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    See More:   Breakfast Comfort Food Desserts Raising Foodie Kids Snacks

    Last Modified: Mar 1, 2024 by Tara Gerner Leave a Comment

    Baked Chocolate Frosted Candy-Filled Chocolate Donuts

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    These delicious Easter donuts are decadent and rich even though they are baked in the oven and not fried. The moist devil's food cake donuts are packed with chocolate flavor and loaded with a chocolate ganache frosting and a sprinkling of chopped chocolate Easter candy for a sweet surprise in every bite!

    baked double chocolate frosted donuts with candy on a white boardPin

    My family loves donuts, and we especially love double chocolate donuts. Whenever we buy a dozen at our local donut shop, we buy one glazed and one eclair for Allie, a peanut butter cup for Grace, and all the rest chocolate frosted chocolate donuts. They are just so good.

    While donuts themselves are not the healthiest of foods, they are at their worst when they are deep fried, as almost all donut shops prepare them. I will admit that this gives them an amazing flavor, but it is just so unhealthy.

    Wouldn't it be great if you could make your own donuts at home and make them a little healthier? Well my friend, YOU CAN! All you have to do is bake your donuts instead of frying them, and you will have delicious and significantly healthier double chocolate donuts.

    I am salivating just thinking about these because they are so darn amazing.

    one baked double chocolate frosted donut with a candy egg and multicolored sprinkles and a bite out of itPin

    How to make double chocolate baked candy-filled donuts

    chocolate donut ingredientsPin

    For the donuts:

    1. Preheat your oven to 350ºF.
    2. Prepare the donut pans with a generous amount of cooking spray (my preference), butter (best flavor), or shortening and dust with cocoa powder. If using butter or shortening, turn the pan upside down over the sink and tap gently to knock any excess cocoa loose. (If you turn upside down with cooking spray, it will run out into the sink and make a big mess.) You could alternately dust with flour, but then your finished donuts will have white specks all over the outside.
    3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Be sure to use BOTH baking soda and baking powder. Set aside.
      dry ingredients in a white bowl with a whiskPin
    4. Whisk the eggs in a larger bowl. Add the melted butter a little at a time until incorporated. (If you add the hot butter quickly, it might cook the beaten eggs.) Add packed brown sugar.
      wet ingredients in a clear glass bowl with a whiskPin
    5. After these are thoroughly combined, add the cocoa powder and whisk until blended.
      add cocoa powderPin
    6. Working slowly, alternate adding the dry ingredients and buttermilk, approximately ⅓ at a time, to the wet ingredients, and mix with a wide spatula until just combined.
      chocolate batter in a clear glass bowl with a whiskPin
    7. Fold in ½ cup of the chopped candy with the same spatula until distributed.
      add candy to chocolate batterPin
    8. Spoon batter into the wells of the prepared donut pan, approximately ¼ cup per regular size donut, filling the wells only halfway. The batter will rise while cooking.
      spoon batter into the donut panPin
      chocolate batter in the donut panPin
    9. Bake for 11-12 minutes or until a cake tester comes out with just a few crumbs. Cool in the pans for 5 minutes.
      cooked donuts in the panPin
    10. Unmold donuts and place in a single layer on a cooling rack. If you have prepared the pan well, the donuts should fall right out when you turn the pan over.
      cooked donuts on a cooling rackPin
    11. Cool completely before frosting. You can't frost a hot donut because the frosting will melt, run all over, an make a giant mess.

    For the ganache topping

    1. While the donuts are cooling, prepare the chocolate ganache. Add heavy cream and chocolate chips to a microwave safe bowl and heat at full power in 20 second increments. After each increment, stir thoroughly for at least 30-45 seconds.
      mix up melted chocolate with creamPin
    2. Allie and I learned that chocolate chips never lose their shape even when completely melted, so in order to get smooth melted chocolate, you have to stir stir stir. It should only take 3-4 rounds of 20 seconds in order to melt your chocolate completely. When the chocolate is smooth and creamy with no lumps, it is ready to frost the donuts.
      Note - if the chocolate softens a bit but then gets hard or grainy, you have burned it. There is no way to recover burned chocolate, so you will have to trash it and start over.
      melted chocolate ganachePin
    3. Hold a donut upside down and dip in the frosting.
      chocolate donut held in a handPin
      dipping the donut into chocolate frostingPin
      a chocolate frosted donut held in a handPin
    4. Garnish as desired with sprinkles and the remaining ½ cup chopped M&M eggs as well as whole eggs if desired.
      double chocolate donuts with sprinklesPin
    5. Return donut to the cooling rack to set. Continue until all donuts are frosted and garnished.
    double chocolate donuts with sprinklesPin

    You will need a couple of donuts pans for this recipe!

    This recipe is super easy to prepare, but you do need some kind of donut pan. I have both a set of regular 3-inch donut pans from Wilton via Amazon and a set of mini donut pans from Pampered Chef, and they both work really nicely for this recipe.

    Be sure to prepare your donut pan well to prevent donuts from sticking. I think most people would use flour to prepare the pan, but this will leave your chocolate donuts with white flecks all over them. I prefer to dust with cocoa powder when I am making chocolate baked goods. Cocoa powder can be a little bitter if you use too much, but you can always brush off any excess when you frost the donuts.

    If you would like to pipe the batter in the pan, do not use a piping tip as crushed M&m’s can get stuck. Alternately cut a hole in a large ziplock bag or disposable piping bag.

    a chocolate frosted chocolate donut with milkPin

    You can make the buttermilk instead of buying it.

    You can make your own buttermilk for this recipe by adding a teaspoon of white vinegar to the ⅔ cup of milk and allow it to stand for 5 minutes before adding to the mixing bowl.

