Homemade Frosted Doughnuts: 3 Ways

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

• Author: Sally
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 0 minutes
• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: 12 doughnuts and 12 doughnut holes
• Category: Breakfast
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

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Description

Here’s how to make homemade frosted doughnuts 3 different ways. Vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry frosting recipes included!

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Ingredients

• 1 batch basic homemade doughnuts without the glaze*

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

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Instructions

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.

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Notes

1. Baked Donuts: 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.
2. Quantity: Each frosting recipe is enough for the 12 fried doughnuts and doughnut holes from my 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!
3. Reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.

Keywords: frosted doughnuts, doughnuts

Have fun!!

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