a close up of a glazed chocolate donut made with fresh milled flour, it has a bite out of it, showing the inside texture.
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Amazing Chocolate Cake Donuts Made With Fresh Milled Flour

These Amazing Chocolate Cake Donuts Made With Fresh Milled Flour are not just another donut recipe. These have the most amazing cake donut texture that is both moist and decadent. And, they are baked, not fried, which means, healthier for you and you can still indulge on your favorite chocolate donut!

a single homemade baked chocolate cake donut glazed and sitting on a wire rack.

Delicious Baked Chocolate Cake Donut right after glazing. YUM!

What Is The Difference Between A Cake Donut And A Regular Donut?

The difference between a cake donut and a regular donut is all in the ingredient list. A cake donut is made without yeast, so in order for it to get a rise, it is generally made with baking powder. A regular yeast donut is made with yeast to get a rise. Another difference is a cake donut can be made right after the batter is mixed, and a yeast donut takes time to allow for a rise. So, a cake donut will be a slightly denser texture & moist, and a regular yeast donut will have a more airy texture & soft. To sum up:

  • Cake donuts are made without yeast.
  • Cake donuts are a denser, moist, cake like texture
  • Cake donuts are faster to make because no rise time is needed.
using a piping bag to fill the donut pans. I filled them slightly too high here.

So, I used a cheap piping bag to fill these donut pans, I recommend filling them slightly less, maybe about half way up. HERE is link to the piping bags I used.

What Is The Difference Between Cake Batter & Donut Batter

Well, this depends on what kind of donut, the main difference in a cake batter and a regular yeast donut batter, is that this kind of donut uses yeast for it’s rise, and needs longer time to allow for rise time. However, if you are comparing cake donuts to cake batter, the ingredient list gets very similar. In fact, you probably would have success using your favorite cake recipe as a cake donut recipe. It would just need adjusted for the pan size.

a close up of a glazed chocolate donut made with fresh milled flour, it has a bite out of it, showing the inside texture.

Look how moist and luscious the inside of these amazing, delicious donuts are! They were still a but warm here, as you can see by the melting glaze!

Why Bake These Cake Donuts?

Well, the main reason is for health reasons, obviously baking these donuts makes them a healthier option right off the bat, then making them with fresh milled flour elevates their nutritional value from basically zero, to getting vitamin E, protein, iron, and fiber! All this in a sweet treat!

I like to bake or air fry whenever I can, because I literally hate deep-frying things. I dislike everything about deep frying! lol I hate the smell that lingers for what seems like forever! I hate the greasy feeling of the food! Also, I hate those empty calories I could be eating something else with, lol. Even, buying the extra oil seems like an extra chore!

You Won’t Find A Deep Fryer In My House!

I don’t own a deep fryer, and don’t really ever plan to. I find ways to make our favorite recipes without all the time! However, I do have cast iron, and I am aware I could use that to fry things, but I still resort to baking or air frying. So, if you are like me, and dislike deep frying, I can promise that pretty much all my recipes will not call for deep frying!

So, How To I Bake Cake Donuts Instead of Frying Them?

To bake cake donuts instead of frying them, it is helpful to have a donut pan. Now, there are many different sizes, and options to choose from. I will share the one I use, and my recipes are made for this size pan, HERE is a link to the pan set I use. The size of the donut hole is 2.8 inches in diameter, and each pan can make 6 donuts. They are sold as a set, so you can make 12 donuts at one time with these.

a tray of cooling unglazed chocolate cake donuts in front of a donut pan

This is one of the pans I use, it comes in a set of 2. As you can see the donuts come out nicely. Also, you can see at the bottom of each donut, I overfilled the pan, so next time, I will make 18 donuts instead of 12. (The recipe will call for 18 donuts.) HERE is a link to the pan set I have.

How To Make Donuts With Fresh Milled Flour

Using Fresh milled flour is not totally different than using regular white flour in these donut cake recipes. You do need to adjust your flour amount, and liquids a bit from a regular white flour recipe. This recipe is made specifically for freshly milled flour. I used half soft white wheat, and half spelt. That is one of my favorite blends for donuts!

Are These Donuts Actually Healthier For Me?

Normally, we consider donuts an unhealthy food choice, but when we change a few things, they can actually be beneficial to our health in moderation, of course. You still are getting the sugar, and fat. But, when we change just 2 things we are making a huge difference in what we are putting in our bodies!

