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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I hadn’t even washed the plate that the last slice of this cake came off of, and already my husband was asking me to make another. Sounds like a 5 star success to me! But this time around, he wants me to make it in the new mini Bundt cake pans we just got (he says it is a scientific experiment; more surface area to put the icing on!) to see if they are as good that way. I haven’t made a lot of cakes in the past, but I think the oat flour definitely does make the crumb more tender for sure. Another winner in a long line of winning recipes, Sue – thank you!
Oh gosh! I’ve just made it. It looked wonderful, came out perfectly moist, just perfect. But it tastes awful. Almost like cornbread (which is awful, if your expecting cake) Is it the nutmeg? I didn’t grind the nutmeg, but used what I had…was it too much?
Leona, I can’t think what might have happened. I suppose if you used prepared nutmeg it would be a little stronger than the fresh grated, for sure.
Sue, let me start with the positive. Excellent, super easy to assemble, breakfast, evening TV watching, anytime cake. I have never used oat flour before, but if that is what gave the cake its crumb, I will be doing it more often. As someone else posted, I did up salt to 1 tsp. as I feel that we have gone too far on salt elimination . No, you cant taste the salt, but the cake was not bland, it was flavorful (well seasoned?). The bad news, if you keep posting this wonderful recipes, quarantine weight gain is the least of my worries, I will have Great Island weight gain.
Lol ~ Great Island weight gain on top of Covid weight gain is a major problem, take it from me 😉
Just a question….what is the model number of your older coffee grinder?
The cake looks wonderful!
This is a very forgiving recipe! I only had 1/4 cup canola oil and didn’t want to use olive oil as I thought that might be too strong a flavor. I subbed in 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce and cut the sugar back by 1/4 cup. The result was divine – it baked up perfectly and was so tender and moist! The whole family loved it – even my husband who usually is not a fan of cake (so odd I could marry someone like that, I know). I didn’t do the glaze because I forgot I was also out of powdered sugar (doh!), but just served it with some fresh strawberries and fresh whipped cream instead. It was also delicious just plain. Given the ease of this recipe, and the fact that there are oats in it (love adding a bit of fiber whenever possible), this may be my new favorite cake!
I’m so glad Kimberly, thanks!
This recipe is killer. Made it twice in one month. Soon as I arrived home following a week of business travel and disappointing bakery experiences- I whipped up this cake to enjoy the following morning. If you enjoy good old fashion doughnuts-this is terrific. Tastes better after an overnight set.
I know just what you mean about those disappointing bakery experiences!!
I made this in my Nordic party Bundt pan. I sprayed the pan with oil and then coated it with vanilla sugar. Poured batter in and dusted top with vanilla sugar and baked. The cake came out the pan with a nice sugar crust (which is great if you don’t like glazes)but I decided to put a little glaze on as well. Cake was super moist and not overly sweet. Great with good black coffee.
Just like donuts are hard to stop at one, it’s hard to stop at one slice ?
I think this would be great for Mini Bundt cakes as well. Maybe with a few sprinkles on the glaze?
I keep meaning to make minis, good idea!
If you make minis – how long would you bake them?
It’s really going to depend on your specific pans, but usually about 20-25 minutes.
Do u have to use oat flour??
No, you can just sub in more regular flour.
Can you use GF rolled oats to make the flour?
yes, that will work perfectly.
My husband requested this cake for his birthday and we loved it! The oat flour is spot on with the texture and I love adding whole grains to baked goods. I only had pre ground nutmeg, so I used 1 and 3/4 teaspoons since it isn’t nearly as strong as fresh ground. I also bumped the salt to a teaspoon. I felt it would need more salt compared to other recipes I’ve made with a similar volume. It was perfect and may be why some reviewers thought it a little bland. Can’t wait to try the other “donut” bundt cakes!
This cake came out beautifully. Looked just like the photos you posted. I was hoping for more of a buttermilk flavor; the nutmeg kind of overpowered it. I’m going to try with half the nutmeg on this week’s test. I also want to try using buttermilk in the frosting as well. Definitely a winner in my book!!!!