Happy Saturday to you! 3 things to tell you:
1) New post over on my photography blog!
2) I spilled an entire smoothie on Jude yesterday. It’s the smoothie bowl I shared on Snapchat yesterday morning. Immediately after snapping that very picture, I spilled it on Jude*. Who then shook it off before I could stop him. In the new kitchen. All over the white cabinets. Yes, that really happened.
3) Remember when I taught you how to make homemade glazed doughnuts? We’re skipping the glaze and diving headfirst into frosting today. THREE frostings.
*He smelled like strawberries until I gave him a bath.
Don’t get me wrong, I love a warm glazed doughnut as much as the next person. But hand me a vanilla frosted doughnut with rainbow sprinkles and I’m D-O-N-E. Chocolate’s right up there and strawberry comes in a close 3rd, though the pink color situation weighs heavily in its favor. Strawberry may be my #1. But luckily, we don’t have to play favorites or make choices today (it IS the weekend after all) because I’m going to teach you how to make all three very simple doughnut frostings in the recipes below.
√ Vanilla
√ Chocolate
√ Strawberry
Gang’s all here!
I won’t go into all the detail about making the doughnuts from scratch, but you can click right over here for the master recipe. Lots of step-by-step pictures there too! They’re fried doughnuts, so you’ll need to whip out your heavy duty pot, doughnut cutter, and oil thermometer. I realize these are all items you may not own, but if you want to begin making doughnuts from scratch– get your practice in before the cool weather approaches. There is nothing quite like a homemade doughnut, a steamy cuppa coffee, and a brisk Fall morning. Just saying. Getting ahead of ourselves because oh yeah, it’s 100 degrees outside and my eyebrows are even sweating.
If the thought of frying doughnuts sends you running for the hills, don’t you worry. Here is a delicious baked donut recipe you can use instead. Leave the cinnamon-sugar topping off and cover in any of today’s frostings and, of course, sprinkles. The baked donuts are REALLY good and easy, too.
While we are on the subject of fried vs baked, for some reason I spell fried doughnuts– doughnuts. And baked donuts– donuts. I have zero idea why my fingers and brain do this. Maybe because the fried ones seem fancier and we need extra fancy vowels? Not a clue.
All 3 frostings can be made in less than 5 minutes. The strawberry frosting is definitely more like a glaze, but if you double or triple dunk the doughnuts– you’ll have a nice thick strawberry coating. This one does include an extra step– pureeing fresh strawberries. Then mix with confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and a touch of strawberry jam. I add the jam for extra strawberry flavor. It also helps mask some of the confectioners’ sugar flavor. I tried the strawberry frosting again yesterday with a little lemon juice squeezed in. Very tasty if you’re looking for something summer-y!
Melted butter gives both the chocolate and vanilla frostings wonderful flavor. The melted butter solidifying after several minutes helps the frostings “set” on the doughnuts for that iconic doughnut frosting look and taste. For the chocolate, you can use milk chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate chips. I actually used dark chocolate chips so that’s why it’s extra dark in these photos. And the second those warm doughnuts hit the chocolate glaze, your house will immediately smell like chocolate cake and doughnuts. All together, at the same time.
I had so much fun making and shooting these! And taste-testing, too. Luckily my family was here visiting so I wasn’t stuck with 12 doughnuts myself. Actually… luckily or unluckily?
I imagine it would be so much fun to have a doughnut party where you prep a big batch of the doughnuts and everyone can dunk and decorate as they please. Set out a bunch of little bowls of sprinkles and let them go to town. Maybe prepare a maple glaze too. Then fry up some bacon for topping. OMG my mouth is watering at the thought of this party. Excuse me while I put down my egg white omelet as I type this. Suddenly it is no longer appetizing. Weird.
3 Doughnut Frostings
Each frosting recipe is enough for the 12 fried doughnuts and doughnut holes from the basic homemade doughnuts recipe. If you want to make all 3 frostings for the 12 doughnuts, you will have some of each frosting leftover. You can always halve each frosting recipe if you do it that way. Or you can double the doughnut recipe to make more doughnuts.
Ingredients:
- 1 batch basic homemade doughnuts without the glaze1
Vanilla Frosting
- 3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 and 1/2 cups (180g) confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 3 Tablespoons (45ml) milk
- sprinkles
Chocolate Frosting
- 3/4 cup (135g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 3 Tablespoons (30g) unsalted butter
- 1 Tablespoon light corn syrup
- 1 Tablespoon water
- sprinkles
Strawberry Frosting
- 5 large strawberries
- 1 and 3/4 cups (210g) confectioners' sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon strawberry jam or preserves
- sprinkles
Directions:
Prepare the doughnuts according to the recipe and directions. Set aside as you prepare the frosting.
