Birthday Cake Doughnut Holes Recipe | We are not Martha (2024)

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Everyone loves doughnuts, but doughnut holes are so underrated! These Birthday Cake Doughnut Holes take delicious vanilla-packed doughnut holes and cover them in lots of rainbow sprinkles.

Birthday Cake Doughnut Holes Recipe | We are not Martha (1)

(This recipe for Birthday Cake Doughnut Holes was originally published in July 2012, but was updated with new photos in 2020).

It's no secret that the world (or at least my little world) is obsessed with cake batter recipes. From cake batter pancakes to cake batter truffles to cake batter ice cream (did it all start with Cold Stone Creamery??), it's everywhere. And it's delicious. Sometimes I even dream about it.

So, when I decided to make doughnut holes- real doughnut holes (meaning FRIED doughnut holes), I knew they would have to be cake batter flavored. Birthday cake batter to be exact, since there would be lots of rainbow sprinkles involved.

I believe cake batter should be nice and buttery and packed with vanilla flavor, so I used buttermilk and duh, lots of homemade vanilla extract. I packed sprinkles inside the doughnut holes too, making them a bit Funfetti-ish.

How to Keep Fried Doughnuts from Being Too Oily

Obviously fried doughnuts are never exactly a healthy choice. But there are ways to keep your fried doughnuts from being overloaded with oil. The best advice is to make sure your oil is at the right temperature, about 360 degrees F.

If the temperature of the oil drops below 360 degrees, it's much more likely that oil will get absorbed into the doughnuts. At 360 degrees, doughnuts will cook, but excess oil won't be absorbed (when you put your dough in the oil, the steam pushes itself out and creates a seal, not allowing oil to get in). That's why it's important not to overcrowd doughnuts in your skillet; the oil temperature may drop if you add too many.

Of course, you don't want the oil temperature to get too high either as this will cause doughnut holes to brown too quickly without cooking the center. Make sure you continue to observe your oil temperature as you fry doughnuts to ensure it doesn't drop or rise too much.

How to Make Birthday Cake Doughnut Holes

Now that we know how to keep our donuts from getting too oily, let's make these birthday cake doughnut holes! I used a King Arthur's recipe as a base my for my doughnuts, but snazzed it up with vanilla and sprinkles.

Start by bringing your oil to temperature since this will take a little bit of time and you can make the doughnut batter while you wait. Add oil into a 10-inch skillet (or similar size... I feel like it's easier to fry in a shallow pan than deep stockpot), so that you have about an inch of oil. Heat over medium-low heat to bring oil up to 360 degrees.

In the meantime, in a large bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate, smaller bowl, mix together buttermilk, egg, melted butter, and vanilla.

Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together. Gently stir in the nonpareils.

When the oil is at 360 degrees, drop balls of dough into the oil. The key is to use a very small amount of dough, about a teaspoon. But you can experiment and see what size you like best. Let them cook in the oil for about 1 ½ minutes on one side before flipping and frying for another minute on the other side, until doughnuts are golden.

Birthday Cake Doughnut Holes Recipe | We are not Martha (2)

Remove doughnut holes from oil and place on a paper towel-lined baking sheet to soak up any excess oil.

While your doughnut holes are cooling, whip up your glaze. Place confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl. Whisk in 4 Tbsp buttermilk and vanilla. Add another Tbsp of buttermilk if your mixture is too thick.

Birthday Cake Doughnut Holes Recipe | We are not Martha (3)

In a separate small bowl, pour in remaining 1 cup nonpareils.

When the doughnut holes are cooled, you glaze them. I found it easiest to brush the doughnuts with glaze using a pastry brush. But you can also dunk them right in the glaze; just make sure to let the excess drip off or things will get messy.

And then roll around in the sprinkles until the doughnut hole is completely coated.

Birthday Cake Doughnut Holes Recipe | We are not Martha (4)

Set completed doughnuts on a sheet of waxed paper to dry.

And you're ready to celebrate! Don't have anything to celebrate? That's OK; neither did I. But when is it ever a bad idea to indulge in birthday cake? Or birthday cake flavored treats?

So we'll just celebrate life. And the fact that we're adults. And we can step into our kitchen and fry up birthday cake doughnut holes whenever our little hearts desire. What would your 6-year-old self think of that?

Birthday Cake Doughnut Holes Recipe | We are not Martha (5)

I equate sprinkles with glitter. Both make me wickedly happy and I would throw both them everywhere if I could. Someday I shall have a room where the walls are covered with glitter. But it has to be a secret room in the house that my husband doesn't know about. He is not quite the glitter enthusiast as I am.

And while he may moan and groan when I get out the sprinkles (excuuuse me if I may have dropped an entire container of them on the floor once upon a time), he certainly doesn't complain when I make homemade sprinkle doughnut holes and let him eat as many as he wants.

Birthday Cake Doughnut Holes Recipe | We are not Martha (6)

Unfortunately, I don't think there's any equivalent way to charm him with glitter…

Birthday cake doughnut holes (or Munchkins for you New Englanders) are the perfect remedy to a Monday. Who cares if it's actually anyone's birthday? I don't.

Have you fallen into the cake batter craze yet?

If you like these sprinkle donut holes, check out my Glazed Coffee Chocolate Frosted Donuts and my Strawberry Frosted Doughnuts. I also can't wait to make these Raspberry Chocolate Donut Holes from Good Things Baking Co!

📖 Recipe

Birthday Cake Doughnut Holes Recipe | We are not Martha (7)

Birthday Cake Doughnut Holes

Everyone loves doughnuts, but doughnut holes are so underrated! These Birthday Cake Doughnut Holes take delicious vanilla-packed doughnut holes and cover them in lots of rainbow sprinkles.

