Strawberry Cake Donuts

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These homemade Strawberry Cake Donuts are a sweet treat anyone can make regardless of your skill level. All you need is some fresh strawberries and a donut mold pan!

Because we BAKE them, they turn out moist, light and fluffy instead of heavy and greasy. Drizzle your strawberry cake donuts with a simple glaze and you will think you should open a bakery.

Pink strawberry cake donuts stacked on top of eachother.

I am happy to share that I partnered with Dairy Council of Florida to bring you this deliciously sweet breakfast treat!

These donuts would be perfect for a spring gathering brunch, donut party, slumber party or for breakfast on Mother's Day!

My family owned a donut shop for 36 years so I'm no stranger to donuts.

My father made a strawberry cake donut with glazed icing and frankly, it was the best.

Are these strawberry donuts as good as his? Ehhh, no. He fried his cake donuts in fat which. makes them 10x better. Of course his were better! Anything fried is better. Kind of Llike my fried oreos recipe!

But these strawberry donuts are NOT deep fried. Instead, they are baked in the oven because I try to eat healthier when I can. So the result is a much less greasy and much lighter donut.

Along with my Pink Chocolate Covered Strawberries, they would be perfect for girl's baby showers, Mother's Day, bridal shower or simply to make with your kids on the weekend!

You may also like one of these 25 Small Desserts!

🛒 Ingredients

Strawberries: Find the reddest most ripe strawberries possible! The more ripe, the sweeter your donuts will be which is what we all want right? You can also add some strawberry simple syrup for added flavor!
Flour: For this recipe, I used a combination of cake AND all purpose flour. The cake flour will give your donuts a much lighter consistency and texture.
Sugar: I use regular granulated white sugar but you can use any sugar you wish.
Eggs: Eggs help to hold your donuts together and are a must.
Buttermilk: Buttermilk gives baked sweets a light, fluffy and tangy flavor so definitely grab it if you can! If not, you can add vinegar or lemon juice to regular whole milk to replicate it. Here is a simple recipe.
Baking Powder/Soda: I used both leavening agents to give my donuts an extra lift! Make sure your ingredients are not expired! That could leave some sad donuts.
Vanilla: Added flavor that really is a must in any baked goods.

Steps showing how to make baked strawberry cake donuts.

🍩How To Make Strawberry Donuts:

Step 1: Add your strawberries to a food processor and puree until smooth but chunky. Set aside.

Step 2: Add your sugar butter and egg in a mixing bowl until well blended. This should take 3-4 minutes on high speed.

Step 3: Add in your vanilla, buttermilk and strawberries and mix again until blended.

Step 4: Add in your dry ingredients and place your mixer on LOW speed. Mix until everything is JUST incorporated. You do not want to overmix your donut batter!

Step 5: Scoop your mixture into a plastic bag or piping bag. Cut off the corner and squeeze batter into greased donut tins. This allows for a mess free pan!

Step 6: Bake donuts in a 400 degree F oven for 7-8 minutes.

Step 7: Whisk together powdered sugar and milk. Pour over donuts and allow to set before serving.

📃 NOTE: Recipe card with exact quantities and detailed instructions are below! Print it out for later!

How To Get That Fresh Strawberry Flavor

There are a few ways to infuse strawberries into donuts.

The best way is to go with FRESH strawberries because it not only tastes better but using fresh strawberries will impart some moisture into the donuts.
The second option is to use freeze-dried strawberries. This works well and tastes good but may require a bit more moisture to be added back into the berries.
Using strawberry syrup. You can leave out some sugar since this syrup is already sweet.
Using frozen strawberries. Make sure to remove as much of the moisture as possible after you thaw your berries or your donuts will be wet.

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☑️Aleka's Tips

Using ingredients like buttermilk and cake flour DO make a difference!
Grease your donut tins very well and remove them while they are still hot to prevent them from sticking.
Add more sugar to your batter if you like sweeter donuts.
Use extra ripe strawberries for the most strawberry flavor.
Double ice your donuts for a thicker glazed topping.

📃Substitutions

If you don't have buttermilk, you can add lemon juice or vinegar to regular whole milk.
Add other berries like blueberries or raspberries to your batter.
Use different flavored extracts like almond for a fun twist.

Side by side photos of strawberry donuts in donut pan.

The Donut Glaze

Glaze is made with just confectioners sugar and a liquid! You can use water, juice, or milk like I used here. Either one works and will get the job done. You want the consistency to be thick enough to pour. If it is too thin, it won't create a thick sugary shell like we all love on our donuts!

If you want, you can add pink or red food coloring to your glaze too! This is a fun option for kids' birthday parties!

Side by side comparison of strawberry donuts with and without food coloring.

"How Do I Get My Donuts More Pink?!"

Using strawberries alone won't make your donuts super pink in color. But you CAN up the pink 'ante' if you wish.

Just check out the difference in the photos above! Add a few drops of pink (or red) food coloring to you donut batter and you will be amazed at how much "prettier" they look.

Pink strawberry donuts cut in half on plate.

FAQ's

My donuts are sticking! Why?

You may not have used enough oil. You can add butter or shortening too for a thicker coating. Another tip* Sometimes I coat the tins with flour as well. This really helps to keep them from sticking.

Is cake flour absolutely necessary?

No but your donuts will be much lighter and fluffier rather than dense.

What type of milk will work best?

I recommend using whole milk because the fat will give your donuts a better texture and they will taste better!