Vanilla frosting: Whisk the melted butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and 2 Tablespoons (30ml) of milk together in a medium bowl. Whisk in the remaining 1 Tablespoon (15ml) of milk to thin, if desired. It's easier to dip the doughnuts if the glaze is thinner. Dip the doughnuts into the vanilla frosting, then cover with sprinkles.
Chocolate frosting: Place the chocolate chips, butter, corn syrup, and water in a medium bowl. Melt in 20 second increments in the microwave, stirring after each time, until completely melted and smooth. Dip the doughnuts into the chocolate frosting, then cover with sprinkles.
Strawberry frosting: Puree the strawberries in a food processor. Whisk the puree, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract, and strawberry jam together in a medium bowl. Dip the doughnuts into the strawberry frosting 2 or 3 times (it's thinner than the others), then cover with sprinkles.
Recipe Notes:
Instead of frying doughnuts, you can make these baked donuts. Just leave off the cinnamon-sugar topping. You'll have a little extra frosting if using the baked donuts recipe (which makes 8), but if you double the baked donut recipe (to make 16) you will certainly have enough frosting for each.
Did you make a recipe?
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Have fun!!
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Omg poor Jude and you for having to clean that all up, but at least it makes for a good laugh now. These doughnuts look amazing, I would definitely be a bit worried about frying them but am sure I could do it with all the right equipments. And seriously is it doughnuts or donuts?!? That’s always confused me, lol.
Smoothie Jude is definitely a good story! Still can’t believe I did that lol.
I could cry, these look so good. And oh, how I wish I could’ve seen poor Jude covered in a smoothie bowl! Thank goodness he seems very chill.
He didn’t care at all, but he looked so ashamed for the few minutes before I could begin cleaning him up! Poor thing.
Bless his heart, I’d never see my cat again if that happened to him. Kitchen mishaps are a fact of life for us all, I guess. (I’m glad I’m not the only one!)
Sally, my daughter loves vanilla frosted donuts with sprinkles so I definitely have to make these when the weather cools down, though I will probably bake them instead of frying them cause it seems healthier?!? Lol. My personal favorite donut is vanilla cream filled. Would love to see a recipe for that one day
I should try my hand at filled doughnuts next. I personally looooove jelly doughnuts, but Kevin’s favorite are the cream-filled. One day! One day.
You just made my Saturday morning, Sally! I love frosted doughnuts! But my issue with frosting my own is that the frosting is always too thin and no matter how much I dip, it looks like a glaze, so I’m excited to try yours! And oh my gosh, a doughnut party?! Suddenly I really want.to host one badly. lol
These frostings are quite thick. I think you’ll love them. The strawberry is the thinest though– all that fresh strawberry juice!
Oh, I just love vanilla and strawberry donuts with sprinkles. Those. look. so. good. Speaking of fall and donuts, glazed apple cider donuts are amazing. Milburn Orchards (Elkton, MD) has some really delicious ones. It’s the quintessential fall experience–pick apples and eat apple cider donuts.
I’ll need to go there this Fall. Thanks Heidi! Apple cider doughnuts are a favorite.
Yum! I get why you couldn’t choose and had to make 3 kinds of frosting ;-D
Poor Jude (and you), it could have been a scene in a movie. Have a lovely doughnut-filled weekend 😀
It was most definitely… a scene. I can laugh about it now though!
These frostings look too good! I texted my husband to buy cake donuts on his way home from work so I can make the vanilla frosting tomorrow morning. The temperatures here are running above 105 so I need to substitute from a local shop just this once. 🙂 You’ve inspired me to plan a Doughnut Party for sometime this Winter. It sounds like fun! 🙂
Yay for doughnut parties!! Hope you loved the vanilla frosting 🙂
Colourful doughnuts on the weekend – yes that’s what Saturday morning is meant to be spent doing! Cake doughnuts are my weakness at bakeries and grocery stores. I can look past all the cookies, muffins, cupcakes, etc, but I always find myself reaching into the doughnut case for a .99 cent doughnut. It’s impossible to resist the price and taste. I rarely make doughnuts from home even though I have a doughnut pan, just because I find them to be more work than say, muffins. But they’re always 100% worth it! I NEED to start making doughnuts more often.
Also, I’ve always spelled doughnuts “doughnuts,” but whenever I spell out “Dunkin’ Donuts,’ I do spell it the other way? Language is weird.