Firstly, we are baking these donuts, and not frying them. So, we are cutting way back on the saturated fats (the kind we don’t want) right off the bat. Secondly, we are replacing the commercial flour, which virtually has no positive nutritional value, with fresh milled flour. Freshly milled flour retains almost all the nutrients of the whole wheat kernel (wheat berry.) This means, that our sweet treat now contains, vitamin E, Iron, Protein, Fiber, and so much more! Just by changing the flour we use!

So, make these two changes to your sweet delightful snacks, and you can feel better about what you are putting in your body without sacrificing your favorite snacks! Plus, you get that feeling of accomplishment that you made such a delicious snack truly from scratch!

close up of an unglazed chocolate cake fresh milled soft white wheat spelt flour donut

You could just go ahead and eat these donuts like this to save a little on the sugar, and make them even more healthy. Or, you can glaze them, or dip them in chocolate, or cover in powdered sugar. That is another amazing thing about making them yourself, you can choose which topping you want to put on!

Ingredients For These Chocolate Cake Donuts Made With Fresh Milled Flour

  • 1&1/2 cup fresh milled flour (180g) (I milled 1/2 cup soft white wheat berries & 1/2 cup spelt berries to get this)
  • 6 TBSP (84g) melted butter
  • 2 TBSP Extra Light Olive Oil
  • 1/2 cup sugar (100g)
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar (50g)
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup kefir (120g) (yogurt or sour cream would also work)
  • 1/2 whole milk (110g)
  • 2/3 cup cocoa powder (64g)
  • 1&1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 3/4 tsp salt

Vanilla Glaze Topping (*Optional)

  • 2 cups powdered sugar (240g)
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1&1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 5 to 6 TBSP whole milk
a bowl of vanilla glaze with waiting for the chocolate cake donuts to be dipped in. behind the bowl is a tray of unglazed chocolate cake doughnuts

Beautiful Chocolate cake doughnuts waiting to be bathes in the delicious vanilla glaze!

Instructions To Make These Chocolate Cake Donuts With Fresh Milled Flour

  1. Firstly, Mill your flour, I like to use half soft white wheat & half spelt.
  2. Preheat oven to 350*F, and spray your donut pans wit non stick cooking spray.
  3. Then, put melted butter, oil, sugars, eggs, vanilla, kefir, and milk in a mixing bowl, and stir until incorporated.
  4. Add the cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the fresh milled flour, and whisk together.
  5. Then, add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, and stir to combine, until it is smooth, but not overmixed.
  6. Fill the donut pan holes about 2/3 full, and bake on the center oven rack.
  7. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes for the 3 inch donut pans. (bake mini donuts 7-8 minutes, and donut holes for 14-16 mins.)
  8. Test doneness with a toothpick, and make sure it comes out clean.
  9. Remove pans from oven, and allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Then, carefully turn pans over to remove the donuts from the pan.
  10. Transfer donuts to a wire rack to allow to cool completely (about 20 more minutes) before adding a glaze or powdered sugar.
  11. Make optional glaze and dip each donut in and place back on wire rack, or roll in powdered sugar, or dip in chocolate, or even eat plain just like this!
hand dipping a chocolate cake donut into a bowl of the vanilla glaze

Now time to dip these donuts into the homemade from scratch vanilla glaze.

Optional vanilla glaze:

  1. Sift powdered sugar and salt into bowl (to get clumps out)
  2. Then, add vanilla extract and start with 4 TBSP milk. Whisk until the glaze is completely smooth. Check by holding up whisk, it should easily drizzle off.
  3. If it seems to thick, add another TBSP of milk until you get the desired consistency.
  4. Dip each donut in the glaze, flipping to coat both sides. Let any excess drip back into the bowl, then place donut back onto wire rack.
  5. Let sit for about 20 more minutes for the glaze to harden and set.
arial close up of a bitten glazed chocolate cake donut sitting on a table
Chocolate Cake Donut from Fresh Milled Flour.

Want To Learn More About Baking With Fresh Milled Flour?

I have a great post & video to start with!

Fresh Milled Flour : 101 blog post HERE

Fresh Milled Flour :101 Video HERE

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Flour Grain Mill

Donut Pans

Piping Bags

Soft White Wheat

Spelt

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Old Fashioned Powdered Sugar Donuts

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Chocolate Cake Donuts With Fresh Milled Flour Printable Recipe:

a close up of a glazed chocolate donut made with fresh milled flour, it has a bite out of it, showing the inside texture.

