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Home > Doughnuts > Pumpkin Cake Donut Recipe

October 10, 2022

Pumpkin Cake Donut Recipe

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This quick, easy Pumpkin Cake Donut Recipe doesn’t get any faster. With no yeast to wait for, these are ready in no time. They stay fresh for days. No cake donut pan? No problem. There’s a work around below.

Pumpkin cake donuts on a plate with a cup of tea.

This old fashioned cake doughnut recipe was inspired by another fall favorite, Apple or Crumb Cake Doughnuts which I’m sure you’d enjoy also. All of the cake donuts are baked and not fried.

Crumb Topping Ingredients

Ingredients for the crumb topping on the Pumpkin Cake Donuts

Back Row: flour, brown sugar. Front Row: sugar, butter, salt

Crumb Topping Instructions

Softened butter,brown and granulated sugars and salt in a mixing bowl.

Step 1. Butter, brown and granulated sugars, salt in a mixing bowl

Butter, sugars and salt creamed in mixing bowl for the Pumpkin Cake Donuts

Step 2. The butter, sugars and salt creamed together.

Add the flour to the creamed mixture and mix to get crumbs

Step 3. Add the flour all at once and mix on medium to form crumbs. Don’t over-mix or it will become a paste. Refrigerate until needed.

Pumpkin Cake Donut Ingredients

Sugar, flour, eggs, oil, pumpkin puree, spices, baking powder, baking soda,salt and vanilla for the pumpkin cake donuts.

Front Row: vanilla, baking soda. Third Row: ginger, oil, pumpkin puree, nutmeg. Second Row: salt, cloves, baking powder, cinnamon. Front Row: vanilla, baking soda.

Pumpkin Cake Donut Instructions

Cake donut pan sprayed with a non-stick baking release

Step 1. Spray 2 cake donut pans with a non-stick baking release and set aside. Alternatively, spray a 12 well, regular size muffin tin. Set aside.

Flour, baking powder, baking soda,spices and salt for the Pumpkin Cake Donut batter

Step 2. The dry ingredients for the pumpkin batter. Whisk together.

The oil, eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree and vanilla in a mixing bowl for the Pumpkin Cake Donut Recipe

Step 3. The oil, eggs, brown sugar, pumpkin puree and vanilla in the mixing bowl.

Pumpkin batter mixed in bowl.

Step 4. Pumpkin batter mixed.

Crumbs covering the bottom of a cake donut pan.

Step 5. The crumbs from above are divided between the 12 cake donut wells.

The pumpkin batter piped over the crumbs.

Step 6. Spoon or pipe the batter over the crumbs. It is easier to pipe the batter using a piping bag or heavy plastic food bag with the tip cut off.

If using a muffin pan, fill about 3/4 ful

Step 7. If using a muffin tin, place the crumbs on the bottom and fill about 3/4 full.

Baked Pumpkin Donut Cake Recipe donuts on a cooling rack

Step 8. Baked cake donuts cooling on a rack before dusting with powdered sugar.

Storage

These will keep for several days at room temperature. The powder sugar may need to be replenished. For longer storage, freeze without the powdered sugar. Thaw at room temperature and then powder sugar.

Top Tip

If you don’t have the cake donut pan, a regular size muffin tin will do. It will take a few minutes longer to bake because of the depth. Both will make 12.

Print

Pumpkin Cake Donut Recipe

Pumpkin cake donuts on a plate with a cup of tea.
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

This Pumpkin Cake Donut Recipe doesn’t get any easier or faster. With no yeast to wait for, these are ready in no time. Pumpkin forward with plenty of spice, they stay fresh for days. No cake donut pan? No problem. Just substitute a regular size 12 well muffin tin.  

  • Author: Helen S Fletcher
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 16
  • Total Time: 36 minutes
  • Yield: 12 servings
  • Category: Donuts
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Crumb Topping

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (90 grams or 3 ounces)
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar (50 grams 1 3/4 ounces)
  • 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar (50 grams or 1 3/4 ounces)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (90 grams or 3 ounces)

Pumpkin Cake Donut 

  • 1 1/4 cups flour (175 grams 6 1/8 ounces)
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/8 teaspoon cloves
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed (200 grams or 7 ounces)
  • 3/4 cup pumpkin puree (170 grams or 6 ounces)
    1 teaspoon vanilla
  • Powdered sugar as needed

Instructions

Crumb Topping

  1. Combine the butter and both sugars in a mixing bowl.  Cream until very light.
  2. Whisk the salt and flour together; add all at once and beat on medium just until large crumbs form.  Scrape down the sides and the bottom for unincorporated flour.  If crumbs don’t form, add a couple of teaspoons of water at a time to help them along. Mix briefly.
  3. Do not over mix or you will end up with a really thick cohesive mixture.Store the crumbs in the refrigerator while you make the cake.

