Classic Chocolate-Filled Donuts

Pillowy soft, coated in a cinnamon sugar, and filled with chocolate pastry cream, these donuts are the most heavenly morning treat!

I cannot stop daydreaming about these donuts—they’re one of my favorite things I’ve baked in the past month, and I can’t wait to make them again!

How to Make Chocolate-Filled Donuts

I won’t lie to you; donuts aren’t the simplest thing to make. Even though they’re a labor of love, I promise that they’re well worth it!

  1. Make the donut dough. In a bowl, you’ll mix together all the donut ingredients and add your butter slowly, then you set the dough aside to rise.
  2. Make the pastry cream. Pastry cream is totally optional, as you can substitute it with Nutella, but I like to make mine to add a nice touch. To make a chocolate pastry cream, you’ll whisk egg yolks and sugar with milk, then heat it on the stove until it’s thickened to add the chocolate.
  3. Fry the donuts. When the donut dough has rested, portion it into 12 pieces and roll into balls. After resting for half an hour, you’re ready to fry them for a few minutes on each side!
  4. Assemble the donuts. Once everything is cooked, roll the donuts in cinnamon sugar while they’re still warm, then cut a hole in them and pipe in that chocolate cream. Enjoy!

Ingredients For Chocolate-Filled Donuts

    • Bread flour. Bread flour has a higher protein content than all-purpose flour, giving the finished product its distinctive structure and chew. By substituting this with regular flour, you risk having a cakier-textured donut.
    • Sugar. Granulated sugar is used in the bread dough to feed the yeast and slightly sweeten it, but it’s also used in the pastry cream and cinnamon sugar.
    • Whole milk. Milk enriches bread dough, but it’s also used in the pastry cream.
    • Egg and egg yolk. Eggs also enrich the bread dough, and the extra egg yolk creates a soft and pillowy structure.
    • Salt. Salt enhances and balances flavor.
    • Instant yeast. I’m always partial to instant yeast instead of active dry yeast, as there’s no need to bloom it and it acts much quicker. If you want to substitute with active dry yeast, you should probably increase the amount to 2.5 teaspoons and bloom it in warm milk before adding it to the dough.
    • Butter. Butter creates a soft texture and a better structure.
    • Vegetable oil. Used to fry the donuts; any neutral oil should work.
    • Cornstarch. Cornstarch is used in the pastry cream to thicken it and produce a velvety texture.
    • Vanilla. As always, vanilla is an amazing flavor enhancer for any baked good!
    • Chocolate. Used in the pastry cream.
    • Cinnamon. I create a cinnamon sugar mixture to roll the warm donuts in, but you can always use plain sugar if you prefer!

Tips to Make Chocolate-Filled Donuts

  1. Use room-temperature to slightly warm ingredients for your bread dough. By using warm ingredients, you will keep your yeast alive and active and allow the bread dough to rise faster.
  2. Resting the dough. I prefer eating donuts the day they’re made, since they’re still warm and soft, so a long rise is perfect. I like to rest the dough in the fridge overnight, allowing the dough’s flavor to mature, then you can cook them fresh in the morning! However, a rise at room temperature will also work, though it’ll be much shorter (around 1-1.5 hours).
  3. Substituting the chocolate pastry cream. If you don’t feel like going through the process of making the pastry cream, I honestly don’t blame you. An easy substitute would be Nutella or your favorite chocolate spread!
  4. Cooking the donuts. It’s pretty easy to undercook or overcook these donuts, so having a thermometer to regulate the temperature of your oil is crucial! Make sure you’re keeping a steady temperature throughout the frying process, and you’ll have perfectly cooked donuts every time. I would definitely recommend frying a test donut to determine the best cooking time for you, as every stove will be a bit different.
  5. Rolling the donuts. Once your donuts are cooked, be sure to roll them in your sugar mixture before they’re completely cool, otherwise the sugar won’t stick!
  6. Storing. Donuts are always best the day they’re made, but they can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days after frying.

