Breads, Rolls + Donuts Cakes

Powdered Donut Cake

Powdered Sugar Donut Cake

I am highly enjoying Yossy Arefi’s new cookbook, Snacking Cakes, a lovely collection of simple, every day cakes. I’ve tried several recipes from the book now: Vanilla Buttermilk Cake, Minty Chocolate Malt Cake, and Cherry Coconut Almond Cake, and all of them were delicious.

But my favorite so far is this one.

Powdered Donut Cake!

Described as: “Heavy on the butter and nutmeg, this cake has all the flavors of your favorite cake donut in a convenient square shape – no frying necessary!
Sounds perfect to me. 

Powdered Sugar Donut Cake

A few things:

*Vote! If you don’t know where to vote, check out Vote.org

*Jeremy Messersmith has been baking through 100 Cookies over on Instagram Reels, and you can follow along and see how his cookies are turning out. If you haven’t heard of him before, he sings beautiful music. You can check out his latest work, Mixtape For the Milky Way, here. 

*We tried to watch The Blob on Halloween – the classic from the 1950’s. We made it about 20 minutes in and then switched to Young Frankenstein. But I have to admit the theme song for The Blob is quite catchy – and very not classic horror movie music. My kids have been singing it all week. 

Powdered Sugar Donut Cake

More Snack Cake Recipes:

Powdered Sugar Donut Cake

Powdered Sugar Donut Cake

Servings: 8 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Additional Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Heavy on the butter and topped with powdered sugar, this cake has all the flavors of your favorite cake donut in a convenient square shape.
Sarah Kieffer
5 from 15 votes
Print Pin Rate

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup [150 g] granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup [220 g] sour cream
  • 1/2 cup [113 g or 1 stick] unsalted butter melted
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 cups [190 g] all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Topping

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
  • 3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

Instructions

For the cake

  • Position an oven rack to the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 35oF [180C]. Butter or coat an 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick spray. Line the pan with a strip of parchment paper that hangs over two of the edges. 
  • In a large bowl, whisk the granulated sugar and eggs until pale and foamy, about 1 minute. Add the sour cream, butter, nutmeg, vanilla, and salt. Whisk until smooth and emulsified. 
  • Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk until well-combined and smooth. 
  • Pour the batter into the pan and bake the cake until puffed and golden, and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes. Set the pan on a rack to cool for about 15 minutes. Then use the parchment paper to lift the cake out of the pan and set it on to the rack to cool almost completely.

To Assemble

  • While the cake is just warm to the touch, brush the top with the melted butter and dust with the confectioners' sugar. you should have a nice thick layer of confectioners' sugar – more than you think might be necessary. (Store the cake, covered, at room temperature for up to three days. The cake will absorb the sugar on top, so it might need a fresh dusting of confectioners' sugar after the second day.)

Notes

This recipe is reprinted from the cookbook, Snacking Cakes by Yossy Arefi.
  • Reply
    Suzanne
    Thursday, February 29, 2024 at 10:45 pm

    This looks so good! What a great combination of flavors!

  • Reply
    Dianne Bentz
    Wednesday, September 6, 2023 at 8:47 pm

    This is a must-try for me! But I’m wondering how you got 8 square servings from an 8×8” pan…?! I’m going for 9 I think!?

  • Reply
    Terri
    Saturday, April 9, 2022 at 10:49 pm

    5 stars
    This was so delicious! My daughter made it after we watched “Is It Cake?” on Netflix. One baker on the show (Andrew!) made a donut cake. We Googled and I thought your recipe had the best potential to be donutty, light and fluffy. And yes! It was perfect! I love the subtle nutmeg taste.

  • Reply
    agreso
    Wednesday, December 30, 2020 at 7:23 pm

    When do you add the 1/2 cup melted butter? Had everything ready to go and I don’t see it in the directions, assuming added with sour cream, etc.? Thanks.

  • Reply
    Joyce Arthur
    Tuesday, December 1, 2020 at 10:25 am

    When do you add the 1/2 cup melted butter? Had everything ready to go and I don’t see it in the directions, assuming added with sour cream, etc.? Thanks.

  • Reply
    Giftbasketworldwide
    Tuesday, November 10, 2020 at 4:19 am

    I have been amazed at your work. Quite fabulous.

  • Reply
    Kaitlin
    Friday, November 6, 2020 at 11:43 am

    Yeeeeessss! Yossy’s Snaking Cakes is to cakes as 100 Cookies is to cookies. Both books are two of my favorites from this year. Simple, delicious, and well done in every aspect. Mad props to both you and Yossy for not only your baking expertise, but also your ability to take amazing photos of the results. I’ve made multiple recipes from both books and every recipe has turned out wonderful!

  • Reply
    DC Cook
    Thursday, November 5, 2020 at 7:33 pm

    I also bought this cookbook and received it over the weekend. I’ve made 2 different cakes so far and also have enjoyed them– I need to get some sour cream so that I can try this one!

  • Reply
    Melanie Rosen
    Tuesday, November 3, 2020 at 1:49 pm

    I plan to try this cake since my kids love powdered sugar donuts! Also, the theme song from The Blob IS super catchy! Hard to believe that’s a Steve McQueen movie! I’ll comment again once I make this! Thanks for the recipe!

  • Reply
    Ally
    Tuesday, November 3, 2020 at 8:12 am

    I don’t believe I’ve ever used freshly ground nutmeg, but will need to get it TODAY for this recipe. Can I find it at most groceries? We also watched the Blob on Halloween, but mostly had it on as background for a few laughs. (Good call turning it off after 20 min! ?)

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