Old Fashioned Sour Cream Donuts are the perfect companion to coffee! Crisp nooks & crannies soak up a sweet vanilla glaze with a hint of warm spice. Like a corner bakery, they are crumbly, tender, and easy for beginner donut makers since they have no yeast.
Early morning excursions with my dad to the local pastry shop are cherished childhood memories. A bevy of cookies and cakes beckoned from behind the bakery case. I had never seen anything so dreamy!
It was there that I discovered the sublime experience of dunking an old-fashioned sour cream donut into a piping hot cup of coffee- and I didn’t even like coffee! But now, we can have the same gloriousness without getting out of our pajamas!
While they do take some time, once you have had them ultra-fresh and warm, you may not want them any other way. Like my popular Lemon Blueberry Muffins, these are the kind of comfort food on a slow Sunday morning that instantly boosts your spirits.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Cake flour is HIGHLY recommended for a light texture and loose crumb. I have made this recipe by substituting ¼ cup cornstarch and 2 cups all-purpose flour. The texture was denser and coarser than I would expect it to be. However, it does work in a pinch.
- Sour Cream. Essential ingredient for taste and texture. Regular or light sour cream is fine but decreasing the fat may affect results.
- Eggs. Use 2 egg yolks in this recipe for cake-like donuts. Using whole eggs will affect the texture.
- Spices. Nutmeg adds a hint of gentle spice. Use the best quality & freshest spices. Read how to store spices for helpful tips.
- Oil. Vegetable oil or canola oil are both good choices.
- Butter. Use unsalted butter softened to room temperature for traditional buttery flavor. If you use salted, decrease the salt a bit.
What is cake flour? Cake flour is a lower protein flour used in baked goods to create a pillowy soft texture and more elasticity. Adding cornstarch to regular flour is not the same but can sometimes work as a substitute.
Step by Step Recipe Guide
If you are adept at making fried donuts, the full instructions are in the recipe card below. This area gives lots of tips for beginners and first-time makers.
Making the Dough and Chilling
After mixing all of the ingredients together, the dough should appear flakey and elastic.
- The biggest mistake is over working the dough – be gentle as you mix it and stop when it is just combined well. A bit of flour around the edges is fine.
- It is best to use a spoon or spatula to mix the ingredients. Don’t use an electric mixer.
- Spraying cooking oil on the top keeps it soft and won’t dry out.
- The dough doesn’t rise much while it rests, so don’t expect it to.
Cutting the Donuts
I clean a good amount of space and lay down a large sheet of parchment paper. Flour the countertop and rolling pin to keep it from sticking. Then roll out the dough to a ½-inch thickness.
Use a donut cutter to cut out the donut shape. I get about 6-8 donuts and several donut holes with this recipe. Put the shaped donuts back in the refrigerator while heating the oil. We want cold dough to hit that hot oil.
Chef Tip: Dip the donut cutter in a bit of flour to keep it from sticking to the dough.
Frying Donuts
You need a good-sized pot or Dutch oven with at least 2 inches of oil. Use a thermometer like this one to heat to 325 degrees. Fry donuts and holes about 2 minutes per side and move to a wire rack or paper towels. A few tips:
- Don’t overcrowd the oil. They might fuse if allowed to touch.
- The donuts may not float instantly, but they should come to the surface fairly quickly as they fry.
- The oil temperature will decrease when you add the donuts. Let it come back up to 325 degrees between batches.
Make the Glaze
You can make the glaze before or while frying the donuts. Put the glaze in a bowl inside a hot water bath to keep the glaze from cooling too much.
Chef Tip: A slightly warm donut will have a more even glaze. If necessary, you can put the donuts in the microwave for 10-15 seconds to warm them up again.
Variations and Add-Ins
- Other glaze options. Instead of a vanilla glaze, use a chocolate, caramel, or maple glaze.
- Sprinkles. Everything is better with sprinkles! Choose holiday colors for a fun theme.
- Cinnamon. Sub the nutmeg or add an additional teaspoon of cinnamon.
- Maple Extract. A maple flavored donut in one of my all-time favorites. I swap out the vanilla extract and add more maple in the glaze.
- Sugared Donut. Mix ½ cup of granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Press and flip the donuts into the mixture right after they come out of the oil.
Quick Tips for Perfect Donuts
- Baking recipes are best measured in weight (grams) rather than volume (cups) but you can get away with it in this recipe. It might be a bit more inconsistent from one baker to the next.
- Sifting the cake flour and powdered sugar is recommended if you notice any lumps.
- If measuring by cups, spoon and level the dry ingredients into your measuring cup.