Chocolate Cake Donuts – Whole Wheat (Fresh Milled Flour)

These Amazing Chocolate Cake Donuts Made With Fresh Milled Flour are not just another donut recipe. These have the most amazing cake donut texture that is both moist and decadent. And, they are baked, not fried, which means, healthier for you and you can still indulge on your favorite chocolate donut!
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 13 minutes
Total Time 28 minutes
Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Servings 18 3 inch donuts

Equipment

  • 1 donut pan My donut pan makes 6 at a time, I have a set so I can do 12 at once, This recipe makes about 18 donuts (with the 3 inch wide pan. ) Makes about 75 mini donuts, or 45 donut holes with a donut hole pan.

Ingredients
  

  • 1&1/2 cup Fresh milled flour 180g (I milled 1/2 cup soft white wheat berries & 1/2 cup spelt berries to get this)
  • 6 TBSP melted butter 84g
  • 2 TBSP Extra Light Olive Oil
  • 1/2 cup sugar 100g
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar 50g
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup kefir 120g (yogurt or sour cream would also work)
  • 1/2 whole milk 110g
  • 2/3 cup cocoa powder 64g
  • 1&1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 3/4 tsp salt

Vanilla Glaze (*Optional)

  • 2 cups powdered sugar, sift for lumps if desired 240g
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1&1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
  • 5 to 6 TBSP whole milk as needed

Instructions
 

  • Firstly, Mill your flour, I like to use half soft white wheat & half spelt.
  • Preheat oven to 350*F, and spray your donut pans wit non stick cooking spray.
  • Then, put melted butter, oil, sugars, eggs, vanilla, kefir, and milk in a mixing bowl, and stir until incorporated.
  • Add the cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the fresh milled flour, and whisk together.
  • Then, add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, and stir to combine, until it is smooth, but not overmixed.
  • Fill the donut pan holes about 2/3 full, and bake on the center oven rack.
  • Bake for 12 to 14 minutes for the 3 inch donut pans. (bake mini donuts 7-8 minutes, and donut holes for 14-16 mins.)
  • Test doneness with a toothpick, and make sure it comes out clean.
  • Remove pans from oven, and allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Then, carefully turn pans over to remove the donuts from the pan.
  • Transfer donuts to a wire rack to allow to cool completely (about 20 more minutes) before adding a glaze or powdered sugar.
  • Make optional glaze and dip each donut in and place back on wire rack, or roll in powdered sugar, or dip in chocolate, or even eat plain just like this!

Optional Vanilla Glaze

  • Sift powdered sugar and salt into bowl (to get clumps out)
  • Add vanilla extract and start with 4 TBSP milk. Whisk until the glaze is completely smooth. Check by holding up whisk, it should easily drizzle off.
  • If it seems to thick, add another TBSP of milk until you get the desired consistency.
  • Dip each donut in the glaze, flipping to coat both sides. Let any excess drip back into the bowl, then place donut back onto wire rack.
  • Let sit for about 20 more minutes for the glaze to harden and set.
Keyword cake, cake donut, chocolate, chocolate cake, chocolate donut, donut, doughnut, fresh milled flour, whole grain, whole wheat

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16 Comments

  1. A question: Do you soak the flour/water mixture for 15-30 minutes before adding the baking powder and soda? You suggest this for making a lighter sandwich bread.

    1. I don’t find it necessary to soak for these kinds of recipes, only the ones where we are trying to develop the gluten. I just mix it up and bake it in this case!

  2. I can’t wait to try this! Always looking for something 100% milled that will meet my husband’s sweet tooth. I just purchased some spelt. I couldn’t believe how much cheaper it was than my soft white berries (both were organic). So I am hoping it will be easy to incorporate into a lot of our non bread recipes. Now to order a donut pan!

    1. Yes! It is amazing, because spelt used to be more than soft white. I guess it goes with supply and demand! I like to add spelt in with a lot of my soft wheat recipes! I think about half and half is the perfect balance! Let me know how it goes!

      1. Thank you so much! I absolutely will report back when I test it. Baking some up tonight for Christmas morning tomorrow! ☺️

  3. 5 stars
    My husband: “You could put these in a box and tell me you stopped and got some donuts and I would believe you!” These were delicious!

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