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Velvety Red Velvet Donuts Recipe

Velvety Red Velvet Donuts Recipe


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4.6 from 28 reviews

  • Total Time: 22 minutes
  • Yield: 13 1x

Description

Red velvet donuts blend Southern charm with classic pastry craft, creating a delightful dessert experience. Rich cocoa and cream cheese frosting complement the subtle chocolate undertones, making each bite irresistible for you.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ cup (120 ml) buttermilk (or ½ cup (120 ml) milk + ½ tsp (2.5 ml) vinegar)
  • 1 ¼ cups (157 g) all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup (60 ml) unsalted butter, melted
  • ¼ cup (25 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ½ tsp (2.5 g) baking soda
  • ½ tsp (2.5 g) baking powder
  • ¼ tsp (1.5 g) salt
  • 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp (5 ml) white vinegar
  • 1 tbsp (15 ml) red food coloring
  • 4 oz (113 g) cream cheese, softened
  • ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar
  • 2 tbsps (30 ml) milk
  • ½ tsp (2.5 ml) vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Preparation: Preheat oven to 350°F and spray a 6-cavity donut pan with nonstick cooking spray, ensuring complete coverage.
  2. Dry Mixture: Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl until uniformly blended.
  3. Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine sugar, buttermilk, melted butter, egg, vanilla extract, white vinegar, and red food coloring, mixing until achieving a vibrant, smooth consistency.
  4. Batter Creation: Gently fold dry ingredients into wet mixture, stirring minimally to prevent overmixing and maintain a light texture.
  5. Baking Process: Fill donut cavities three-quarters full with batter and bake for 11-13 minutes, verifying doneness with a clean toothpick test.
  6. Cooling Stage: Rest donuts in pan for 4-5 minutes to stabilize structure, then transfer to a wire rack for complete cooling.
  7. Glaze Preparation: Whip cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until achieving a silky, smooth consistency, adjusting with additional milk if needed.
  8. Finishing Touch: Dip or drizzle cooled donuts with cream cheese glaze, garnishing with red sprinkles or crushed red velvet crumbs for elegant presentation.

Notes

  • Prevent Overmixing: Stir batter gently and minimally to maintain a tender, soft donut texture without developing tough gluten strands.
  • Monitor Food Coloring: Use gel-based red food coloring for vibrant color without altering batter consistency, ensuring rich red velvet appearance.
  • Temperature Precision: Ensure buttermilk and eggs are at room temperature to create smoother batter and more even baking results.
  • Glaze Consistency Control: Adjust cream cheese glaze thickness by incrementally adding milk, creating perfect drizzling or dipping texture without becoming runny.
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 12 minutes
  • Category: Breakfast, Snacks, Desserts
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 13
  • Calories: 187
  • Sugar: 14 g
  • Sodium: 180 mg
  • Fat: 7 g
  • Saturated Fat: 4 g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
  • Trans Fat: 0 g
  • Carbohydrates: 26 g
  • Fiber: 1 g
  • Protein: 3 g
  • Cholesterol: 27 mg