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Hello, little blueberry cake donuts with lemon glaze!!!
You are here to make everyone’s day just a little bit brighter, aren’t you?
Fluffy, tender, studded with juicy blueberries, and topped with a lemon glaze that sweetens the donuts just right. Pure joy, if you ask me.
These blueberry cake donuts are the perfect treat to make on the weekend as part of your breakfast, or as a dessert. They’re baked, instead of fried, and they are yeast free, so they don’t require any rise time. Plus, they’re gluten free, but trust me, when I tell you that they don’t taste gluten free one bit.
Besides, don’t you just love how they scream spring-time with their fresh blueberries baked right in, and their sweet, tart lemon glaze?!
Perfection!
What are we waiting for?! Let’s make some blueberry cake donuts!!!!
Ingredients for blueberry cake donuts with lemon glaze
Of course, the ingredients, along with their measurements are in the recipe card below, but let’s discuss them here for a moment so you have a better understanding.
Donuts
- oat flour – oat flour is light, and fluffy. When combined with the almond flour, it makes a really good gluten free cake. Plus, it’s packed with fiber. See notes for how to make your own, it’s really easy.
- blanched almond flour – love using almond flour in gluten free baking. It creates this nice soft, and light cake batter that works perfect with the oat flour. Plus, it’s low in carbs, and packed with healthy fats.
- corn starch – corn starch helps to bind the donuts together, makes them firmer, and helps to provide a tighter crumb. This is often needed in gluten free baking.
- baking powder – our lift, and leavening agent. Since we’re using baking powder, instead of yeast as our leavening agent, these babies don’t require any rise time. BONUS!
- kosher salt – all sweet things need a little salt for flavor, and balance.
- granulated sugar, or organic cane sugar – to sweeten the donuts just a touch. The sugar also helps with the structure, and texture of the donuts.
- lemon zest – Because lemon and blueberry are meant to be. The lemon zest adds so much lemon flavor. Another way we get every ounce of flavor out of that zest is to rub it into the sugar, it helps release the lemon oils even more. so good!
- eggs – for binding, and lift.
- coconut oil, melted – for moisture, and to add a nice soft texture.
- honey – for a hint of complex sweetness we don’t get from the regular sugar.
- plain Greek yogurt – for moisture, tang, and tenderness.
- fresh squeezed lemon juice – for even more lemon flavor.
- vanilla extract – can’t beat that vanilla taste, always a must.
- milk – to thin the batter out, just right.
- blueberries – Because blueberry donuts. Who else can’t get enough blueberries this time of year?!
Lemon glaze
- confectioner’s sugar (AKA powdered sugar) – To sweeten the glaze, and thicken it up. The donuts themselves aren’t very sweet at all. The glaze provides most of the sweetness in this recipe. Besides, what’s a donut without a good glaze?
- lemon zest – again, adding as much lemon flavor as we can into these donuts.
- fresh squeezed lemon juice – lemon juice is the only liquid we add into the glaze. It’s a glorious sweet, slightly tart, bright, and fresh lemon glaze! YUM!!!
How to make blueberry cake donuts
Of course, the detailed directions are written in the recipe card below. Let’s give you quick snapshot here first.
- Prepare – preheat the oven, grease the donuts pans, etc.
- Mix together the dry ingredients.
- Make the lemon sugar – just rub the lemon zest, and sugar together, with your fingers, until it smells amazing.
- Mix together the wet ingredients – including that lemon sugar.
- Combine – mix the wet and dry together, until they are one!
- Fold in the blueberries – YUM!
- Fill the donut pans with the batter – I just use a spoon to do this.
- Bake!!! Until your kitchen smells AMAZING!!!
- Cool – allow the donuts to cool.
- Chill, baby chill – Stick the cooled donuts in the fridge for a while. The glaze will set so much faster on the cold donut so that it doesn’t soak into the donuts right away.
- Make the glaze – try not to eat it all!
- Glaze the donuts – the fun part!!!
- Chill again until everything is cool – Don’t skip, because this also helps the glaze set.
- Serve – It’s time to dive into these donuts!! I am so excited for you!!!
Be sure to see the notes in the recipe card to find out how to store leftover donuts, and even freeze glazed donuts!!!
What’s the difference between a cake donut and a yeasted donut?
The leavening agent that is used.
A yeasted donut uses yeast to create a lift in the dough. This requires rise time for the yeast to ferment in the dough so that it rises.
Whereas a cake donut uses baking powder, or baking soda, as the leavening agent. Therefore, it does not require any rise time before baking.
Do baked donuts taste the same as fried donuts?
No.
Fried donuts are fried in oil giving them that well-known fried taste.
