Wild Blueberry Cake Donuts
These wild blueberry cake donuts are baked in the oven, and their texture is closer to a light muffin or small cake than a fried donut. They are not flaky, yeasted, or deep fried, and I want to be upfront about that so there are no surprises. What you get instead is a tender, fruit-filled donut with a pretty glaze that highlights the blueberries.
I always have wild blueberries in my freezer, which give the batter a deep purple hue, but fresh berries will hold their shape if you prefer a more studded look. The glaze is simple, just powdered sugar mixed with a touch of vanilla and blueberry juice. They’re fun to make, quick to bake, and look especially striking once cooled and glazed.
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Ingredients For Wild Blueberry Cake Donuts
Ingredient Notes
- Baking Powder: Check that yours is fresh for proper rise.
- Butter: I use salted butter for all of my recipes.
- Egg: I use large eggs for all my recipes.
- Milk: I use whole milk for all of my recipes.
- Powdered Sugar (not pictured): Also called icing sugar or confectioners’ sugar, this is used for the glaze.
- Salt: I use table salt for all of my recipes.
- Vanilla: You can use any vanilla you like.
- Wild Blueberries: Frozen berries will bleed into the batter, giving it a purple hue, while fresh berries hold their shape for a more studded look.
It’s important to note that when making substitutions in recipes, the texture and flavour may be slightly different. However, these substitutes are the best options for changing the original recipe.
Ingredient Substitutions
- All-Purpose Flour: You can swap in 1 cup of cake flour.
- Butter: Use an equal amount of margarine.
- Milk: Any milk should be fine, including dairy-free.
- Vanilla: Replace with ½ teaspoon of almond extract.
- Wild Blueberries: Any blueberries will work, but smaller wild berries will fit through a piping tip easily.
Recipe Variations
Try any of the following for a twist on this wild blueberry cake donut recipe:
- Candied Ginger: 2 tablespoons, finely chopped, stirred in with the blueberries
- Cardamom: ½ teaspoon, ground, stir in with the dry ingredients
- Cinnamon: 1 teaspoon, ground, added with the flour
- Lemon Zest: 1 teaspoon, finely grated, whisked into the wet ingredients before mixing in the flour
- Nutmeg: ¼ teaspoon, freshly grated, stir in with the dry ingredients
- White Chocolate: ⅓ cup, finely chopped, fold into the batter with the blueberries
Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top of this post, or scroll to the bottom to see the PRINTABLE recipe card with ingredient measurements and complete instructions.
How To Make Wild Blueberry Cake Donuts
STEP 1: Whisk the butter, sugar, milk, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients halfway, then fold in the blueberries.
STEP 2: Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip and pipe it into a lightly greased six-cavity donut baking tin.
STEP 3: Warm 2 tablespoons of blueberries and mash for the juice. Mix by the ½ teaspoon with sifted powdered sugar and vanilla to form a thick ribbony glaze.
STEP 4: Turn the donuts out onto a wire rack to cool completely, then spoon the glaze over each donut.
Expert Tips
- Let your butter cool slightly after melting so it doesn’t scramble the egg when you whisk everything together.
- Pipe the batter neatly into the tin and smooth the tops with a wet finger if they look uneven.
- For a more bakery-style look, glaze the bottoms of the donuts rather than the tops.
Recipe Notes
- For detailed ingredient notes, substitution tips, variations, and step-by-step photos, scroll through the full recipe post.
- Use a digital kitchen scale for precise measurements and an oven thermometer to confirm your oven is heating correctly.
- If you don’t have a microwave, let the blueberries sit at room temperature until they soften slightly, then mash with a fork and strain.
- A piping bag with a large round tip gives you the neatest results, but a zip-top bag with the corner snipped off works in a pinch.
- Let the donuts cool completely before glazing so the icing sets instead of soaking in.
Storage
- These donuts are best eaten the day they are made, as the glaze can soften and lose its finish in a closed container. If you do need to store them, keep them in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Recipes Related To Blueberry Cake Donuts
Printable Recipe Card
Wild Blueberry Cake Donuts
Special Equipment
- 6-cavity donut baking tin
- Piping bag with large round tip such as the Wilton 1A tip
- Measuring cups and spoons or digital kitchen scale
- Mixing bowls
- Whisk
- Fine mesh sieve
Ingredients
For the baked blueberry donuts:
- 2 tablespoons salted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing the donut tin
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup whole milk
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- ¾ cup wild blueberries, fresh or frozen
For the blueberry glaze:
- 2 tablespoons wild blueberries, fresh or frozen
- ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar, also called icing sugar or confectioner's sugar
Instructions
Make the blueberry donuts:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Lightly grease a 6-hole donut tin with butter, then fit a piping bag with a large round tip and set aside.
- Place the melted butter, sugar, milk, egg, and vanilla in a mixing bowl and whisk until smooth.
- Sift the flour into the bowl through a fine mesh sieve. Add the baking powder and salt, then fold gently with a rubber spatula until the flour is about halfway mixed.
- Add the blueberries. Continue folding until the blueberries are evenly distributed and no dry bits of flour remain. If using frozen berries, the batter will likely turn purple.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared piping bag. Pipe a full circle of batter into each donut hole, then divide any remaining batter evenly among them. Smooth the tops lightly with a wet fingertip.
- Bake for 13 to 15 minutes. Cool the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn the donuts out to cool completely before glazing.
Make the blueberry glaze:
- Heat 2 tablespoons of blueberries in a small microwave-safe bowl for 15 to 20 seconds, or until just warm. Mash with a fork, then press them through a fine mesh sieve set over the same bowl to catch the juice. Discard the solids.
- Sift the powdered sugar into a mixing bowl. Add the vanilla and ½ teaspoon of blueberry juice. Stir well to combine. Repeat, adding blueberry juice ½ teaspoon at a time, until the icing is thick and ribbony. Spoon over the cooled donuts and let them set for 20 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
- For detailed ingredient notes, substitution tips, variations, and step-by-step photos, scroll through the full recipe post.
- Use a digital kitchen scale for precise measurements and an oven thermometer to confirm your oven is heating correctly.
- If you don’t have a microwave, let the blueberries sit at room temperature until they soften slightly, then mash with a fork and strain.
- A piping bag with a large round tip gives you the neatest results, but a zip-top bag with the corner snipped off works in a pinch.
- Let the donuts cool completely before glazing so the icing sets instead of soaking in.
Storage
- These donuts are best eaten the day they are made, as the glaze can soften and lose its finish in a closed container. If you do need to store them, keep them in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate and is provided as a courtesy. For precise nutritional data, please calculate it independently using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Kelly Neil is a recipe developer, food photographer, and lifelong Nova Scotian building a sense of home and identity through recipes. She lives in her hometown of Dartmouth with her partner, Chris, their daughter, Elodie, and their little dog, Skipper.
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Sorry but this recipe was not it. The texture was more of a muffin but not in a good way
Thanks for your feedback Julie. These donuts are designed to be soft and tender, with a texture that leans more muffin-like—especially with all the juicy blueberries packed in. That said, I’m curious to try a second version with a few subtle changes, just to explore how it compares to a more classic cake-style donut. Appreciate you taking the time to share your experience.
not a doughnut more like a muffen amd not as flaky as i thought it was i would not us this recipe again but itvwas fun to make
Hi Alex, these are blueberry CAKE donuts, so the texture is meant to be soft like cake or muffins. And you’re right, since they’re cake batter baked in a donut pan, they’re not flaky at all. I’m glad you still had fun making them!