You’re so right– they’re worth it! Nothing is quite as simple as muffins though. But I think you should try these!
These are the prettiest doughnuts! I want to try all 3 frostings immediately (and I’m loving all those happy sprinkles!).
Mmmm… Doughnuts …it would be hard to pick but I think I would go for the chocolate..no vanilla…no strawberry oh I want them all who am I kidding!
It’s a really tough choice!! I think the vanilla was my favorite. But the chocolate ones were the first ones gone!
Yum! I love the idea of lemon with the strawberry, of course…but I’m also thinking of half chocolate, half vanilla (like a black-and-white cookie) glazed in strawberry, for a neapolitan donut 😉 I love the photographs, especially the ones with the tiny rainbow sprinkles 🙂
Black and white doughnuts sound incredible! Love your thinking my friend.
OMG these are so gorgeous. We usually go to church on Sundays and its the best because they have free donuts after LOL but we went this weekend on Saturday, so now I’m totally craving my weekly donut. GAH!! Need these now!
Thanks Christina!
These all look so amazing, specially the vanilla one!
ARIADNA || RAWR BOWS
Oh my – I MUST put these at the top of my list. That strawberry frosting = swoon. (Plus my girls go absolutely bananas for the pink frosting / sprinkles combo!!)
I like their thinking! 🙂
These donuts are gorgeous! All those sprinkles are mesmerizing! And poor Jude! I know something like that will happen to me one day where I trip and drop my creation all over the floor.
It was awful. A 2 hour clean-up nightmare. I still can’t believe I did that!!
the prettiest donuts I ever did see!
Sally these look phenomenal! I have a request: would you be willing to perfect an old fashioned doughnut recipe? Or even better a buttermilk bar! I have tried and failed. Mine are tasty but much too heavy and dense. Love your work! ❤️
These are actually pretty light inside! But I would love to make old-fashioned doughnuts sometime soon. They’re my weakness!
Mine too! I will definitely be trying these soon ☺️
Ooh Sally these look delicious!! Just can’t decide which frosting to try first or maybe to do all three! They all look so glossy too 🙂
Poor Jude! That sounds like a big cleaning job, for both the floor and Jude!
These doughnuts (donuts?) look so pretty! But i usually have a pretty hard time having something other than my usual chocolate peanut butter oatmeal for breakfast 🙂 i’m seriously addicted. but maybe a chocolate peanut butter doughnut . . .
I LOVE your baked donut recipe and make them all the time for my bestie’s little girl. The thought of frying donuts sends me running….only because I have never figured out what the heck to do with all the oil when you’re done!! So? What DO you do with all that oil when you’re done??
I pour it into an empty container and either discard OR one of these uses!
There’s no better way to my heart than a fresh, delicious donut… or three! 😉 Love these recipes so much and can’t wait to try them all!
Can you substitute other fruits for strawberry? Like passion fruit? Or guava? Do you think it would be the same ratio of ingredients?
I can’t see why not. I would use the same measurements.
Thanks for such a fast reply! I love your recipes! I can’t wait to try this one out.
It’s funny that you mentioned a doughnut party because that’s how I came across this recipe! I’m planning a doughnut bar party where you frost and top your own doughnuts, but it will be at work so I’m still trying to figure out the logistics. I’ve never frosted doughnuts before, so I’m a little clueless! Do you think I could make the frosting up the night before and bring it the next morning? And do you think it will need to be heated before dipping?
Hi Allison! You can absolutely prepare the icings/glaze the night before. Cover and refrigerate, then slightly warm before dipping.
I’m making a doughnut cake this weekend – would this frosting recipe work on a cake or would it be too runny to spread? I’m thinking a buttercream icing would be too thick to get the look of a doughnut.
Are you making a cake shaped like a giant donut? If so these might be a bit thin (especially the strawberry). Buttercream could work but if you are looking for chocolate a simple ganache on top would give it the smooth shiny look of a real donut 🙂
oh yum. i have been craving doughnuts. have you ever made spudnuts ? those have been since i was a toddler my favorite doughnut.
I haven’t!
Hey Sally! Would you recommend cooling the donuts completely before using one of these glazes? I just made the donuts and the vanilla glaze and it doesn’t not look as appealing as yours. I’m looking for that thick white icing with this that cracks when you eat it, and mine looks more like a glaze!
Hi Amanda! How about a little more confectioners’ sugar to thicken it up?
glad i found your sight for frosting. I am making brownie donuts!!!