The Very Best Blueberry Cake Donuts {and Donut Holes}

These blueberry cake donuts will rival any that you find at your favorite donut shop. They’re deep fried, with a crackly layer of glaze and a tender, lightly sweet center.

You know what I love? Donuts. Or Doughnuts, if you prefer (I do). Take, for example, pumpkin spice donuts, strawberry donuts, chocolate donuts, apple pie donuts, and the list goes on.

Do you know what else I love? Blueberries in any and ever form. Everything from coffee cake, tarts, blueberry cookies, scones, cobbler, curd, jammy shortbread bars… I think you get the idea.

So blueberry cake donuts seem inevitable, don’t they? I simply took my Old-Fashioned Glazed Donuts recipe, rehydrated a few dried blueberries, put them together, and started frying. The results? Simply gorgeous.

While I think baked donuts have their place, this is not one of them. But if frying seems intimidating, never fear! I’ll walk you through how to deep fry donuts at home without a fancy deep fryer.

Frying donuts creates the crackly, golden exterior while the inside stays fluffy and soft. The little crackling ridges across the top of the donuts that catch the glaze? Those are only there because of frying. Hot oil is essentially magic.

Ingredients

• Butter
• Granulated sugar
• Egg yolks
• Vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• Sour cream
• Cake flour or all-purpose flour+cornstarch
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Dried blueberries

For the Glaze

• 1/2 cup milk
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

Making the Donut Batter

Chop the dried blueberries into 3-4 pieces, then place them in a bowl. Pour about a half cup of boiling water over them, and allow it to sit for 5 minutes, or until the blueberries are soft. Dump the blueberries in a fine mesh sieve and let the water drain off.

Melt the butter in a bowl and beat in the sugar until it’s fluffy. Add the sour cream, egg yolks, and vanilla. Stir until it’s all well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir them into the wet ingredients until the flour is mostly incorporated. Add the blueberries and finish stirring the batter until there are not flour streaks left and the berries are well distributed throughout it.

Place the dough on a disc of plastic wrap and press it out so that it’s 1-2″ thick. Wrap it well and place it in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours, or up to 24. This time in the fridge will help the butter in the dough solidify and give you a firmer dough that’s easier to work with.

Rolling Out and Cutting the Donuts

Once the dough is chilled, sprinkle a surface with flour. Place the dough on it and roll it out to about an inch thick. Cut out as many 3-4 inch circles as possible, then use a 1 inch cutter to cut the center out of each.

Set the cut donuts aside, then press together all of the dough around the edges. Press them all together and re-roll the dough out again, and cut as many out as you can.

You can either press the donut holes back into the dough edges and re-cut them as donuts, or you can fry them.

Don’t re-roll the dough more than twice, as it can get tough and you’ll end up with chewy donuts.

Frying the Blueberry Cake Donuts

To fry the donuts, pour 3-4 inches of a neutral flavored, high-smoke point oil in a medium sized pot with high sides. Some oils that work well are canola, vegetable, peanut, sunflower, or avocado.

Place a candy/fry thermometer on the edge of the pot. Heat the oil over medium heat until it reaches 375°. Carefully place 2-3 donuts in the oil and cook them on the first side for 1 1/2 minutes. The temperature of the oil will drop some when the donuts are added.

Turn the donuts with a long handled wooden or metal fork (plastic will melt in the oil), then allow them to cook for another 1 to 1 1/2 minutes on the second side. The outside should be a deep golden brown.

Remove the donuts from the hot oil and place them on a baking rack placed over a baking sheet to catch any oil drips. Cut open one of the donuts to make sure that the inside is cooked through. If not, you’ll need to lower the temperature on the oil.

Allow the oil to the correct temperature, making it hotter or allowing it to cool some depending on how they cooked.

Glazing the Donuts

To glaze the donuts, heat 1/2 cup of milk in a small pot until it’s steaming but not boiling. Whisk in 4 cups of powdered sugar, a bit at a time, until you have a glaze that runs easily but doesn’t look milky. Whisk in the vanilla extract or bean paste.

Dip each donut in the glaze, then flip it over to coat the other side. Lift it out of the glaze and allow the excess to run off, then place it on the cooling rack. I like to use a fork for this process.

Recipe Notes, Tips, and FAQs

• Blueberries along the outside of the donut may fall out during frying. This is ok, but if you see a lot on the outside of a donut, press them gently into the dough so that they stay in while the donut is cooking.
• You can make the donuts ahead of time and store them for a day or two, or freeze them. But it’s best to glaze them just a bit before serving, as the glaze can get soft and wet when stored.
• Don’t over cook the donuts, or they may be dry–you want the outside to be a medium golden brown color. Adjust the times and stove temperature as needed.

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