These 2-Ingredient Baked Cake Donuts are too good to be true! Just two ingredients for the donuts, a container of frosting for the glaze and in less than 30 minutes you’ll have great cake donuts ready to enjoy!
Do or Donut, There is No Try
Today’s the day, my friends! It’s National Donut Day!!! Yes, a day to celebrate our love for donuts & devour as many as we want without being judged. Wait, who would ever judge someone for eating donuts?! 😉 It’s no secret that I’m obsessed with donuts. I mean I wear donut shoes, donut shirts, a donut necklace and all the donut shops in town know me by name. Absolutely no shame in my donut loving game!
In honor of my love for donuts, I’m not just sharing one yummy donut recipe today, but two! Woo-hoo!
Watch Me Make Baked Cake Donuts
Join me in the kitchen as I make a batch of these amazing 2-Ingredient Baked Cake Donuts!
Two Ingredients, One Delicious Donut
First up are these incredibly easy and delicious 2-Ingredient Baked Cake Donuts with a 1-Ingredient Glaze. They’re too good to be true! This recipe is for my semi-homemade, fear of frying, need something quick & easy but still want them to taste amazing, donut lovers out there. You’re gonna love these donuts!
Okay, back to these 2-Ingredient baked cake donuts! “How can that be??” you might be asking. What about the flour! The yeast! The powdered sugar! The salt! Surely there are egg! Well, they’re actually made with a cake mix and one other ingredient mixed in. I don’t use cake mixes often because I love baking from scratch, but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with using a cake mix every once in a while to make life easier & to mix things up.
So when I got this idea in my head to bake donuts with a cake mix and just one other ingredient mixed in, I ran with it and I love how they turned out! The options are plentiful when it comes to picking a flavor for these cake donuts. Just take your favorite cake mix and stir in either 2 cups mashed banana, 2 cups cinnamon applesauce or a 15 ounce can of pure pumpkin to the dough.
And you’ll never believe it, but the glaze is just store-bought frosting that’s been microwaved for about 10 seconds. It works so perfectly as a donut glaze. I was literally doing the happy dance when this little idea of mine worked so well.
The donuts are soft and cakey and the sweet glaze coats and compliments them perfectly. Oh my yum!
How to Make 2-Ingredient Donuts
To make cake mix donuts, take 1 cake mix, 1 mix-in and 1 container of frosting. Sprinkles are technically optional, but come on! Sprinkles are given when it comes to donuts, am I right?! 😉
Here we go…
You like chocolate cake donuts? For chocolate cake donuts: Use a chocolate cake mix and stir in any of the 3 mix-ins and use any frosting glaze you so desire!
For vanilla cake donuts: Use vanilla cake mix and any of the 3 mix-ins would work great and the same goes for the frosting glaze!
For Strawberry cake donuts: Use mashed bananas or applesauce for the mix-in and a strawberry frosting glaze! You like spice cake mix, go with applesauce or pumpkin and a cream cheese or plain vanilla frosting glaze!
So many yummy options! The process for making these donuts is so quick and easy it’s ridiculous. You’ll be baking these bad boys (I mean that in a good way) every chance you get.
Donuts Three Ways
I made them three different ways to show you how: Strawberry banana with a strawberry frosting glaze and sprinkles, of course! Oh la la!!
Apple Spice with a vanilla frosting glaze…sweet & simply delicious! Might be my fave!
Chocolate pumpkin with a chocolate frosting glaze and chocolate sprinkles! Party!
So what are you waiting for? Grab a cake mix, a mix-in, and a container of frosting and you’re less than 30 minutes away from baked cake donut deliciousness!
Even More Donut Deliciousness
Stay tuned for some scratch-made, home-fried Blueberry Donuts that are still super easy and can be ready to enjoy in just 30 minutes. Once again, too good to be true!
Oh, and don’t forget about the Easy Old-Fashioned Donuts, Whole Wheat Baked Banana Donuts with a Peanut Butter Glaze, and Baked Banana Donuts with a Maple Glaze recipes that I’ve posted in the past. They might be oldies on the blog, but they’re still goody good good!
I’m so excited about these donuts! They’re so easy to make, they taste great, the flavor options are endless and everyone will go crazy over them. If you make these 2-Ingredient Donuts, be sure to snap a picture and share it with me or tag me on Instagram @thebakermama so I can see. 
I love seeing how inspired and creative y’all get with the recipes I share. Enjoy!
xoxo,
2-Ingredient Baked Cake Donuts
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 7 mins
- Total Time: 22 mins
- Yield: 12
- Category: Breakfast
Description
These 2-Ingredient Baked Cake Donuts are too good to be true! Just two ingredients for the donuts and a container of frosting for the glaze and in less than 30 minutes you’ll have great cake donuts ready to enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 cake mix, any flavor (just the dry mix)
- 1 mix-in (2 cups mashed banana OR 2 cups cinnamon applesauce OR 1 (15 ounce) can pure pumpkin)
- 1 container frosting, any flavor
- Sprinkles, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray one (or two) 6 cavity donut pans with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the cake mix (just the dry mix, no other ingredients listed on the box) with one of the mix-in options until well combined. Transfer the batter to a gallon-size resealable baggie and seal shut. Cut a small piece off one corner off the bottom of the baggie and fill each donut ring almost completely full with batter. You can also use a piping bag, if you have one. (Should make 12 donuts)
- Bake for 7-8 minutes or until donuts are set and spring back up when touched. Let donuts cool in pan for at least 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack set over a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to collect glaze drippings. Repeat process with remaining batter if you don’t have two donut pans.
