Glazed Donut Cake

Donut cake.

Just sit back and let it sink in.

Donut cake. Donut. Cake. DONUT. CAKE. (I know, I know — you get it. I just relish any opportunity to use Caps Lock.)

Not a cake made of donuts. A cake that tastes like one big donut.

No messy frying. No vegetable shortening. Just a simple buttermilk cake infused with nutmeg and vanilla, a subtly spicy combination with an aroma that permeates your house, bewitching and enticing and distracting you from your all-important glaze-making duties. In my case, this led to a glaze that stiffened up so quickly that I barely had any time to spread it. This is why my cake looks like a sad mistake, and not the beautifully constructed beauty that I had planned to present to my dad for his birthday.

Looks aside, this cake is breakfast cake heaven. Dense and buttery, just barely sweet and even a little tangy, it begs for a strong cup of coffee. And if that isn’t the hallmark of a good donut, what is?

Glazed Donut Cake
Recipe from The Wednesday Chef

– 1 stick butter, room temperature

– 1-1/3 cups sugar

– 3 large eggs, room temperature

– 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

– 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

– 2 tablespoons cornmeal

– 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

– 2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

– 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

– 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature (I mixed 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice + 1/2 cup milk to make this)

1) Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan, and set it aside. (I only had 8-inch pans, so that’s what I used — my baking time was a wee bit longer because of this.)

2) Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Next, add the eggs one by one, incorporating after each addition. Then add in the vanilla and mix, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

3) In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, salt, baking powder and nutmeg.

4) Add the flour mixture to the butter-sugar-eggs batter in 3 parts, alternating with the buttermilk, starting and ending with flour. Make sure everything is incorporated before adding the next addition, but don’t overmix. Scrape the batter in the prepared pan and smooth the top.

5) Bake until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30-35 minutes. Turn out, and cool on a rack for 10 minutes before glazing.

Donut Glaze
Recipe from Alton Brown

– 2 tablespoons whole milk

– 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

– 1 cup powdered sugar

– pinch of nutmeg

1) Combine the milk and vanilla in a medium saucepan and heat over low heat until warm. Sift confectioners’ sugar into milk mixture. Whisk slowly, until well combined, adding the nutmeg when the glaze is almost ready. Drizzle the glaze over the warm cake and allow to cool slightly before serving.