Birthday Cake Doughnuts are fun and festive baked doughnut recipe with a sweet glaze and colorful sprinkles. Who wouldn’t want to wake up to these on their birthday?
Birthdays are on my mind lately. My youngest daughter is turning 21 next month, but she won’t be home to celebrate it with us. She goes straight from the end of her semester abroad to a summer internship. I admire her determination and drive, but I also feel a little bit sorry for her, and for us. There doesn’t seem to be any time to just hang out anymore. Everything is a scramble for her generation.
Wouldn’t she have just squealed if I’d served her these when she was 7. Or 12. And I’m pretty certain she wouldn’t turn up her nose at them even now.
I’m a closet sprinkle fiend. I buy them whenever I see a new variety, and since they last forever, I have a little collection going. I even made my own a couple of months ago.
These doughnuts gave me a change to use up some of my stash.
I highly recommend making a batch of these for someone you love. Birthdays come and go so quickly…
Birthday Cake Doughnuts
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 cups sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg don't leave this out!
- 1 cup buttermilk you can use whole milk
- 2 Tbsp butter melted
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup sprinkles plus more for topping
- for the glaze
- 1 1/4 cups confectioner's sugar
- 2 Tbsp milk or cream
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Set oven to 350F
- Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg.
- Add the buttermilk, eggs, melted butter and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Fold in the 1/3 cup sprinkles.
- Spray your non-stick doughnut pan and fill the holes about 3/4 of the way full. An easy way to do this is to transfer the batter into a large baggie and cut a small hole in the corner. Pipe the batter into the holes.
- Bake for about 12-14 minutes until the doughnuts are dry on top and spring back when lightly touched.
- Let cool for a few minutes before removing from the pan.
- Make the glaze by mixing the sifted sugar with the milk and vanilla. Add a little more milk if the glaze seems too thick. Add more sugar if it seems too thin.
- When the doughnuts are completely cool, dip them, top down, into the glaze. Add sprinkles before the glaze sets up.
23 Comments
From Beyond My Kitchen Window
May 20, 2013 at 1:17 amI always feel bad when I don’t get to see my kids on their birthdays. These birthday cake donuts are adorable. My daughter graduation from college this weekend. I have been very busy preparing for it.
SavoringTime in the Kitchen
May 18, 2013 at 3:11 pmIt’s so funny that you mentioned that about your daughter, Sue. My daughter works for a very large brokerage and is traveling a lot for her job lately since she was recently promoted. She called me on the phone yesterday and burst into tears because she hasn’t had time to come home for such a long time. She loves her job, which is a good thing but as you said, I feel badly for her and badly for us. These girls do have a lot of determination!
Happy birthday to your daughter and love the birthday doughnuts!
Carol | a cup of mascarpone
May 17, 2013 at 7:09 pmHappy Birthday to your daughter, Sue! Don’t you love, and admire all their determination!! I love your fun celebration doughnuts for her, and I bet she enjoyed seeing your post!!
Cathy
May 17, 2013 at 3:05 pmI love all those colorful sprinkles. That’s a great way to turn almost any treat into party food! I have such a weakness for homemade donuts.
Magnolia Verandah
May 17, 2013 at 7:11 amHow gorgeous are these!
Vicki Bensinger
May 17, 2013 at 11:19 amFirst of all I couldn’t agree with you more about everything being a scramble with our kids generation. Somehow in a world that’s so tech savvy you’d think it would be less hectic but now you can’t even escape to peace and quiet with cell phones everywhere. Even I’ve fallen victim.
We live in the Midwest and both of my kids went to school up east and both planned to stay there. However they both made it back home and live in town with great jobs and come by all the time, so I’m sure she will be back for many birthdays.
You can bet she loves her birthdays at home as much as you love baking for her. My daughter would flip over these funfetti donuts. I’m so glad I popped by – I will definitely make these for her.
One last thing – if she can’t be there for her bday you could always fly out there to celebrate. I’m sure shed love that.
Sue/the view from great island
May 17, 2013 at 2:12 pmThanks for stopping by, Vicki—how lucky that your kids live nearby, that’s a real luxury these days!