Different Filling Ideas for Donuts

I love anything chocolate, but you can definitely substitute your favorite filling to change things up! Here are some ideas:

    • Regular pastry cream
    • Jam or jelly
    • Lemon curd
    • Caramel
    • Nothing! You can always punch a hole in the donuts right before frying and make some regular donuts and donut holes!

Hope you guys love this recipe as much as I did! Comment any questions you have and happy baking!

Classic Chocolate-Filled Donuts

Pillowy soft, coated in a cinnamon sugar, and filled with chocolate pastry cream, these donuts are the most heavenly morning treat!
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Course: Breakfast
Keyword: chocolate, donuts
Prep Time: 5 hours
Servings: 12 donuts
Author: Mae Martin

Ingredients

For the donut dough

  • 3 cups bread flour
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ⅔ cup whole milk
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 4 tablespoons butter (softened)
  • Vegetable oil (for frying)

For the chocolate pastry cream*

  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 cup milk
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ⅓ cup 2.1 ounces semisweet or dark chocolate

For the sugar coating

  • ⅔ cup granulated sugar
  • 2-3 teaspoons cinnamon

Instructions

  • Make the donut dough. In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine the bread flour, sugar, milk, egg, egg yolk, salt and instant yeast. Let the machine run for 10 minutes on low speed, until the dough comes together.
  • Cut the softened butter into cubes and slowly add the butter to the bread dough as the stand mixer runs. Increase the speed to medium-low and let the mixer run for around 15-20 minutes, until the dough is smooth, supple, and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
  • Cover the bowl with cling film and let rise in the fridge overnight. Alternatively, cover the bowl and let the dough sit at room temperature until doubled in size, around 1-1.5 hours.
  • Make the chocolate pastry cream. Pour the milk and vanilla into a small saucepan over medium heat and stir until combined.
  • Meanwhile, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch in a separate bowl.
  • When the milk comes to a slight simmer, take the saucepan off the heat. Whisking constantly, pour the hot milk into the egg and sugar mixture one ladle at a time. Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan and place over medium-low heat.
  • Continue to whisk the milk mixture until it begins to thicken and bubble. Whisk for 20 seconds after the first bubble, then take the saucepan from the heat.
  • Add the chocolate and gently stir until it melts from the residual heat and is well combined. Pour the pastry cream into a bowl or spread it over a baking dish. Cover the cream with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic wrap directly to the surface of the pastry cream so it will not form a skin.
  • Place the cream into the fridge to cool for at least one hour.
  • Fry the donuts. Cut a piece of parchment paper into 12 squares (around 3 inches on both sides), and lightly dust them with flour.
  • Take the bread dough from the fridge and punch it down. Divide the dough into 12 pieces (around 60g each), and roll them into seamless balls.
  • Place the donuts onto the prepared parchment squares and let rise at room temperature for 30-45 minutes, until slightly puffed.
  • Line a cooling rack with paper towels and set aside. In a small bowl, mix together ⅔ cup granulated sugar with 2-3 teaspoons of cinnamon and set aside. Fill a large pot with vegetable oil (around 2 inches deep), and heat to 350°F.
  • Gently tip the top of the donuts into the oil, peeling back the parchment paper. Fry them two or three at a time for 1½ to 2 minutes on each side (be sure to check your oil temperature to make sure it doesn't get too high or low), then transfer the donuts to the prepared cooling rack.
  • Assemble the donuts. While still warm, coat the donuts in the prepared cinnamon sugar and let them cool slightly.
  • Take the pastry cream from the fridge and stir, making sure everything is well incorporated and there are no lumps. Transfer the cream to a piping bag. With a knife, pierce the side of the donuts to make room for the cream. Insert the piping bag into the donut, filling it with as much pastry cream as desired.
  • Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Enjoy!

Notes

*Pastry cream can be substituted with Nutella or another chocolate spread
**I would recommend frying one donut by itself to determine the best cooking time for you, as every stove will be a bit different