Baked Nutella Donuts

Baked cakey donuts are my absolute favourite, and these Nutella donuts are always a welcome favourite in our home! A chocolate hazelnut donut topped with irresistible chocolate hazelnut spread finished with a white chocolate drizzle and chopped toasted hazelnuts. Heavenly!

Why you will love these Nutella donuts

• Completely addictive! My children love these donuts with Nutella. As it is, they would probably just eat Nutella straight from the jar with a spoon, so making it into donuts just makes for an extra special treat!
• Cake not bread. Personally, I actually prefer baked donuts with a cake texture over the bread type. I find it lighter and more adaptable with flavours. Besides, who says you can’t have your cake and eat it too?!
• Easy to make. The making of these is so simple, no need for electric mixers or hours of proving. You can make and be eating these beautiful donuts in under an hour!
• Widely available ingredients. Use easily available ingredients in making this, hurrah! So there is no need to go shopping especially, as you probably have all the ingredients at home already!

What ingredients do I need to make these baked Nutella donuts?

• Flour: this recipe uses plain (all purpose) flour. I prefer using plain flour so I can control the amount of raising agent in the bake.
• Cocoa: for a wonderful chocolate flavour in this bake.
• Brown sugar: for sweetness in these delicious cakey donuts.
• Baking powder/bicarbonate of soda: the leavening agents in this bake and essential for light and fluffy Nutella doughnuts!
• Salt: enhances the flavour of these baked donuts. You will not taste it, I promise!
• Egg: for rise and structure in the donuts.
• Milk: the liquid requirement of this baked donuts recipe.
• Butter: this is the fat content of the recipe. Butter helps keep the bake moist and trap air during baking, leading to a fluffier bake.
• Vanilla: purely for flavour. Yum!
• Nutella: the star flavour of the show. Used in the donuts Nutella as well as to top the donuts as a “Nutella glaze”.
• White chocolate: an optional ingredient, used to drizzle over the donuts to decorate.
• Hazelnuts: I used blanched hazelnuts because that is what I had in my pantry. Toast the nut before using for extra delicious flavour.

What equipment do I need to make baked donuts?

• Donut pan*: I use two six hole donut pans to make these Nutella donuts.
• Digital kitchen scales*: I provide all my measurements in cups, however I would encourage all bakers to weigh out ingredients when baking. A set of digital kitchen scales is so useful and totally an essential baking tool for me.
• Measuring spoons*: a set of dedicated measuring spoons is essential for any baker. This is because these are more accurate than using everyday teaspoons and tablespoons, which can vary greatly in size.
• Pastry brush*: to brush the donut pan with melted butter before filling with donut cake mixture. This step is essential for easy release of the baked donuts.
• Mixing bowl*: any bowl large enough will do, plastic, glass, the choice is yours!
• Sieve*: to remove larger clumps and aerate the dry ingredients.
• Jug*: for mixing together the wet ingredients in before adding to the dry.
• Whisk*: to mix together the dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately before combining to make the hazelnut chocolate donuts.
• Spatula*: to use to mix ingredients together when combining wet and dry. Also useful for gathering all the mixture together for piping into the pan.
• Piping bag*: totally optional, but I find it much easier (and neater!) to pipe my donut mixture into my pans over spooning it in. I also use a piping bag for the white chocolate drizzle, although you could easily do this with a spoon too.

How to make Nutella donuts

Baked donuts are a firm favourite because they come together in no time! Simple make the donut mixture, pipe into the pan and bake. Then, whilst the donuts are cooling, gently warm some hazelnut chocolate spread and melt a little white chocolate before dunking the donuts! Drizzle with a little white chocolate and finish with a few roughly chopped hazelnuts. Boom!

Step 1: Brush the donut pan with some melted butter and set it aside. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F whilst making the donut mixture.

Step 2: Mix together the egg, milk, vanilla and hazelnut chocolate spread in a small bowl or jug until smooth. Drizzle in the melted butter, whisking as you do, to combine everything together smoothly. Set aside.

Step 3: In a separate large bowl, sift together the plain (all purpose) flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) and salt.

Step 4: Tip the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix through until just combined and smooth. Transfer the mixture into a piping bag, if using.

Step 5: Spoon or pipe the mixture into the donut pan, making sure it is no more than ⅔ full. Bake in the preheated oven for 9-10 minutes until springy to touch and a skewer comes out clean. Cool for a few minutes in the pan, then gently remove and leave on a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.

Step 6: Whilst the donuts cool, gently heat the spread (see notes) until a thick pourable consistency. Carefully dip each donuts into the spread to cover the top, then place on a cooling rack.

Step 7: Drizzle a little white chocolate over part of each donut, then sprinkle with chopped toasted hazelnuts. Dig in and enjoy!

How do you remove the donuts from the tin?

Once you have removed the donut pan from the oven, let it sit on a cooling rack for 2-3 minutes. Then, very gently, use a (rounded) knife to gently ease the donuts to make sure they are loosened from the pan. If the pan was lightly greased before baking, they should release from the pan quite easily.

Should Nutella donuts be refrigerated?

These donuts will last 2-3 days if stored in a cool place and in an airtight container. These Nutella donuts do not need to be refrigerated. However, theytruly are best enjoyed on the day they are made.

Can you freeze baked donuts?

Absolutely! Freeze donuts before you glaze or decorate them for best results. Donuts can be frozen for up to two months. Keep reading for how to freeze the donuts.

How to freeze donuts

I would recommend not decorating the donuts before freezing, but doing it after they have been defrosted instead. Wrap each donut snugly in cling film (plastic wrap), and place in an airtight container. Place the container in the freezer and freeze for up to two months.

How to thaw donuts

When you want to enjoy the frozen donuts again, simply remove them from the freezer and the packaging. Place on a cooling rack, brushing off any ice crystals, and leave to thaw for a few hours. Then continue with your decorating. That’s it!

Can I make these donuts gluten free and dairy free?

Yes! You can substitute the plain (all purpose) flour for a gluten free flour blend. For dairy free options similarly use a plant based milk and butter. Also make sure to grease the tins with a dairy free butter. And most importantly, remember to use a dairy free chocolate hazelnut spread too, as Nutella is not dairy free.

Additional tips for making this easy Nutella donuts recipe

• If you find the spread is quite firm when making the donut mixture, warm it gently in the microwave before adding it to the other wet ingredients. This makes it so much easier to combine, it is worth the little extra effort!
• Make sure to mix the wet and dry ingredients together only until combined, do not over mix. Over mixing the cake mixture will result in a tougher more gummy cake donut, not a light and fluffy one.
• Nutella makes for a fabulous icing in itself! It is easily softened and spreadable, and sets to a perfect smooth finish for these donuts.
• I like toasting my hazelnuts used for the topping. To toast them, simple place the whole nuts in a dry frying pan over medium heat. Keep moving them around the pan for about 10 minutes until they release a wonderful nutty aroma and are lightly golden in colour. Cool before chopping and using to decorate.

Troubleshooting

If you have any questions about these Nutella donuts recipe, please comment below and I will do my best to help. And do remember: if you enjoy this recipe for Nutella donuts, please leave a rating and review below. You could even post a picture on Instagram and tag me when you share it with the world. You already know I would love to see!

More recipe inspiration

Thanks so much for joining me today, my friends. Hope these donuts satisfy your Nutella loving cravings and happy baking! x

Recommended equipment I used *

Donut pan	Digital kitchen scales
Measuring spoons	Pastry brush
Mixing bowl	Sieve
Jug	Whisk
Spatula	Piping bag