Baked donuts are baked in a donut pan in the oven. They do not have that fried taste to them.
Baked donuts are fluffy, a little lighter in texture, and more like the texture of a muffin, or cake.
What makes baked donuts really taste like traditional fried donuts is the glaze. And, of course, it being shaped like a donut really helps give it donut vibes.
Are these baked donuts healthier than fried donuts?
Yes.
Anytime something is baked instead of fried, it is healthier because it contains way less oil, and as a result, less fat than the fried version.
Also these blueberry cake donuts are healthier because the the batter is made using oat flour, and almond flour, which have more fiber than regular flour does. And, they contain less sugar than what I imagine most donuts do.
Don’t worry, they still taste plenty sweet. But, not cloyingly.
Do I need a donut pan to make baked donuts?
Yes.
Especially with this recipe, the batter is pretty loose, so there is no chance of piping them into donut shapes on a regular baking sheet.
Trust me, I have so many donut flavor ideas that I am excited to make soon…so you’re donut pans will get plenty of use.
Do I have to glaze my blueberry cake donuts?
I mean, if you want it to taste like a donut, rather than a muffin, then YES, you need to glaze your donuts.
Plus, the donuts themselves aren’t actually very sweet at all, so the glaze provides most of the sweetness.
Trust me, they’re so good with the glaze, you will be sad without it.
Are these blueberry cake donuts gluten free?
Yes.
They’re made using a combination of oat flour, almond flour, and cornstarch. A great gluten free combo for a light, fluffy, and tight cake crumb.
Plus, those flours are staples in my pantry. So many of my recipes use them, so they won’t go to waste for you.
And, if you don’t need to eat gluten free, never fear, they don’t taste gluten free one bit.
Can I use frozen blueberries instead of fresh?
I think so.
Be sure to use defrosted blueberries that have been drained.
Keep in mind, I have not tested the recipe with frozen blueberries, so I do recommend using fresh, when you can.
Reasons you will LOVE these blueberry cake donuts:
- They’re fun to make.
- They’re bright, fresh, and light.
- They’re bursting with blueberries,
- and lemon! A winning combo!
- They’re healthier –
- baked, not fried.
- They’re gluten free –
- perfect for sharing.
- They’re great for weekend mornings,
- or for serving to guests.
- They’re impressive,
- and mouthwatering-ly good.
More baked breakfast treats:
- Greek yogurt bagels (no yeast)
- healthy chocolate black bean muffins
- Gluten free blueberry muffins
- healthy apple butter muffins
- healthy spiced carrot muffins
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know how it went. Leave a comment below, along with a star rating. I LOVE hearing from you.
Print
Blueberry Cake Donuts with Lemon Glaze (Baked)
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- chill time: 40 mins
- Cook Time: 12 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 12 minutes
- Yield: 11 donuts 1x
- Category: baking, breakfast, dessert, snack
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: gluten free, vegetarian
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Blueberry cake donuts are light and fluffy, studded with blueberries, and topped with a tangy, sweet lemon glaze. These donuts are perfect for weekend mornings, or for serving to guests. So good!
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 1 cup oat flour (see notes on how to make)
- 1 cup blanched almond flour
- 1/4 cup corn starch, or arrowroot starch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Wet ingredients
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, or organic cane sugar
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest (1 to 2 lemons)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt (I used non-fat)
- 3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons milk of choice (I used almond milk)
- 3/4 cup blueberries
Lemon glaze
- 1 cup confectioner’s sugar (AKA powdered sugar)
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 1 whole lemon)
Instructions
- Prepare: Arrange the oven racks so that one oven rack is on the bottom, and one is in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit – use the convection setting, if you have it. Grease two donut pans, set aside. If you haven’t already made your oat flour, do so at this time (see notes for directions, it’s really easy). Otherwise, you can use store-bought oat flour.
- Mix together the dry ingredients: To a large mixing bowl add the oat flour, almond flour, corn starch, baking powder, and kosher salt – mix until well combined. Create a “well” in the dry ingredients using a spatula. Set aside.
- make the lemon sugar: To a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the granulated sugar, along with the lemon zest. Use your clean fingers to rub the lemon zest into the sugar, until the sugar turns a little yellow. This helps to release the oils from the lemon zest, making the donuts taste even more lemon-y.
- Mix together the wet ingredients: To the bowl with the lemon sugar, add the eggs. Whisk until well combined, and fluffy, about 30 seconds. Whisk in the coconut oil, honey, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, and vanilla, until well combined. Whisk in the milk until well combined.
- Combine: Gently pour the wet ingredients into the “well” in the dry ingredients. Use a spatula to gently stir everything together until it is mostly combined.