Pumpkin Cake Donuts

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Lightly spray 2 6-hole doughnut pans or regular size muffin tins with a non-stick baking spray.  Set aside.
  2. Whisk the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together.  Set aside.
  3. Combine the oil, eggs, brown sugar, pumpkin, and vanilla in the bowl of a mixer.  Beat on low until completely combined.  Add the flour, all at once, and beat on medium until well blended.
  4. Divide the crumbs between the donut or muffin tins.
  5. Fill the wells of the donut or muffin tins just under the top.   It is easiest to pipe this in because it is thick.  Just cut about 1/2” off a plastic piping back or a heavy plastic food storage bag.  Fill with batter and pipe it over the crumbs.
  6. Bake the donut for 12 to 15 minutes until a tester comes out clean or they spring back when lightly touched.
  7. Bake the muffin tins for 14 to 16 minutes.
  8. Cool for a few minutes, then release from the tins.
  9. Sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar when cool.

Notes

Do not use pumpkin pie filling as it is not the same as the pumpkin puree.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 donuts
  • Calories: 319
  • Sugar: 24.8 g
  • Sodium: 213.3 mg
  • Fat: 16.2 g
  • Saturated Fat: 5.3 g
  • Trans Fat: 0 g
  • Carbohydrates: 42.4 g
  • Fiber: 1.2 g
  • Protein: 3.4 g
  • Cholesterol: 46.3 mg

Keywords: Cake donut recipe, pumpkin cake doughnuts, pumpkin cake donuts, fall donuts, baked not fried donuts

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Filed Under: Blog Index, Doughnuts, Recipe Index Tagged With: baked cake donuts, Cake donut recipe, Cake doughnuts, Easy cake donuts, Easy cake doughnuts, Fall donuts, Fall doughnuts, Old fashioned cake doughnuts, Pumpkin cake donut recipe, Quick easy cake donuts

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. sallybr says

    October 11, 2022 at 5:16 pm

    Made it today!

    as usual, a winner!!!!!

    Reply
    • Helen S Fletcher says

      October 12, 2022 at 4:39 am

      Thanks Sally. Loved that you tried them.

      Reply
  2. Nedda says

    October 10, 2022 at 10:37 am

    If you click on “print recipe” you will find it there. In Canada today we are celebrating Thanksgiving. I just bought new cake donut pans so finding this recipe in my inbox this morning was exciting. I always look forward to Helen’s recipes.
    Pictures, tips, easy-to-follow instructions! Doesn’t get better than that,
    Happy Thanksgiving!
    In friendship,Nedda

    Reply
    • Helen S Fletcher says

      October 10, 2022 at 2:48 pm

      Hi Nedda – Happy Thanksgiving!! Thanks for the kind words and for helping out. I was at work and don’t have access to the internet.

      Reply
  3. Lynette Pruett says

    October 10, 2022 at 8:25 am

    Helen, I’m so happy you’ve written a post on pumpkin cake doughnuts, something I’ve had in mind to make for several weeks! However, I believe you’ve inadvertently omitted the actual recipe from this post! I’m anxious to make these TODAY!!!
    Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Grumpy Chef says

      October 10, 2022 at 8:47 am

      Click on print recipe at the top of the page under the title, and it shows up.

      Reply
    • Virginia says

      October 10, 2022 at 9:36 am

      If you press Print Recipe at the top of the post the recipe comes up.

      Reply
    • Helen S Fletcher says

      October 10, 2022 at 2:45 pm

      Hi Lynette. The recipe was in the post originally but a snafu caused it to go away. I worked today so wasn’t able to address this right away and it took the IT peopl a bit to find the problem. If you hit the print button on the top the recipe appeared in print form. I only found that out from some of the readers. However, it’s fixed now so all should be good.

      Reply
      • Lynette Pruett says

        October 10, 2022 at 5:40 pm

        Thanks, Helen! It’s on the list to bake tomorrow. I’m sure it will be great!

        Reply
        • Helen S Fletcher says

          October 12, 2022 at 4:40 am

          Hi Lynette – sorry I couldn’t get to you yesterday. But these are super easy so knowing you, you can whip them up in no time.

          Reply

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