    Tips for garnishing the donuts

    Sprinkle donuts with candy as soon as possible safter frosting as the sprinkles will not adhere once the ganache is set.

    You can substitute chocolate chips or any chopped candy for the M&Ms if you prefer. Any flavor of M&Ms, Reese's Pieces, even toffee bits or peanut butter chips would be nice. There are no limits on the variations you could use!

    Storing homemade donuts

    Store leftover donuts on the counter in an airtight container for 2-3 days - if they last that long!

    one chocolate donut for EasterPin

    More donut goodness

    • Glazed Pumpkin Spice Donuts
    • Baked Vegan Double Chocolate Donuts
    • Coffee Cake Crumb Donuts
    • Easy Baked or Fried Yeast Zebra Donuts
    • Baked Gluten Free Glazed Donut Recipe with Almond Flour
    • Baked Vanilla Cake Donut Recipe
    • Baked Double Chocolate Donut Recipe

    Recipe

    one baked double chocolate frosted donut with a candy egg and multicolored sprinkles and a bite out of it

    Chocolate Frosted Baked Easter Donuts

    These delicious Easter donuts are decadent and rich even though they are baked in the oven and not fried. The moist devil's food cake donuts are packed with chocolate flavor and loaded with a chocolate ganache frosting and a sprinkling of chopped chocolate Easter eggs for a sweet surprise in every bite!
    5 from 27 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Add to Collection Go to Collections
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 12 minutes mins
    Cooling & decorating time 40 minutes mins
    Total Time 1 hour hr 2 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Servings 12 donuts
    Calories 354 kcal

    Equipment

    • Donut pans
    • Mini donut pans
    • Silicone spatula

    Ingredients
      

    For the donuts

    • 1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
    • ½ teaspoon baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 2 large eggs
    • ⅔ cups buttermilk see notes below for instructions to make this yourself
    • ½ cups butter unsalted, melted
    • ¾ cups brown sugar packed
    • ½ cups unsweetened cocoa powder
    • 1 cups M&Ms Easter eggs, if possible, but any M&Ms will work, or even chocolate chips, divided
    • Pastel sprinkles

    For the chocolate ganache frosting

    • 1 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
    • 4 tablespoons heavy cream

    Instructions
     

    For the donuts

    • Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
    • Prepare the donut pans with a generous amount of cooking spray (my preference), butter (best flavor), or shortening. Dust with cocoa powder. If using butter or shortening, turn the pan upside down over the sink and tap gently to knock any excess cocoa loose. (If you do this with cooking spray, it will run out into the sink and make a big mess.)
    • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
    • In a larger bowl, whisk eggs to break and distribute yolks. Add the melted butter a little at a time, whisking constantly, until incorporated. (If you add the hot butter quickly, it might cook the beaten eggs.) Add packed brown sugar. Only after these are well combined, add cocoa powder and whisk until blended.
    • Working slowly, alternate adding the dry ingredients and buttermilk to the wet, approximately ⅓ each time, and mix with a wide spatula until just combined.
    • Fold in ½ cup chopped candy with the spatula until just distributed.
    • Spoon batter into the wells of the donut pan, approximately ¼ cup per well, filling the wells only halfway as the batter will rise in the oven.
    • Bake for 12 minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs. Cool in the pans for 5 minutes.
    • Unmold donuts and place in a single layer on a cooling rack. If you have prepared the pan well, the donuts should fall right out when you turn the pan over.
    • Cool completely before frosting. You can't frost a hot donut because the frosting will melt, run all over, an make a giant mess.

    For the ganache

    • While the donuts are cooling, prepare the chocolate ganache. Add heavy cream and chocolate chips to a microwave safe bowl and heat at full power in 20 second increments. After each increment, stir thoroughly for at least 30-45 seconds.
      Allie and I learned that chocolate chips never lose their shape even when completely melted, so in order to get smooth melted chocolate, you have to stir stir stir. It should only take 3-4 rounds of 20 seconds in order to melt your chocolate completely. When the chocolate is smooth and creamy with no lumps, it is ready to frost the donuts.
      Note - if the chocolate softens a bit but then gets hard or grainy, you have burned it. There is no way to recover burned chocolate, so you will have to trash it and start over.
    • Hold a donut upside down and dip in the frosting. Garnish as desired with sprinkles and the remaining ½ cup chopped M&M eggs as well as whole eggs if desired. Return decorated donut to the cooling rack to set.
    • Continue until all donuts are frosted and garnished.

    Notes

    You can make your own buttermilk for this recipe by adding a teaspoon of white vinegar to the ⅔ cup of milk and allow it to stand for 5 minutes before adding to the mixing bowl.
    Be sure to prepare your donut pan well to prevent donuts from sticking. I think most people would use flour to prepare the pan, but this will leave your chocolate donuts with white flecks all over them. I prefer to dust with cocoa powder when I am making chocolate baked goods. Cocoa powder can be a little bitter if you use too much, but you can always brush off any excess when you frost the donuts.
    If you would like to pipe the batter in the pan, do not use a piping tip as crushed M&m’s can get stuck. Alternately cut a hole in a large ziplock bag or disposable piping bag.
    Sprinkle donuts soon after frosting as the sprinkles will not adhere once the ganache is set.
    You can substitute chocolate chips or any chopped candy for the M&Ms if you prefer. Any flavor of M&Ms, Reese's Pieces, even toffee bits or peanut butter chips would be nice. There are no limits on the variations you could use!
    Store leftover donuts in an airtight container for 2-3 days.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1donut | Calories: 354kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 268mg | Potassium: 208mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 404IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 2mg
    Keyword baked goods, chocolate
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