- Fold in the blueberries: Gently fold the blueberries into the batter, just until they are combined.
- Fill the donut pans: Use a spoon to gently add the donut batter to fill each donut cavity, filling them most of the way to the top. Make sure you get blueberries in each donut. You should have 11 donuts.
- Bake: Place one donut pan on the bottom rack, and the other one on the middle rack of the oven – in the center of the oven, not towards the side. Bake for 5 minutes, rotate the pans, and bake another 5 to 7 minutes – or until the donuts have puffed up nicely, and a toothpick, or cake tester comes out clean when inserted into the center of the donuts. Alternately you could bake each pan separately for 10 to 12 minutes. Don’t place them both on the same oven rack, side by side, they won’t cook evenly.
- Cool: Allow the donuts to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then, use a butter knife, or offset spatula to help loosen the edges of the donuts a little, then turn the donut pans upside down over a cooling rack, and give them a tap – they should come out easily. Allow the donuts to continue to cool completly on the rack.
- Chill: Once the donuts have cooled to room temp, you want to chill the donuts in the fridge. I found this to be helpful when applying the glaze. Keep the donuts on the cooling rack, and place them underneath a rimmed baking sheet to catch any crumbs. Chill the donuts in the fridge for 20 minutes, or untilt the donuts have a really nice chill on them.
- Make the glaze: To make the glaze, add the powdered sugar to a medium mixing bowl – large enough to dunk the donuts in, but small enough to keep the glaze in a thicker puddle at the bottom of the bowl – add the lemon zest, then add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice at a time, whisk the glaze together and add another tablespoon of lemon juice until the glaze reaches a thick, but pourable consistency. You may not use all of the lemon juice. If the glaze gets too thin, then add a little more powdered sugar. You want the glaze to be on the thicker side, rather than the thinner side.
- Glaze the donuts: Grab the donuts from the fridge, and take a donut and turn it upside down (the smooth side), and dunk it into the glaze. Continue to hold the donut upside down for a few seconds to allow the glaze to run off the donut. Flip the donut right side up and place it back on the wire rack to drip. Repeat with the remaining donuts, until all of them are glazed (see notes if you don’t want to glaze all the donuts at one time).
- Chill again: Place the glazed donuts back into the fridge and chill them for 15 to 20 minutes, or just until the glaze has set. Keep in mind, the glaze won’t get hard, it will just get a little dry and firm on top. This step really helps the glaze to set up faster, and to keep it from soaking into the donuts.
- Serve: Once the glaze has set, enjoy the donuts immediately. YUM!!! (see notes on how to best store any leftover donuts. Or, how to glaze leftover donuts the next day).
Notes
How to make oat flour: You can purchase oat flour at the store, but it’s so easy to make. Add about 2 cups old-fashioned, rolled oats to high speed blender and blend on high for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the flour is pretty finely ground. Scrape down the sides once or twice. You can also use a food processor if you don’t have a high powered blender, but the flour won’t be as fine as with using the blender
Gluten free: Make sure you use gluten free oats, if you need to keep the donuts gluten free.
Amount of lemons needed: You will need 3 to 4 lemons depending on their size, for the entire recipe.
Tips on glazing the donuts: These donuts tend to soak the glaze right up. I found the chilling time helps to set up the glaze faster so that it doesn’t soak right into the donut – so, don’t skip those steps. Plus, the chilled donuts are firmer, and easier to work with. Keep in mind that the glaze sort of disintegrates on top of the donut wherever there is a cluster of blueberries at the surface, due to the moisture of the blueberries.
Glazing leftover donuts: If you don’t want to glaze all of the donuts at one time, you can store the unglazed donuts in an air-tight container that has been lined with paper towels. Store the donuts in the fridge, and glaze them later. For best results, they should be glazed within one day of baking.
How to store leftover glazed donuts: Store any leftover glazed donuts in an air tight container that has been lined with paper towels. Store them in the fridge. They are good from the fridge for 1 to 2 days. Due to the blueberries, these donuts don’t last super long.
Freeze leftover glazed donuts: Although, the donuts really are best enjoyed when they are freshly baked, and glazed, the next best thing is to freeze them. Place the glazed donuts on a baking sheet (line with parchment paper if your baking sheets tend to stick), and place them in the freezer for 3 hours, or until the donuts are frozen solid. Place the donuts in an air tight container. You can stack the donuts, just place a piece of parchment paper between each donut to prevent sticking. To defrost, you can pull out as many donuts as you want at a time. Allow them to defrost at room temp (about 1.5 to 2 hours) before eating. Eat within several hours after defrosting, for best results.
Recipe adapted from: Healthy chocolate baked donuts recipe from Haute Healthy Living
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