate sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare donut pans by brushing with softened butter.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add the buttermilk, egg, and vanilla and whisk until fully combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until just combined. Add red food coloring to achieve your desired shade of red, whisking until the batter is a uniform color.
- Fill the donut pans about 2/3 of the way full. You can use a piping bag to make this easier.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the thickest part of the donut comes out clean. Let the donuts cool in the pan for at least 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- Meanwhile, prepare the glaze. In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese and butter using a handheld mixer until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons of milk and mix until fully combined. If the glaze is too thick, add an additional 1 tablespoon of milk to thin it out.
- Once the donuts have cooled, dip them in the cream cheese glaze. If desired, sprinkle immediately with chocolate sprinkles.
Notes
- Storage Instructions: Store glazed donuts in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. If making ahead of time, you can freeze unglazed baked donuts for up to 1 month and make the glaze when ready to serve.
- Buttermilk Substitute: If you don't have buttermilk, you can substitute by combining 1/2 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice with enough whole milk to get 1/2 cup. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes before using to allow the milk to slightly curdle in order to get that tangy flavor of buttermilk.
