Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Everything is better with chocolate.
Texture: Cakey yet slightly fluffy but much more dense than any yeast-raised doughnut. Those craggy edges just soak up that luscious thick glaze.
Ease: Easier than yeast doughnuts, these can be in your mouth in under 2 hours start to finish.
Pros: Nothing like a homemade doughnut, especially an old-fashioned sour cream doughnut. There’s just something about that texture!
Cons: Sorry about your diet 😉
Would I make this again? Oh definitely.
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I can’t stop dreaming about these Chocolate Old Fashioned Doughnuts.
The crisp exterior, the soft, cakey interior, and the rich chocolate flavor are heavenly – but then coat it all in a lucious, thick glaze? Who could possibly say no to that!?
These donuts are essentially the chocolate version of my crazy-popular Old-Fashioned Sour Cream Doughnuts, which are (unsurprisingly) one of the most popular recipes on the site!
These delicious homemade treats are the perfect weekend or holiday breakfast, and any kiddos will go crazy for them.
Be sure to check out my tips below, for the best breakfast treats ever.
If you make these Chocolate Old-Fashioned Doughnuts, be sure to take a picture and tag it #handletheheat on Instagram. I love seeing your photos!
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make Chocolate Old-Fashioned Doughnuts
Use a Scale to Weigh Your Ingredients
I highly recommend using a digital kitchen scale to weigh out the ingredients for these Chocolate Old-Fashioned Doughnuts. Mis-measuring is super easy to do when measuring by volume (cups) and can create doughnuts that are dry and tough, instead of fluffy and light. Learn more about how to measure flour correctly here.
Use REAL Bleached Cake Flour in Chocolate Old-Fashioned Doughnuts
- This is a must for these Chocolate Old-Fashioned Doughnuts.
- Store-bought cake flour will yield light and delicate doughnuts, just like the ones from a good bakery.
- DIY substitutions simply won’t work as well.
- 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.
- Learn more about cake flour (and DIY substitutions) here.
What Type of Cocoa Powder Should I Use for Doughnuts?
You can use either natural/unsweetened cocoa powder or Dutch processed cocoa powder for this Chocolate Old-Fashioned Doughnut recipe. Learn more about the differences between Natural & Dutch processed cocoa powder here.
This Recipe is FRIED
- This recipe was specifically designed to be fried and not baked.
- Be sure to 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.
- Alternatively, check out all my doughnut recipes here for recipes designed to be baked.
Can I Air Fry These Chocolate Old-Fashioned Doughnuts?
We haven’t tried that, but based on our testing with other doughnut recipes, air frying doesn’t work the same way as frying doughnuts with oil. If you wish to experiment, let us know how it goes in the comments below!
How to Store Chocolate Old-Fashioned Doughnuts
Chocolate Old-Fashioned Doughnuts are best enjoyed the day they’re made, but they will keep for a few days stored in an airtight container.
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 without mess.
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Chocolate Old Fashioned Doughnuts
Ingredients
For the doughnuts:
- 2 cups (226 grams) cake flour*
- 1/2 cup (40 grams) cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 cup sour cream
- Canola oil, for frying
For the glaze:
- 3 1/2 cups (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
Make the donuts:
- In a bowl, sift together the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- 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, and ending with the flour. The dough will be sticky. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour, or until slightly firmed.
- On a well-floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/2 inch thickness. Use a doughnut cutter (or a larger + a small biscuit cutter) to cut out as many doughnuts as possible, dipping the cutters into flour as necessary to prevent sticking. You should get about 14 doughnuts and holes. Don't worry if they stick a little to the cutter, they'll puff up while frying and imperfections won't matter.
- 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. Let drain on a paper bag to soak up the excess grease.
Make 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 or until glaze is set.
- Doughnuts are best served the day they are made but may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days.
Can you bake these or do in the air fryer? I love a good chocolate cake donut!
Hi there! We haven’t tried that, as these doughnuts were designed to be fried in oil. Feel free to experiment and let us know how it goes!
Hey there, can you use the Hershey’s Dark Chocolate Coca powder to give these donuts a more robust Chocolatey taste? Do you think it would mess with the batter consistency?
Hi Juan! We haven’t tried that, but it should work just fine! Let us know how it goes if you give this a try! 🙂
Excellent way to make them!
Happy you enjoyed these doughnuts, Travis!!
Can these be frozen? At what point should I freeze them, if possible? Before or after frying?
Hi Cathi! While we haven’t tried freezing these doughnuts, I don’t see why you couldn’t! Once you have fried them, cool completely and arrange the doughnuts in a single layer on a baking tray. Freeze the tray for a few hours, or until solid. Transfer the frozen doughnuts to a freezer bag or airtight container and return them to the freezer. To defrost, leave them on the kitchen counter for a few hours. I would recommend refreshing them in a very hot oven for a few minutes, just to crisp the outside back up, without drying out the middle, and then glaze the doughnuts before serving. I hope that helps! 🙂
Can I make the dough a day ahead and refrigerate it overnight?
Hi Jess! You can, just make sure to keep them really well covered as this dough tends to dry out quickly.