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Donut Recipes, Homemade Doughnuts, Sprinkles Desserts

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Makes: 3 dozen doughnut holes

Author: Sues

Ingredients

  • 5 cups canola oil (or peanut oil)
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 4 Tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 ½ Tbsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 large egg
  • ¼ cup (4 Tbsp) melted butter
  • 2 Tbsp vanilla
  • 1 ¼ cup rainbow sprinkles (nonpareils), divided

Glaze

  • 1 ½ cups confectioners' sugar
  • 3-4 Tbsp buttermilk
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla

Instructions

  • Add oil to a 10-inch skillet (or skillet of a similar size) so that you have about an inch of oil. Heat over medium-low heat to 360 degrees.

  • While oil is heating, make doughnut batter. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

  • In a separate, smaller bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg, melted butter, and vanilla.

  • Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together until just combined, taking care not to over-mix. Fold in ¼ cup nonpareils.

  • When oil reaches 360 degrees, drop small balls of dough into the oil (using about 1 tsp of dough- doughnuts will increase in size once fried), working in batches and making sure not to overcrowd the skillet. Let each doughnut fry for about 1 ½ minutes on one side before flipping over with tongs and frying another minute.

  • Remove doughnut holes from oil and place on paper towel-lined baking sheet. Monitor oil to make sure it remains at about 360 degrees. Continue frying with remaining dough. Let doughnut holes cool completely.

  • Place remaining cup of nonpareils in small bowl.

  • Once doughnut holes are cooled, brush glaze on with a pastry brush (you can also dunk doughnut holes into icing; just make sure to let excess drip off). Roll doughnut holes in nonpareils. Set on a piece of waxed or parchment paper to let icing dry.

Glaze

  • Place confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl. Whisk in 4 Tbsp buttermilk and vanilla. Add another Tbsp buttermilk if your mixture is too thick.

Notes

Share a Photo of Your Finished Recipe!Mention @wearenotmartha and share a photo if you've made the recipe!

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Birthday Cake Doughnut Holes Recipe | We are not Martha (2024)

FAQs

How do you make a donut hole beehive? ›

Using a small spoon, slowly drizzle the lemon glaze onto each of the donut holes. Let the donut holes sit a few minutes until the glaze has set. Now, create your bee hives by stacking the glazed donut holes into the top of a clear cupcake pedestal.

How do you get sprinkles to stick to donuts? ›

Set a wire rack over a baking sheet and place the doughnuts on it; whisk together the glaze ingredients and dip, dribble or brush the glaze overtop. Add sprinkles while it's still wet, before it sets. Makes about 2 dozen small-ish doughnuts.

What is a tower of donut holes called? ›

This gorgeous Croquembouche is the perfect alternative to cake or cupcakes. Your guests will go crazy for this sweet treat in an even prettier package.

What puts you in the donut hole? ›

The Medicare donut hole is another name for what is sometimes called the Medicare Part D coverage gap. You enter the donut hole when your total drug costs—including what you and your plan have paid for your drugs—reaches a certain limit beyond your initial coverage period threshold.

How many donut holes do you need for a party? ›

Get them unglazed or glazed but avoid powdered, if possible. Fatter, larger donut-shop holes work, too. As for how many to get, expect at least nine donut holes per person — one as a decorating test drive, a couple to eat, and six to decorate.

How do you get a honeycomb beehive? ›

The you pull up the frames or bars from the hive and get all the bees off, brushing them down into the hive. Once you have the combs you put them in a centrifuge and spin them. This will leave the wax intact and remove the honey. Or you can cut pieces of the comb out to have honey in comb.

What is the difference between old-fashioned donuts and cake donuts? ›

Cake doughnuts, lacking that honeycomb structure of big yeast bubbles, are often (but not always) smaller, with a puckered little hole. A subset, the old-fashioned doughnut, always has a cracked, craggy surface, and in the most classic versions the sides splay out like the petals of a flower.

What is the difference between old-fashioned and cake donuts? ›

While many early cookbooks included recipes for "old-fashioned donuts" that were made with yeast, the distinctive cake doughnuts sold in doughnut shops are made with chemical leavener and may have crisper texture compared to other styles of cake doughnuts. The cracked surface is usually glazed or coated with sugar.

What is the difference between classic and cake donuts? ›

Technically cake doughnuts are made with batter, not dough. But “batternuts” would be a questionable name for a pastry. Raised Doughnuts: Made with yeast or some other natural leavener. This dough must be kneaded and left alone for at least a few hours to rise—a process that delivers a light and airy texture.

What can I use to make sprinkles stick? ›

Use a damp surface: One of the best ways to get sprinkles to stick is to use a damp surface. Before you add your sprinkles, lightly mist the frosting or glaze with a spray bottle filled with water. This will help the sprinkles adhere better.

How do you get sprinkles to stick without icing? ›

There are a couple of simple ways that you can do to help those sprinkles stick. The easiest thing to do is to brush the tops of the cookies with a little bit of water or milk, to dampen the cookie dough. This will help the sprinkles stick without changing the appearance of the cookie.

How many doughnuts do you need for a tower? ›

The Donuts I used for the donut tower

The outside had approx 24 glazed donuts and the tier cake centre was with filled approx 4 plain cinnamon donuts.

How do you make a donut peg wall? ›

Paint plywood with two coats of paint color of choice. Allow to dry completely. Place dowel on board (without glue) about 4 1/2 inches apart, putting four dowels vertically and four dowels horizontally. Place a dab of glue on the end of the dowel and place it on the board.

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