These old fashioned cake donuts taste like the ones from a small-town bakery: a crisp, craggy outside, a soft and tender inside, warm nutmeg and a thin, shiny glaze.
Updated November 2026: After reader comments, we added a photo showing where to cut the dough, reworded that step and reduced the salt in the glaze.
Quick answer: Old fashioned cake donuts are made from a sour cream dough with egg yolks, nutmeg and cinnamon. Chill the dough for at least 1 hour, roll it 1 cm (⅜ inch) thick, cut rings and fry at 350°F for about 1 to 1½ minutes, turning once, then dip in a milk and icing sugar glaze.
Old Fashioned Cake Donuts Ingredients
For the donut
- 1 ¼ cup (240 grams) white sugar
- 2 ½ tablespoons (35 grams) butter
- 5 egg yolks (90 grams)
- 1 ½ cups (375 ml) sour cream
- 4 ½ cups (600 grams) all-purpose flour
- 15 grams baking powder (about 1 tablespoon)
- 10 grams baking soda (about 2 teaspoons)
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) nutmeg (be careful… very very tasty!)
- 12 grams salt (about 2 teaspoons)
- Frying oil (canola or vegetable)
For The Glaze
- 3 ¼ cups (400 grams) icing sugar
- ⅓ cup (100 ml) 3.25% milk
- A pinch of salt (about ¼ teaspoon)
How to Make Old Fashioned Cake Donuts
In a bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Stir in the cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside. In another bowl, beat the sugar, butter and egg yolks until the air in the mixture gives it volume – about 2 minutes. Add sour cream and beat on medium speed until smooth.
In the same bowl, add the dry ingredients, 1 tablespoon at a time. Do not beat the dough too much because it will develop the gluten and the preparation will be less fluffy. In plastic wrap, wrap the dough tightly and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (up to a week)
Flour your work surface well as well as the surface of the donut dough. Roll the old fashioned cake donuts dough to 1 cm (⅜ inch) thick. With a pastry brush, remove the excess flour. With a glass or a cookie cutter, cut out donuts and remove a small ball in the middle – which you will fry too!
For the classic cracked top, make 3 short, shallow cuts spaced evenly around the top of each ring before frying, as in the photo below.
Preheat the oil to 350°F. You need at least 5 cm (2 inches) of oil in your pan or deep fryer. Place 2 or 3 at a time (they should not overlap). When the donut rises to the surface of the oil, cook for another 30 seconds before turning it over. Cook for about 1 to 1:30 minutes. Let cool on a baking rack. When cool enough to handle, dip in glaze.
Glaze for Old Fashioned Cake Donuts
In a bowl, beat the icing sugar, milk and salt until smooth. If you want a finer glaze, heat in a bain-marie while whisking.
Enjoy.
If you enjoy this old fashioned cake donuts, try our [None] next, or browse more desserts recipes. Leftovers keep best in a covered container in the fridge; see USDA guidance on leftovers for safe storage times.
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I wanted to make these but your recipe is all messed up. Look at the measurements for the last several ingredients.
Thanks, Julie. We’ve cleaned up the measurements so each ingredient shows a clear amount, and we’ve reduced the salt in the glaze. – Emily
Have you ever baked and not fried these donuts?
Would you have to change anything?
Good question. We haven’t baked this dough, so we can’t promise how it turns out. It’s a thick sour cream dough made for frying and won’t get the cracked top in the oven. For baked donuts, a recipe made for a donut pan will work better. – Emily
In the directions you state: For a more textured donut, make 3 light triangle-shaped incisions in the surface of the dough before frying, as shown by these dotted lines in this drawing: However the drawing is missing? Could you please fix that.
You’re right, Don, the drawing was missing. We’ve added a photo showing where to make the three shallow cuts on each ring, and reworded the step. Thanks for pointing it out. – Emily