My Glazed Old Fashioned Doughnut Cake is a tender buttermilk bundt cake with the warm nutmeg flavor and crackly vanilla glaze of a classic old fashioned doughnut.
This glazed old fashioned doughnut cake was the first in my doughnut-inspired Bundt cake series ~ a bakery-style bundt with the flavor of a classic old fashioned doughnut, no frying needed!
This recipe is a reader favorite
“This was a real hit with all ages at a recent bbq. Loved the texture and flavours. Really easy to put together too.”
“This cake is so good! Moist and delicious, with that almost-crunchy doughnut top. It really does taste like glazed buttermilk doughnuts.”
“This was A-ma-zing!! The oat flour really makes this ‘doughnut’ as does the fresh ground nutmeg!”
“Simple to put together and always comes out perfect.”
What you’ll need for that classic doughnut experience
This isn’t just a vanilla Bundt cake with glaze. The whole point is to capture the flavor and feel of an old fashioned doughnut, just baked big.
Buttermilk gives the cake that tender, slightly tangy old fashioned crumb.
Oat flour helps create a soft, sturdy crumb that feels closer to a cake doughnut.
The vanilla glaze sets into that thin, crackly shell that makes a glazed doughnut so irresistible. Trust me, don’t skimp on this!
Nutmeg is the bakery-case flavor most people can’t quite name, but instantly recognize. It’s what gives doughnuts their dough-nutty flavor. I use a whole teaspoon of this wonderful spice. Freshly grated nutmeg has the best aroma, but ground nutmeg works perfectly well here.
Bundt pan basics for doughnut cake
The Bundt pan gives you the big doughnut shape. The cake bakes up with a big crevasse running along the center. It provides the perfect jagged surface for all that glaze to settle into, and really gives this cake the old-fashioned doughnut vibe.
➡ Use a classic 10–12 cup Bundt pan for the best doughnut shape. Avoid intricate shapes.
➡ Grease every ridge well so the cake releases cleanly, I like butter and flour. Pay special attention to the inner ring.
➡ Let the cake cool 10–15 minutes before turning it out ~ too soon and it can tear, too late and it can stick.
➡ Glaze while the cake is fully cool so it doesn’t melt into a warm cake.
Is this a breakfast treat or dessert?
I consider this cake a breakfast, coffee break, or afternoon tea type of recipe, it’s not trying to be a fancy dessert. I picture it in the office break room, the teacher’s lounge, or anywhere where a box of doughnuts would be appropriate.
Your questions…
Yes, you can store at room temperature, loosely covered with foil. If you like you can add the glaze the next day.
I keep buttermilk on hand for baking but if you don’t have it you can use milk mixed with a little yogurt or sour cream. You can also add lemon juice or vinegar to milk (about 1 tablespoon per cup)
The oat flour is the secret to getting that authentic “old fashioned” doughnut texture! It creates a slightly sturdier, tender crumb that feels exactly like a classic cake doughnut rather than a standard fluffy vanilla cake. You can actually make your own by grinding rolled oats in a high speed blender.
I haven’t tested this cake gluten-free, but a cup-for-cup gluten-free baking blend should work reasonably well here. The texture will be more delicate, so let the cake cool fully before glazing and slicing.
I first published this cake way back in 2016 and have made it countless times since for family and friends. It’s foolproof, family-tested, and never lets me down ~ now retested and rephotographed for 2026 with fresh notes and clearer instructions.
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Glazed Old Fashioned Doughnut Cake
Video
Equipment
- bundt pan
Ingredients
dry ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups oat flour, See instructions here for making your own oat flour.
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- wet ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups buttermilk
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature, Check out my post on how to bring cold ingredients up to room temperature in a jiffy!
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 5 Tbsp water, as needed
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F
- Prepare your bundt pan by carefully buttering the entire surface, and then dusting with flour. Shake off the excess flour.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk or stir until just combined, don't over mix. I like to use a silicone spoonula.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out without wet batter clinging to it. (Moist crumbs are fine.) Set the pan on a cooling rack for 15 minutes, and set a timer for this!
- Run a thin blunt knife around the edges of the pan, and around the center tube to loosen. Invert the cake and once it is safely out of the pan, gently flip it back over so that the rough edge is facing up. Let cool completely.
glazing the cake
- To make the glaze, whisk the sugar with just enough water to make a smooth pourable glaze. When you lift the spoon and let the glaze drip down the ‘squiggles’ should disappear instantly. I used almost but not quite all of the water. If you like you can flavor your glaze with vanilla extract, but add that before adding the water.
