Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: The little bit of nutmeg combined with the sour cream and sweet glaze makes these doughnuts taste just like the ones at your favorite bakery, if not better!
Texture: Slightly crunchy on the outside, cakey and soft on the inside. All the little cracks in these doughnuts just soak up the shiny, crackled glaze.
Ease: There’s no yeast in this recipe so you can have these doughnuts IN YOUR MOUTH in a little more than an hour from start to finish.
Pros: I think the pros are inherently implied, they’re doughnuts!
Cons: Deep fried sugary goodness ain’t too good for your diet.
Would I make this again? Yes, whenever I’m craving these old-fashioned cake doughnuts I’ll whip this recipe out.
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I have huge sweet tooth cravings on the regular. Can you relate?
When I get a doughnut craving, it’s intense.
In my experience, a lot of doughnut shops make pretty bland and greasy doughnuts that leave a weird residue on your tongue.
There are a few local shops that I LOVE, but I rarely have an excuse to make a trip to one of them.
This recipe honestly takes about the same amount of time that it takes to drive across town to my favorite bakery, so it’s kind of perfect. Plus, if you only eat doughnuts when you make them from scratch, you can’t really go overboard, right? That’s my logic at least.
These Old-Fashioned Sour Cream Doughnuts are just like the old-fashioned cake doughnuts from the bakery. They’re kind of crunchy and cracked on the outside, making those nooks just perfect for soaking up the thick, shiny, crackled glaze.
We completely dunk the doughnuts in that glaze in the recipe, and it’s amazing. The inside is soft and cakey with a more firm bite than yeast doughnuts. Plus you can’t beat sour cream – it’s good with just about everything.
I don’t always prefer old-fashioned cake doughnuts to yeast doughnuts, but when I do this is absolutely the recipe I use. You can’t beat how much less time these take than yeast doughnuts, too.
Sprinkle of Science
Old-Fashioned Sour Cream Doughnuts Recipe Tips
1. Use a Scale to Weigh Your Ingredients
Using a scale is a smart idea for these sour cream doughnuts. Any issues I hear about the dough being too dry or sticky are likely due to inaccurate measuring! If your doughnuts aren’t as fluffy and light as you’d like, it’s due to compacting too much flour into your measuring cup. You can learn more about how to measure flour the RIGHT way here.
2. Use REAL Bleached Cake Flour
- This is a must for these sour cream doughnuts.
- Purchased cake flour will yield light and delicate doughnuts, just like the ones from a good bakery.
- DIY substitutions don’t really cut it.
- AP flour will not create doughnuts with that same soft texture.
- Bleached cake flour will work best. Unbleached (like King Arthur Flour) won’t absorb as much moisture and you may end up with doughnuts that crumble while frying.
- You can learn more about cake flour here.
3. This Recipe is FRIED
- Yes, you must fry these sour cream doughnuts
- This recipe was specifically designed to be fried and not baked.
- USE FRESH OIL. Oil goes rancid quickly, often before the date on the bottle.
- If it has *any* unpleasant smell, don’t use it, as that flavor will transfer to your doughnuts.
Can I Air Fry These Doughnuts?
I don’t personally own an air fryer, but a reader recently messaged me, letting me know that she had success air frying this recipe. Let us know in the comments below if you have success air frying these doughnuts, too!
My Favorite Doughnut Tools:
- Digital Scale – to ensure your ingredients are measured correctly
- Doughnut Cutter – for perfectly uniform doughnuts
- Deep Fry Thermometer – to ensure your oil maintains the correct temperature
- Dutch Oven – perfect for frying!
More Recipes You’ll Love:
- Krispy Kreme Copycat Glazed Doughnuts
- Baked Strawberry Lemon Doughnuts
- Chocolate Old-Fashioned Doughnuts
- Pumpkin Old Fashioned Doughnuts
- Classic Cake Doughnuts
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Old-Fashioned Sour Cream Doughnuts
Ingredients
For the donuts:
- 2 1/4 cup (255 grams) cake flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar
- 2 tablespoons (29 grams) butter, at COOL room temperature
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup (113 grams) sour cream
- Canola oil, for frying
For the glaze:
- 3 1/2 cup (350 grams) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 1/2 teaspoons corn syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup hot water
Instructions
For the donuts:
- In a bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together until sandy. Add the egg yolks and mix until light and thick. Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl in 3 additions, alternating with the sour cream, ending with the flour.
- Mix for 30 seconds on low speed or until the dough is smooth but slightly sticky. You want to mix enough that the dough doesn't fall apart in the oil, but not so much that it becomes tough. If the dough is unbearably sticky, add extra flour one tablespoon at a time (especially if you live in a warm & humid climate).
- Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour, or until firm.
- On a floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/2 inch thickness. Use a doughnut cutter or two differently sized biscuit cutters to cut out as many donuts as possible, dipping the cutters into flour as necessary to prevent sticking. You should get about 12 doughnuts and holes. If the dough gets too loose, sticky, or greasy at any point, return to the fridge to firm it back up before continuing. Refrigerate while you heat the oil so the dough is slightly cold when it fries.