Paula Montenegro
May 17, 2013 at 2:39 amWow, these are amazing at any age Sue, and your pics are fantastic! Happy birthday to your girl!
Barbara
May 17, 2013 at 9:05 amCute idea, Sue! My daughter’s generation was the same…she’ll be 56 this year! (I can’t believe it!) It was all rush, rush, school and then work. But it pays off for them and after all, didn’t we raise them to be independent? However, if I put those donuts in front of her right now, she’d laugh and appreciate, but eat them? I don’t think so. You’re right…they’re for the very young, and for us to have the pure pleasure of making them! 🙂
Sue/the view from great island
May 17, 2013 at 2:14 pmWell, I don’t think we ever outgrow the wonder of sprinkles, whether we’re on the cooking side or the eating side 🙂
katrina hall
May 17, 2013 at 1:48 amI am bedazzled by these! Thank you for sprinkling my day with sunshine, Sue.
Sue/the view from great island
May 17, 2013 at 2:16 pmThat is the perfect word for these doughnuts…bedazzled! I’m going to have to remember that for a future recipe title!
Averie @ Averie Cooks
May 16, 2013 at 10:54 pmSue I love this post. First, I love sprinkles, too. I hoard new colors and Target often has seasonal ones in their $1 bins. Supremely cheap and you get a BIG container usually. Way more cost effective than Wilton, etc.
I love that you’re into donuts lately! I need to blog about donuts again!
Does this recipe make 12 donuts? Or 6?
And what you said about your daughter squealing when she was 7…well, mine is 6 and I need to make these while I can still get some squeals out of her 🙂 Touching post, too!
Sue/the view from great island
May 17, 2013 at 12:13 amThis makes 12, I just updated, thanks. It makes 12 full sized doughnuts. And you have to make them for your daughter, although, I have a feeling she’s not wanting in the treat department 😉
Tia the Baker
May 17, 2013 at 3:30 amthat looks so amazing! i have always wanted to make my own donuts and yours are inspirational.
Chris Scheuer
May 16, 2013 at 8:27 pmSO fun and SO pretty Sue! My son went through a stage for quite a few years when he didn’t want cake, just a big plate of homemade doughnuts!
Sue/the view from great island
May 16, 2013 at 9:53 pmThanks, Chris!
Tricia Buice
May 17, 2013 at 12:06 amI finally bought my donut pan and I’m making them this weekend. Mine won’t be this pretty – with homemade sprinkles and everything. Sorry you will all miss her birthday. It does seem to get harder to vacation together, or even have a nice long visit. This world has gotten in a great big hurry. Thinking of you 🙂
Sue/the view from great island
May 17, 2013 at 12:18 amThanks Tricia, I can’t wait to see what you do with your pan.
La Table De Nana
May 16, 2013 at 11:22 pmI remember your sprinkles:) Jacques might even say you are my patience twin:)
I think a need a donut tin:)
I always grate my nutmeg fresh too and it makes sense what you said about it being a key ingredient..NOW I know:)
I love Cardamom too:)
One of mine is approaching 40..
I thought I was still forty 2 yrs ago..
Time FLIES..too quickly..:(
Sue/the view from great island
May 17, 2013 at 12:17 amI used to have a really cool nutmeg grater, it had a crank handle and the nutmegs were stored right inside it, but it broke after many years of hard use. Now I just use a fine zester and it works fine, but I do miss my old gadget!
Time does fly…which is why we should make sprinkly treats to commemorate every darn bit of it that we possibly can.
Mary Younkin
May 16, 2013 at 8:29 pmLove the post, Happy Birthday to your youngest and what awesome pictures! I totally want one of those pans now. I swear a doughnut pan is going to be the next thing I buy, darn you.
Seriously? 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg adds that much? You know that means I need to bake a cake with nutmeg asap, right? I need to know what I’m missing!
Sue/the view from great island
May 16, 2013 at 9:52 pmThe reason the nutmeg is so important is that, even though most people don’t realize it, nutmeg is the classic flavor in doughnuts, so it gives these that unmistakable ‘doughnut’ taste. I always grate my nutmeg fresh, because it’s one of my favorite spices.