Baked Glazed Lemon Donuts
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These fluffy lemon cake donuts are baked to perfection, then dunked in a slightly tart lemon glaze. They are capable of making even the dreariest of mornings bright!
Somebody PLEASE let the sunshine in!
We had the most gorgeous weather last month, for a February in Nebraska, anyway. Then it’s like Mother Nature cut the lights.
I know, I know. I shouldn’t complain, right? It IS still March. But …but … technically Spring started a week ago. Ever since then, we have had cold, wind and gloom.
One morning, last week, I decided it was time to bake up a little sunshine to make up for the lack of it outside. I still had lemons to use, and typically when I think of sunshiny sweet things, they always involve lemon.
I did a little research and found a recipe to try. Boy, was I glad that I did!
The cake was perfectly fluffy and the glaze!
SWOON!
There is nothing I love more on a sweet lemon baked good then to dunk it in a tart glaze. Best of both worlds, am I right?
If you don’t have a donut pan yet, what are you waiting for? I have used the heck out of mine, and it’s never ever failed me. Spoon the batter in and watch them bake up perfect every time.
Then while they are hot, carefully dunk them in the glaze and place on a rack to cool.
Do I have you Dreaming of DONUTS????
Baked Banana Donuts
Let’s get baking! 
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Baked Glazed Lemon Donuts
Ingredients
To Make the Donuts:
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 Tablespoon lemon extract no substitutions
- Yellow food coloring optional, as much as needed for desired color
- 1 1/4 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
To Make the Glaze:
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 5 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Make the Donuts - Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray one 6-count non-stick with cooking spray, Set aside.
- In the bowl of your mixer combine the sour cream, eggs, sugar, oil, lemon zest and lemon extract.
- Fold in flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Fill donut pan, and bake for about 13 to 15 minutes. They will be springy to the touch.
- Prepare Lemon Glaze In a small bowl, add powdered sugar and slowly drizzle in the lemon juice while whisking until smooth and combined. You may not need ALL of the juice. Quit adding when you get your desired consistency. Don't worry, if it gets too thin, add more sugar until you're happy with it.
- When donuts are hot, remove them from the pan, when you are able to touch them, dunk the top in the glaze and let them dry/cool on a wire rack.
- Spray and fill pan up one more time, repeating all of the steps. Makes 10 donuts. (if glaze begins to harden in between batches, simply pop it in the microwave for a few seconds and give it a stir)
- Best eaten when fresh. Store in an airtight container up to 4 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Lemon donuts are so yummy and this recipe is perfect.
I love tart and fruity treats more than the chocolate varieties, so naturally these lemon donuts are an instant favorite. 🙂
I love lemon desserts, and this one is not an exception! Made these lemon donuts this morning: I am ready to eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! Yummy and delicious!
What if you don’t have a donut pan, can you use a regular baking sheet?
I’m not sure how that would work? Try a muffin tin? That would work.
Michaela,
I have been trying to find a baked donut recipe I like but they all had too much nutmeg and or cinnamon. I then decided to check for lemon donuts as I love lemon. I found your recipe and decided to give it a try. Your recipe says to remove them from the pan while hot. In doing so, they fell apart (most of them. They were real soft like a cake you couldn’t pick up. The batter wasn’t runny it stayed on the spoon until i scooped it off. The only thing I did departing from the recipe was add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice since I had so much of it. I still added the lemon extract. Do you think the little bit of added lemon juice made it come out too soft and not hold up. I had to spoon the icing on as they broke apart when picked up. Thank you for this recipe, THE FLAVOR IS OUTSTANDING. Please email me a reply.
Helen — They are certainly delicate when they are warm, but I haven’t ever had a problem with them breaking on me? It might very well be the addition of extra liquid that did it? I hope you try them again without the extra juice.
Holy crap these are amazing! I made them for my family and they ate them SO FAST. Very soft, not overly sweet, and very easy to make
I am THRILLED that you love them!!
What can i use instead of Sour Cream?
You can sub Greek yogurt!
Would it be ok to make the batter the night before and store in the fridge until morning and then bake?
I don’t see why that would be a problem?
This recipe is a keeper! These are the best oven baked donuts! Thanks for sharing your recipe! I made 12 with my small donut pan.
I am tickled you loved the recipe! Thanks for leaving a comment!
Can you freeze them before glazing?
Absolutely!