- When the cake is cool, brush the glaze liberally all over, concentrating on those gorgeous cracks along the top. Work quickly, and go over the cake more than once if you need to. The glaze will harden as it sits.
Notes
In a pinch, you can substitute regular flour for the oat flour.
Nutrition
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Hi there. Wondering if you’ve ever made these in a mini bundt tin? And if so, wonder how long to bake them? This looks so delicious! Can’t wait to try it!!!
Funny you should mention that, I was wandering through Marshall’s the other day and found some cute mini bundt pans and considered doing mini doughnut bundt cakes. I’m not sure exactly how long to bake them but I’d probably take a peek at 20 minutes.
I love that pretty glaze, what a perfect cake!
Re : oat flour , how do I make it ? Is it regular old fashioned oats in container ground up ? , never used this before and do I measure the oat s for cake amt before grinding or after grinding. Thank you .
You will put raw rolled oats in a blender or food processor and process until it becomes a fine powder, or flour. Then measure out the 1 and 1/2 cups for this recipe. You will need approximately 2 cups of oats to start with, give or take. I have a whole post about how to do it HERE.
I am a huge fan of this blog, and was so excited to try this cake. Unfortunately for me, it turned out to be a total dud. I followed all the directions, and the crumb was fine, but I just felt like it was really boring and not at all the rich, sugary donut flavor I was hoping for. Maybe a syrup glaze out of the oven would have helped?
So sorry you had a ‘meh’ experience ~ this cake is definitely not as sugary as the doughnuts because of the bigger cake to glaze ratio, but if you do want it sweeter I think you might do one of those glazes right out of the oven where you poke holes in the top and let the glaze sink in. Then you could reglaze it later after it cools. Yum!
I made this yesterday. I agree with Genevieve – I followed the directions perfectly and it did not at all taste like the buttermilk donuts. The consistency was fine, but the taste was just not there. I don’t think it had anything to do with the glaze, which was great. I will try it again one day.
I have also been delighted to find your blog, Sue, and just made your Dutch apple cake to rave reviews at two dinner parties. The pictures and descriptions of this one sounded great, and now I’ve got a cake I’m taking to another dinner party and not sure what to do. I always make a smaller version of a new baked item if I’m serving for first time to friends. Texture good, looks pretty, but taste is really bland–it’s not the lack of sweetness, but lack of taste. I’m debating going out to buy something else for desert. Have you got any ideas to perhaps jazz up the icing with something that doesn’t conflict with nutmeg. Vanilla won’t be enough…I’ve already tried…
This cake is really a breakfast type cake, Deb, and for me it has that subtle flavor (like a doughnut) that I like with a cup of coffee or tea. Maybe some vanilla bean, or almond extract would give you what you’re looking for?
I can’t wait to make this today….Old Fashion Buttermilk Donuts with chocolate glaze is my favorite. I’m going to do the vanilla glaze on half of it and then add some cocoa to the other half of the glaze and then put the Chocolate Glaze on the other half and see which I like better. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!!!
Now you’ve got me intrigued…I’m not sure I’ve ever had a chocolate glazed old fashioned doughnut…might have to remedy that today, for research purposes of course 😉
Made this yesterday and it is one of the best cakes EVER!! It really is like an Old Fashioned Buttermilk Doughnut. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe! I’m looking forward to making the chocolate one.
This was A-ma-zing!! The oat flour really makes this ‘doughnut’ as does the fresh ground Nutmeg! Took your advice and ground a whole nut… I was skeptical at first, but now I’m a believer! I will definitely be making this again!
I’m so glad you tried the whole nutmeg, wasn’t that a blast? For most recipes you’ll just grate a little bit, but it’s fun to really use an ingredient to the max every once in a while.
This looks Ah-Maz-ING!! OMG! I haven’t look forward to baking something in awhile but this recipe has me super excited! Thank you so much for sharing it.
That’s just what I want to do here Linda, thanks!
Hey there, cake looks amazing, do you think it would freeze well, prior to the glaze?
Yes, I’m sure it would, just wrap it extra well!
I made this cake tonight for dinner tomorrow night with friends. I have to do dairy free so I used oat milk. The cake smelled like the donuts I make every year in the fall. This was so much easier! Can’t wait to try it, I may have to sneak a sliver tonight! 😉