More Nostalgic Dessert Recipes
- Hot Chocolate Cookies
- Apple Bread Pudding
- Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Gourmet Chocolate Candy Apples
- Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Frequently asked questions
A donut size is about 3.5 outer circle and 1.25 inner circle. If you don’t have a donut cutter like this one, use anything closely resembling that.
Yes! You can store the dough in the refrigerator overnight, so they’ll be ready for frying bright & early the next morning. Do make sure to wrap tightly and use a cooking spray lightly over the top of the dough to keep it from drying out.
I don’t recommend baking these donuts as they won’t get the crisp, craggy exterior. I have not tried these in an air fryer though.
The sour cream reacts with the baking powder to make the donut rise slightly, so it doesn’t taste like sour cream. It’s less sweet than it’s yeast counterparts, but also rich, dense, and cakey like a pound cake with icing.
Old fashioned donuts are typically deep fried, and may have a crisper, cracked exterior texture compared to other styles of cake doughnuts.
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Old-Fashioned Sour Cream Donuts
Equipment
- Thermometer for oil
- Donut Cutter ***See note about sizing.
- Wire Rack
Ingredients
For the Doughnuts
- 2 ¼ cups Bleached Cake Flour Plus more for floured surface
- 1 ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
- ½ cup White Granulated Sugar
- 2 tablespoon Unsalted Butter softened to room temperature
- 2 Egg Yolks large
- ½ cup Sour Cream
- Non-stick cooking spray
- Parchment Paper
- 3 cups Vegetable oil blended vegetable or canola oil, approximate measurment since you will need to fill a pot 2-3 inches deep.
For the Glaze
- ¼ cup Milk
- 2 cups Powdered Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk 2 ¼ cups Bleached Cake Flour, 1 ½ teaspoon Baking Powder, 1 teaspoon Salt and ½ teaspoon Ground Nutmeg.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream 2 tablespoon Unsalted Butter and ½ cup White Granulated Sugar together. Add the 2 Egg Yolks and ½ cup Sour Cream and combine.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. With a spoon or spatula (do not use an electric mixer), stir by hand. The dough should be flakey but not overly dry or wet.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, spray the top of the dough with Non-stick cooking spray and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Remove the plastic wrap and roll the dough out on floured Parchment Paper until it's ½-inch thickness. Make sure not to over-knead the dough. Use a donut cutter or 2 concentric circle cutters to cut out all the donuts. Reroll the dough as needed to get about 6-8 donuts and holes. Put the donuts back in the refrigerator while heating the oil.
- Make the glaze. In a medium saucepan over low heat, add the ¼ cup Milk and 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract. Gradually add 2 cups Powdered Sugar and whisk until smooth. Remove from heat. Put the saucepan in some warm water and occasionally stir to keep a hardened layer from forming while you fry the donuts.
- Into a large, deep pan, add about 3 cups Vegetable oil and heat to 325 F. Add the donuts two-three at a time so they don't touch. Fry on each side for 2 minutes until they are golden brown and transfer to a wire rack over paper towels or a baking sheet. Donut holes only need about 45 seconds per side.
- The oil temperature will decrease when you add the donuts. Let it come back up to 325 degrees between batches.
- As soon as the donuts are cool enough to touch but still warm, dip them into the glaze and flip to cover the entire donut. Transfer to the cooling rack for about 5 minutes until glaze is set and cooled. If necessary, you can put the donuts in the microwave for 10-15 seconds to warm them up again.
- Donuts are best eaten the same day but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days.
Recipe Notes
- Baking recipes are best in measured in weight (grams) rather than volume (cups) but you can get away with it in this recipe. It might be a bit more inconsistent from one baker to the next.
- Cake flour is HIGHLY recommended for a light texture and loose crumb. I have made this recipe by substituting ¼ cup cornstarch and 2 cups all-purpose flour. The texture was denser and coarser than I would expect it to be. However, it does work in a pinch.
- A doughnut size is about 3.5 outer circle and 1.25 inner circle. If you don’t have a doughnut cutter, use anything close to that.
- Sifting the cake flour and powdered sugar is recommended if you notice any lumps.
Valerie says
I surprised myself with these. They were good. A little thick but smelled and tasted amazing!
Sharon says
I made this recipe yesterday. I used 3/4 cups of sugar in the recipe instead of 1/2 cup of sugar. It was good. My husband enjoyed it too. I will make this recipe again.
Caitlyn says
Skipped the nutmeg and added pumpkin spice. So good for fall!
emily says
I used all-purpose flour instead of cake flour and they were so good, but I bet they would be a little fluffier with cake flour.
Penny says
I know this is an older post, but I wonder can you make the dough the night before you want to fry. Chill the dough overnight (more than the hour in the recipe)?
Roxanne says
Love sour cream doughnuts! Just like the ones at the doughnut shop!