These cinnamon roll donuts are made with cinnamon sugar swirls and cream cheese frosting. It's a quick and easy recipe with the flavour of cinnamon rolls without the extra work!
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Cinnamon swirl donuts. These donuts have swirls of cinnamon sugar running through them. It looks and tastes good!
- Baked donuts. These donuts are baked in a donut pan - no frying needed!
- No yeast or proofing. These are regular donuts that are as easy to make as cake batter. While they don't have the yeasted, chewy dough of cinnamon rolls, they're also much easier and quicker to make.
- Cream cheese frosting. Just like cinnamon rolls, these donuts are topped with a simple frosting on top to finish them off.
Tools
- Donut pan - You'll need a donut pan to make baked donuts. I like the metal ones the best.
- Piping bag - The easiest and cleanest way to fill a donut pan with batter is to pipe the batter into the ring-shaped pan with a piping tip. You don't need a piping tip, just cup the tip of the bag off.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Unsalted butter -ย Melt the butter on the stovetop or in a micorwave before using it.
- Granulated sugar
- Egg -ย This should be at room temperature so that it doesn't cause the butter to solidify into little pieces.
- Vanilla extract
- Milk - Use any dairy or non-dairy milk. This should also be at room temperature.
- Brown sugar
- Cinnamon
- Cream cheese -ย Use the cream cheese that comes in bricks, not spreadable cream cheese that comes in tubs. This should be softened to room temperature so that it's easy to mix with just a spatula. If you're using cold cream cheese, you'll most likely need a hand mixer to mix it.
- Powdered sugar
- Heavy cream - Use heavy cream or whipping cream. Both will work great. You can adjust the amount of cream you add to the frosting until it's at your preferred consistency.
How to make cinnamon roll donuts
Make the donuts
Prep -ย Preheat oven to 350ยฐF. Grease a donut pan with cooking spray or oil and wipe away the excess. Set aside.
Mix flour mixture - In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Mix wet ingredients -ย In a large mixing bowl, whisk together melted butter and granulated sugar until combined. Add the egg and vanilla extract and whisk until combined. Finally, add the milk and whisk until combined.
Fold in the flour mixture -ย Add the flour mixture and fold it in until just combined.
Mix cinnamon sugar - In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar and cinnamon.
Fold in cinnamon sugar swirl - Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar into the batter. Fold it into the batter 1-2 times, just enough to swirl it in but not completely mixed. Transfer this batter to a piping bag with the tip cut off.
Fill pan -ย Pipe the batter into the donut pan, filling each mold about ยพ full.
Bake -ย Bake donuts for 12-14 minutes or until they're puffy and lightly browned on the edges. Let the donuts cool in the pan for at least 5 minutes before lifting them out and transferring them to a wire rack to cool.
Make the cream cheese frosting
Mix ingredients -ย In a medium bowl, add softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Use a spatula to smush it together until it becomes very smooth and creamy.
Adjust consistency -ย Add the heavy cream and stir to mix until the frosting is smooth and spreadable. You can add more heavy for a thinner consistency.
Frost donuts -ย Use an offset spatula to spread the frosting on top of the warm donuts. If the donuts have cooled, reheat them and apply the frosting before serving.
Storage
Without the cream cheese frosting, these cinnamon roll donuts can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 3 days.
With the frosting applied, these donuts should be stored in the fridge in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 5 days.
The donuts will harden in the fridge. As they absorb moisture from the frosting, they'll soften. Reheat them in the microwave before eating for the best texture.
Freezing
These donuts can be frozen by placing them on a baking sheet or plate in a single layer. Freeze the whole tray for about 30 minutes until the frosting is firm to the touch. Transfer the donuts to an airtight container, freezer bag, or wrap them well in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 1 month.
Thaw at room temperature for several hours or reheat them in the microwave before serving.
Tips for success
- Use room temperature ingredients. The egg, milk, and cream cheese should all be at room temperature to ensure they mix seamlessly together and don't cause the melted butter to solidify on contact. The cream cheese frosting will be much harder to mix if the cream cheese is cold and you might end up with chunks of cream cheese in the frosting.
- Don't overmix the batter. You don't want to completely mix the cinnamon sugar into the batter (unless you want to!) so that you can see the swirls of cinnamon sugar in the baked donuts. Fold it together just enough to distribute the cinnamon sugar throughout the batter.
- Enjoy these donuts warm or reheat them. These donuts taste the best when they're warm and soft like actual cinnamon rolls.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can make the donuts (with or without the frosting) 1 day ahead of time. Store them in the fridge and reheat them when you're ready to serve.
You probably could make this recipe and just bake it in a different kind of pan. You'll likely have to adjust the baking time slightly or double the recipe for larger pans.
More donut recipes to try
Recipe
Cinnamon Roll Donuts
Equipment
Ingredientsย ย
Donuts
- 180 g all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ยผ teaspoon salt
- 60 g unsalted butter, melted
- 80 g granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 110 g milk, dairy or non-dairy, room temperature
- 50 g brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 112 g cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 30 g powdered sugar
- ยฝ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 20 g heavy cream or whipping cream
Instructionsย
Donuts
- Prep: Preheat oven to 350ยฐF. Grease a donut pan with cooking spray or oil and wipe away the excess. Set aside.
- Mix flour mixture: In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Mix wet ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together melted butter and granulated sugar until combined. Add the egg and vanilla extract and whisk until combined. Finally, add the milk and whisk until combined.
- Fold in flour mixture: Add the flour mixture and fold it in until just combined.
- Mix cinnamon sugar: In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar and cinnamon.
- Fold in cinnamon sugar swirl: Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar into the batter. Fold it into the batter 1-2 times, just enough to swirl it in but not completely mixed. Transfer this batter to a piping bag with the tip cut off.
- Fill pan: Pipe the batter into the donut pan, filling each mold about ยพ full.
- Bake: Bake donuts for 12-14 minutes or until they're puffy and lightly browned on the edges. Let the donuts cool in the pan for at least 5 minutes before lifting them out and transferring them to a wire rack to cool.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Mix ingredients: In a medium bowl, add softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Use a spatula to smush it together until it becomes very smooth and creamy.
- Adjust consistency: Add the heavy cream and stir to mix until the frosting is smooth and spreadable. You can add more heavy for a thinner consistency.
- Frost donuts: Use an offset spatula to spread the frosting on top of the warm donuts. If the donuts have cooled, reheat them and apply the frosting before serving.
Celine says
such an easy recipe!! woww so soft, fluffy and just delicious with the cream cheese frosting ๐ i loveee baked donuts, probably one of the most underrated bakes