These homemade blueberry baked donuts are reminiscent of the classic donut shop blueberry cake donuts, but without the mess of frying or trip to the donut store. (vegetarian, nut-free)

What is your favorite type of donut when you take a trip to the donut shop? My husband and I both agree that blueberry cake donuts are the best kind of donut. Dense cake rings studded with blueberries and coated with a nice, sweet glaze. They're totally the best. Wouldn't you agree?

With a donut pan that had yet to be used and a freezer filled with frozen fruit needing to be used, including wild blueberries - the best for baking in my opinion - I knew blueberry donuts were a long time coming. So on a fortunate day when Queen C decided to sleep in until 9 am, I set out to make the best blueberry baked donuts.

What I found was that the best-baked cake donuts have a few things:

Butter, for the best texture and taste.
A mix of white whole wheat and all-purpose flours. The mix yields donuts that are dense and a little nutty, but not too compact like you would get with 100% whole wheat flour. I used Bob's Red Mill whole wheat pastry flour.
Buttermilk, for a little lift, that cake donut density, and a richer flavor.
A hint of nutmeg. Nutmeg is what gives homemade donuts that classic cake donut taste.
A little crunch, achieved by a quick stint under the broiler and a thick glaze while hot.

These blueberry baked donuts are just what I imagined. They're a little bit dense, a little bit fluffy, loaded with blueberries and a barely there hint of nutmeg, all glazed with a sweet glaze. They're the perfect treat for a fun weekend breakfast without a trip to the donut shop.

Of course, they aren't going to be the same as fried donuts made with shortening, but they're pretty darn close without the mess and hassle.

A quick note about storing the leftovers. Be sure to store them uncovered. I know, it’s very anti-intuitive, but if you cover them, they get soggy. Left uncovered, they still have a little bit of bite to them the next day. I was skeptical at first, but it's true.

If you've got a donut pan sitting around just waiting to be used, try this yummy recipe for homemade blueberry baked donuts. They're such a fun change-up for weekend breakfasts!

If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a star rating in the comments!

Homemade Blueberry Baked Donuts

Print Recipe

These homemade blueberry baked donuts are reminiscent of the classic donut shop blueberry cake donuts, but without the mess of frying or trip to the donut store. (vegetarian, nut-free)

Author: Kaleigh
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 10 min
Total Time: 30 min
Yield: 9 donuts 1x
Category: breakfast
Method: baked
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale

4 tbsp butter, room temperature
½ cup sugar
1 large egg
½ cup buttermilk
⅔ cup white whole wheat flour (I used Bob's Red Mill whole wheat pastry flour)
⅓ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
½ cup frozen wild blueberries (or fresh blueberries)

For the glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
Pinch salt
2-3 tablespoon water

Instructions

Heat oven to 425°F. Lightly oil a donut pan.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and buttermilk and mix until blended.
In another bowl, whisk flours, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Add blueberries and stir to coat blueberries.
Add dry mixture to the wet and gently stir to combine. Avoid over mixing.
Spoon the mixture into a piping bag or large zip-top bag (cut a hole in the corner after adding the batter to pipe). Pipe batter into donut pan, filling holes about ⅔ full.
Bake donuts 8-10 minutes, or until they spring back when lightly touched.
Turn the oven up to broil and broil until donut tops are just lightly golden, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from oven.
Cool donuts about 5 minutes in the pan before removing to a cooling rack.
Make the glaze by whisking together all ingredients until smooth. Start with just a little water and add more as needed. You want the glaze to be kind of thick.
Coat donuts in glaze by dipping both sides in the glaze while still warm. Place on a cooling rack with a sheet pan underneath to catch drips. Let glaze set for a few minutes before eating.
Store leftovers uncovered at room temperature up to 3 days.