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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Made this tonight and it was easy and enjoyed by the whole family. It is tender and moist and tastes just like a fresh powdered donut without the grease! I baked in glass for the entire 35 min at 350 and it still wasn’t fully done but browning too much so unfortunately mine sank a bit in the middle after removal. Next time I’ll reduce temp for glass, bake longer and foil it to prevent over browning.
This cake was excellent! So easy too!
I decided to try a new recipe from Jenn this year and this one is amazing, so easy and quick to make, no mixer needed and very basic ingredients. Definitely 5*, very moist and super tasty if you like nutmeg.
We enjoyed Chocolate Biscotti and Rustic French Apple Tart from Jenn’s blog over the holidays. I made them several times since discovering this blog last year and as someone new to baking, I have been very fortunate to learn from a very talented chef, so thank you Jenn! I shared your blog with friends and family in Canada, England and US 😀 We love your recipes, so keep them coming. Thank you and Happy New Year!
So glad you like the recipes and Happy new year to you and your family! 🙂
Im making this cake right now my butter was at room temp when i added but its now all curdled? should i have added melted butter?
Hi Sam, Yes, for this recipe, the butter should be melted.
Hi Jenn, I’ve just made this cake and although it’s absolutely delicious it seems less deep than yours although I used an 8 inch square cake tin. I had the same problem with your French Apple cake which turned out very thin and overcooked. Are American inches different to English ones I wonder?
Hi Jan, Strange that both this and the French apple cake turned out more shallow than you expected. The apple cake is actually very thin, so that part is not a surprise, but the fact that it was overcooked makes me wonder about your pan size. Are you sure it’s 8 inches and not 9? Also, you asked about American versus English measurements. The great majority of my recipes (including this one) have metric conversions, so you may want to refer to those.
Excellent simple cake. Quick to make as well. The nutmeg adds a nice taste to the cake.
Can you make this in a Bundt cake pan
Hi Lindsay, I haven’t tried it so not sure how stick-proof it is, but it should work. Depending on the size of your pan, you may want to increase the recipe.
hello i dont have fresh nutmeg – can i substitute for prepackaged nutmeg if yes how much?
Sure, ground nutmeg will work (and you’ll need the same amount). Hope you enjoy!
Absolutely delicious! I bake quite a bit, but rarely eat what I bake, but I will make an exception for this cake. I love nutmeg. My family likes this as well, it’s almost gone, and I made it last night. I think I’ll be picking up the book too. Thank you for the recommendation.
Delicious!!