Sour Cream Cake Doughnut Dough

Oct 13, 2026 · By VanillaGoods

Baking Pastries doughnuts Vanilla: Extract Medium

A dozen plain, unglazed sour cream cake doughnut dough cooling on a wire rack next to a pot, golden brown

Old-fashioned cake doughnuts with the craggy, crisp edges that hold a glaze, from a sour cream batter rolled and cut. No yeast, no rising.

Prep 30 min

Cook 15 min

Cooling 1 hr 10 min

Total 1 hr 55 min

Yield 12 doughnuts

Diet —

Ingredients

Adjust yield

doughnuts

2 ¼ cups (255.0 g)cake flour
1 ½ tsp (6.0 g)baking powder
½ tsp (3.0 g)fine sea salt
¾ tsp (1.5 g)ground nutmeg
½ cup (100.0 g)granulated sugar
2.0 tbsp (28.0 g)unsalted butter, softened
2.0 (36.0 g)large egg yolks
2.0 tsp (10.0 ml)pure vanilla extract
½ cup (120.0 g)sour cream
6.0 cups (1400.0 ml)neutral oil, for frying

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Instructions

Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Beat the sugar and butter until sandy, beat in the yolks and vanilla, then the sour cream.
Stir in the flour; the dough is sticky. Cover and chill 1 hour.
Roll 1/2 inch thick on a well-floured surface and cut rings with a 3-inch cutter and a 1-inch center.
Heat the oil to 325°F (165°C). Fry 2 minutes on the first side until the cracks are golden, flip and fry 1 minute more. Drain on a rack and glaze while warm.

Tips

Fry cake doughnuts cooler than yeast doughnuts so the thick dough cooks through.
Cake doughnuts do not take a filling; use the glaze and finish slots.

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Recipe FAQ

How long does it take to make sour cream cake doughnut dough?

Plan on 30 minutes of prep and 15 minutes of cooking, plus 1 hour 10 minutes to chill and rest. The recipe makes 12 doughnuts.

How should I store sour cream cake doughnut dough?

Doughnuts are best within 6 hours; keep leftovers in a paper bag at room temperature and eat the next day.

Can I make sour cream cake doughnut dough ahead?

Mix the dough the night before and let it rise slowly in the fridge; shape and fry in the morning.

Can I use a different form of vanilla?

Yes. This recipe uses 2 tsp pure vanilla extract (10 ml). Each teaspoon of pure vanilla extract can be swapped for 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste, the seeds of half a vanilla bean, or 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla powder. Paste and seeds add the classic dark specks.

Old-fashioned cake doughnuts with the craggy, crisp edges that hold a glaze, from a sour cream batter rolled and cut. No yeast, no rising.

Estimated · per serving

Nutrition

Per serving = 1 of 12 servings this recipe makes.

232 Calories / serving

15.8g Fat

21.2g Carbs

1.6g Protein

16.2g Sugar

Whole recipe (12 servings): ~2784 cal · 190g fat · 254g carbs · 19g protein · 194g sugar

Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.