Glazed Cherry Old Fashioned Doughnut Bundt
It’s no exaggeration to describe this cake as essentially an oversized old fashioned doughnut—and it’s just as good as you’d imagine. The old fashioned doughnut has been a favorite of mine since childhood, its distinct combination of denseness and delicateness alongside its remarkably cakey texture made me fall in love. So when I saw this cake from Heather of Brown Butter Blondie, who in turn saw it in Southern Living, I knew I had to make it. It takes everything one could love from its doughnut counterpart and enhances it all. I added cardamom and cherries for a fun and seasonal twist, and I opted for a thicker glaze more familiar to bundts. These tweaks help it feel more like a cake influenced by a doughnut, without which it’s pretty much a doughnut the size of a cake—though you really can’t go wrong either way!
Glazed Cherry Old Fashioned Donut Bundt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1½ (300g) cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 tbs vanilla bean paste
3½ (438g) cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt—I used Diamond
1 tsp cardamom
½ cup buttermilk, room temp
½ cup (120g) full fat sour cream, room temp
2 cups sweet dark cherries, pitted and cut in half or quarters
Vanilla Bean Glaze
2 ½ cups confectioners sugar
3 tbs + 2 tsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
Equipment
12-15 cup bundt pan
Standing/handheld mixer
Medium bowl
Whisk
Spatula
Cooling rack
Method
Heat oven to 350°F.
Add the butter and the sugar to the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. On medium-high speed beat these ingredients together until light and fluffy. This should take anywhere from 3-4 minutes.
Next, beat in the eggs one at a time. Make sure that each egg is incorporated before adding the next one. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the vanilla paste, and beat a few times until just combined.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cardamom until well combined. With the mixer on low speed, slowly begin adding the flour mixture to the whipped butter alternating with the buttermilk and sour cream. Continue to beat everything together until just combined. Do not over mix.
Remove the mixing bowl from it’s base, add the cherries, and fold a few times with a spatula to incorporate the fruit.
Quickly give your bundt pan a light spray of non-stick baking spray, making sure that its just enough to lightly coat the pan.
Pour the mixture into the pan and place in the oven. Bake until the bundt is golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes or so. If for any reason the bottom of the cake seems to brown to quickly, simply cover it with a piece of tin foil.
Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool before inverting it on to a cooling rack, or a large plate. Allow the cake to completely cool before glazing.
For the glaze: Whisk powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla bean paste together until a thick pourable glaze texture is achieved. Pour over cooled cake. If a thinner, more donut-like glaze is desired simply add a bit more milk.
Recipe slightly adapted from Brown Butter Blondie & Southern Living Magazine.