- Pour 2 inches of canola oil into a heavy-bottomed pot with a deep-fry thermometer attached. Heat to 325°F. Fry the doughnuts a few at a time, being careful not to overcrowd the pot. Fry on each side about 2 minutes, being careful not to let them burn. Keep an eye on the thermometer and adjust your stove heat to maintain the correct oil temperature. Let drain on a paper bag to soak up the excess grease.
For the glaze:
- Mix all ingredients in a bowl with a whisk until smooth. Immerse each doughnut into the glaze. Place on a wire rack above a sheet pan to catch any excess glaze. Let sit for 20 minutes until glaze is set. Doughnuts are best served the day they are made but may be store in an air tight container at room temperature for a few days.
Can you freeze the unglazed donuts or any make ahead tips?
Hi Nicole! We have not tried it with this recipe specifically, but most doughnuts can be fried, cooled, and then frozen. We recommend freezing separately on a pan for a couple of hours or until solid, and then placing inside an airtight container (so they don’t stick together). Frozen doughnuts should keep for up to a month. To thaw, leave at room temperature for a few hours, and then re-crisp in a very hot oven for a few minutes, before glazing per the instructions in the recipe! Doughnuts are definitely best eaten fresh, but they will keep for a few days at room temperature, in an airtight container, too. I hope that helps 🙂
Can these be baked?
Hi Michele! This recipe was designed to be fried, not baked. We do have a collection of baked doughnut recipes, if that helps 🙂
Great recipe, worked out great even thought I accidently added the sugar to my flour mixture. I made it work!
Hi Tessa,
Trying to make the donuts now. Rested the dough in the refrigerator for a bit more than an hour. When rolling the dough and cutting it into the donut shape, why is it crumbling? How can I fix this?
Crumbly dough is typically due to too much flour being added to the dough. How did your doughnuts turn out?
Hey there! Just curious, could this dough sit in the fridge overnight? I look forward to trying your recipe! Have a great weekend.
Hi Jonathan! We haven’t tried that, though other readers have with success Let us know how it goes if you give it a try!
Yes, I do it all of the time. Let them warm up a bit before frying to grt the best rise
Can vegetable oil be used in this recipe instead of canola oil? I’m not a fan of the flavor of canola oil.
That should be fine 🙂
I like this recipe. These were the old fashioned donuts I’ve been craving. 🙂
I’ve made these several times. The recipe is pretty foolproof. I’ve used various flours and resting times. Greek yogurt can be substituted for sour cream but the subtle richness of sour cream is better. The dough can be refrigerated a few days if necessary. The only thing to really watch is the oil temperature. If the oil becomes foamy when frying the donuts, it’s too hot. This will damage the structure of the donut and it will be crumbly.
Thanks so much for all of your feedback, Mickey! I’m sure it’ll be helpful to other readers 🙂 Happy to hear how much you love this recipe!
Has anyone tried putting this dough into a generously greased 9 x 13 glass baking dish and baking it? Then glazing it and cutting into squares? For those of us with health issues that can’t stand long enough to fry, this would be wonderful.
Hi Glenda! We do not recommend baking these doughnuts – the recipe was specifically designed to be fried. I’d suggest checking out our Baked Doughnut recipes instead to find a favorite 🙂
Can you use all purpose flour verse cake flour? I’m home and trying not to go out in the rain. Thanks
No, it will not create doughnuts with the same soft texture that cake flour does. I’d suggest waiting until you’re able to go to the store to try this recipe successfully 🙂
Can I make the dough at night and cooked them in the morning? I know you said an hour but will overnight hurt the dough? Thanks
Hi Julia! We haven’t tried that, though other readers have with success 🙂 Let us know how it goes if you give it a try!
5 stars for the recipe, 4 stars for my alterations.
I included 100% hydration sourdough starter, and 00 flour in my version. And I let them rise for a bit before frying. So my results were tangy, lighter, and a bit puffier than a traditional unleavened Old Fashioned. They are delicious, but I’m going to bump the sugar up a little next time around.
My glaze is amazing. It’s a basic glaze, with vanilla, and a tablespoon of cane syrup. Wow!
No seed oils in my house. I fried the donuts in my No.8 Chicken Fryer in 340-350° lard for 2 minutes per side. Fantastic! I’ve learned that lard at the right temp never causes oil retention in the food, or a greasy mouth, or an aftertaste.
Thank you for publishing this recipe. It’s a keeper in my house!
thank you for the recipe. Love sour cream donuts. M
These donuts are absolutely amazing. I do have a question though. All of ours split and cracked on the sides instead of the tops. Is there a reason why this happens? Hoping to use this recipe for a donut tower at a wedding but they don’t look great all split on the sides.
hmmm…it sounds like your dough may have been too dry. Do you use a digital scale to measure your ingredients? Or did the unbaked doughnuts sit out for a period of time where they could have formed a dried skin on them, which would have split in the hot oil? I’d love to help troubleshoot through this further, let me know if I can help!
Every sour cream old fashioned donut I’ve ever seen sold in a store has splits along the sides. I was surprised to see that this recipe didn’t have them!