Powdered Donut Cake
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Heavy on the butter and nutmeg, this cake has all the flavors of your favorite cake donut in a convenient square shape.
This donut cake comes from the wonderful new cookbook Snacking Cakes: Simple Treats for Anytime Cravings by Yossy Arefi. I’m having so much fun baking my way through this sweet book—all the cakes are made using just one bowl (no electric mixers needed!) with ingredients you likely already have in your kitchen. Yossy writes, “Heavy on the butter and nutmeg, this cake has all the flavors of your favorite cake donut in a convenient square shape—no frying necessary! Just take my word for it, and don’t wear a black shirt when you eat it. You are definitely going to get confectioners’ sugar all over yourself with every bite.”
Table of Contents
Powdered Donut Cake Ingredients
Step-by-Step Instructions
In a large bowl, combine the granulated sugar and eggs.
Whisk until pale and foamy, about 1 minute.
Add the sour cream, butter, nutmeg, vanilla, and salt.
Whisk until smooth and emulsified.
Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
Whisk until well-combined and smooth.
Pour the batter into a parchment-lined pan. 
Bake the cake until puffed and golden, and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes.
Set the pan on a rack to cool for about 15 minutes. Then use the parchment paper to lift the cake out of the pan and set it on the rack to cool almost completely.
Finish the cake: While the cake is just warm to the touch, brush the top with the melted butter.
Dust with the confectioners’ sugar — you should have a nice thick layer, more than you think might be necessary. Cut into squares and enjoy!
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Powdered Donut Cake
Heavy on the butter and nutmeg, this cake has all the flavors of your favorite cake donut in a convenient square shape.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1¼ teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1½ cups all purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled off with a knife
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
For Topping
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- 3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
Instructions
- Position a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 350ºF. Butter or coat an 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick spray. Line the pan with a strip of parchment paper that hangs over two of the edges.
- Make the cake: In a large bowl, whisk the granulated sugar and eggs until pale and foamy, about 1 minute. Add the sour cream, butter, nutmeg, vanilla, and salt. Whisk until smooth and emulsified.
- Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk until well-combined and smooth.
- Pour the batter into the pan and bake the cake until puffed and golden, and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes. Set the pan on a rack to cool for about 15 minutes. Then use the parchment paper to lift the cake out of the pan and set it on the rack to cool almost completely.
- Finish the cake: While the cake is just warm to the touch, brush the top with the melted butter and dust with the confectioners’ sugar. You should have a nice thick layer of confectioners' sugar—more than you think might be necessary. (Store the cake, covered, at room temperature for up to three days. The cake will absorb the sugar on top, so it might need a fresh dusting of confectioners’ sugar after the second day.)
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (16 servings)
- Serving size: 1 square
- Calories: 181
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated fat: 6 g
- Carbohydrates: 21 g
- Sugar: 11 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 2.5 g
- Sodium: 190 mg
- Cholesterol: 46 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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The minute Jenn recommended this recipe, I decided to make it this week and buy the book.
As usual, she is the BEST at sharing and creating recipes for her devoted fans. Thank you. This cake tastes EXACTLY like a powdered sugar cake donut. I read some other reviews and may I say, make it with the nutmeg. It is completely based on nutmeg. Don’t skimp, substitute or subvert the nutmeg. I implore you;)
We absolutely loved this cake! My 7-year-son devoured it and said “let’s call it Snow Cake because the topping looks like snow!” My sons both told me to save the recipe and make it again immediately. Absolutely delicious! Thanks for another great recipe!
As everything I make from your recipes, rave reviews. So light and moist!!!!!
Easy, everything right on hand. Great for snack, brunch or dessert.
5 stars
I made it and it was delicious. Super easy but mine sank in the bottom… I live in a high altitude area. What could I have done wrong?
Often times when it cake sinks in the middle it’s because it’s a bit underbaked. Unfortunately, I don’t have any experience with high altitude baking so I can’t say whether or not that had an impact but you may find these tips helpful. Hope you have better luck if you make this again!
Very easy to make and tastes just like a cake donut, including the rather firm texture. I used 11% Greek yogurt instead of sour cream and it worked fine. Great with coffee.
FYI, someone posted this exact recipe on Food 52 today.
Because this recipe comes from another writer’s cookbook Snacking Cakes: Simple Treats for Anytime Cravings, it’s not mine so you may see it posted in other places. Thanks for the heads-up and hope you enjoy the cake if you make it!
I’m not a nutmeg fan. Is there a strong nutmeg flavor? Is it possible to substitute with something else or omit?
Hi Rena, this does have a relatively strong nutmeg flavor as that’s what gives the cake a distinct donut flavor. Perhaps you could just reduce the amount a bit? Or you could use half nutmeg and half cinnamon.
This turned out so moist and delicious. I did use cinnamon sugar on top instead of powdered sugar because I didn’t want to deal with powdered sugar haha. I definitely will be getting the Snacking Cakes book.
Thanks for this recipe! I am curious if you would recommend any changes for high altitude baking?
Thanks for your note. I don’t have experience baking at high altitudes so, unfortunately, I don’t have any wisdom to share – I’m sorry! You may find these tips helpful though. Hope you enjoy the cake if you make it!
This cake was so delicious.
My whole family enjoyed it.
So easy and and so tasty.
I decided to do a vanilla glaze for the top of the cake and this, I think, really complimented the cake.
Thank you for an outstanding recipe.