- Heat frosting in a microwave safe bowl for 10-15 seconds until of drizzling consistency. Dip one donut at a time into the frosting glaze and place upright back on the wire rack. If sprinkling with sprinkles, do so immediately after glazing each donut. Repeat with remaining donuts. Allow glaze to set for 5-10 minutes. Enjoy!
Notes
If using a mini donut pan, bake for about 5 minutes before testing doneness.
Has anyone ever tried just pureed strawberries?
I used triple chocolate cake and shredded zucchini mixed with one egg as my add in. They were a hit and no one had any idea they had zucchini in them! I’m still being hounded for the recipe.
I do want to try the zucchini next time without the egg and see how they turn out. I’m just a bit reluctant…why fix it if it isn’t broken, as they say…..
Hi Elle! That’s such a great idea! I want to try them with just zucchini now too. Enjoy! 🙂
Hi Elle,
How much zucchini and egg mixture did you use as the add in? Did you beat the egg first, or just stir it into the grated zucchini? Also, was the zucchini raw or cooked?
Thanks,
Tracy
Hi Tracy,
I used 2 cups of raw, shredded zucchini and 1 egg. I beat the egg slightly with a fork and then stirred it into the zucchini before adding it to the dry cake mix. Stir all ingredients until completely mixed; then bake.
Enjoy; they are delicious!
Elle
Wondering if sour cream or greek yogurt could be used as the mix in to make a denser, richer donut. Has anyone tried this?
Hi Jennifer! I know some people have used yogurt with success. Hope this helps and that they turn out great! Enjoy!
Can I use a 14 oz quick bread mix in place of a cake mix?
Hi Mary! I think a quick bread mix will work great! The baking time might vary slightly, so just watch them carefully. Enjoy!
I tried this recipe yesterday! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Easiest recipe I have found! I have a 20 count pan, so making a big batch was easy!
Hi Anova! So happy you baked and loved these easy donuts as much as we do. Thanks for sharing! Enjoy!
I want to make sugar cookie flavor donuts. What cake mix and mix in would you recommend? Also peppermint flavored?
Hi Juanita! I would recommend a white cake mix with applesauce as the mix-in and then vanilla frosting glaze with a sprinkle of sugar on top for a sugar cookie version. Or you could mix in cinnamon applesauce for a snickerdoodle-like version with a vanilla glaze and a cinnamon sugar sprinkle. For peppermint, I would recommend a white cake mix with applesauce and peppermint extract mixed in and then a vanilla glaze with crushed peppermint sprinkled on top. Or you could do a chocolate cake mix with applesauce and peppermint extract mixed in and then a vanilla glaze with the crushed peppermint sprinkled on top. So many yummy ways to make these donuts! Enjoy!
Can I replace bananas with anything… ? I want to make the strawberry ones
Hi Jonnie! Yes, you can use 2 cups applesauce or 1 (15 ounce) can of pure pumpkin in place of the banana. Enjoy!
I used cherry pie filling with chocolate cake mix and iced with cream cheese icing. YUM
Did you puree the cherry pie filling?
love baked donuts! These look perfect! Pinned!
If I want to cover with cinnamon sugar can I do that? Would I do better using spice cake mix with cinnamon apple sauce?
Yes and yes! Cinnamon sugar coated apple spice donuts would be AMAZING! Such a great idea! I can’t wait to try this variation myself. Enjoy!
THEY FREEZE WONDERFULLY! Thanks for the recipe.
I am alone now so when I baked these I let them cool for about 2 hours then I wrapped them in plastic wrap, then in foil and placed them in the freezer. When I knew someone was coming to the apartment complex office I took some to the manager during the holiday season. Twice she called me and asked if I had extras. I was glad I made 5 boxes of the cake mix.
I used carrot, vanilla (x 2), yellow and spice. Everyone was asking for the recipe. Waited until January 1 to give it to her. She has already made 7 batches.
Thank you for sharing this great idea! I made the chocolate with pumpkin. Chocolate glaze. Your directions were great!!! They were wonderful!
So great to hear, Diane! We love love the chocolate pumpkin combo too! 🙂
If I use fresh blueberries do I measure the two cups of mix in before or after I mash them?
Hi Judy! I haven’t tested the recipe with fresh blueberries so I couldn’t say for sure how they would turn out. I would recommend testing it with 2 cups of mashed fresh blueberries so you have a puree like texture to add to the cake mix. Hope this helps and that they turn out great! Enjoy!