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5 from 3 votes

Birthday Donuts

Filled with sprinkles and topped with an easy buttercream frosting, these Birthday Donuts are as fun as they are delicious! They're perfect for any birthday, celebration or just when you feel like having a fun treat!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Donuts
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian
Servings: 9 -10 donuts
Calories: 342kcal
Author: Natalie

Ingredients

FOR THE BIRTHDAY DONUTS

  • 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg optional
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 egg room temperature*
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
  • ½ cup buttermilk * room temperature
  • ⅓- ½ cup rainbow sprinkles plus more for decoration, optional

FOR THE FROSTING

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter softened to room temperature
  • 1 ½ cup powdered sugar sifted
  • 1 ½ tablespoons heavy cream
  • ¼- ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 pinch of salt

Instructions

FOR THE BIRTHDAY CAKE DONUTS

  • Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease donut pans well with butter (preferable- for flavor) or nonstick spray. Lightly dust pans with flour. Tap out excess flour.
  • In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, sugar and salt.
  • In a medium bowl whisk together the buttermilk, egg, vanilla, and melted butter. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Stir in the sprinkles. Be careful not to overmix. Overmixing may cause the sprinkles to bleed. 
  • Use a piping bag or zip lock bag with a corner snipped off or spoon to fill the dough into the molds evenly. For average sized baked donuts, fill molds half full. For larger donuts, fill them between 2/3 and 3/4 full.
  • Bake 8-10 minutes until toothpick comes out dry or edges are lightly browned. Check for doneness with a toothpick. Let cool in the pans for 2-3 minutes then remove from pan and let donuts cool completely on wire rack.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl using a hand held mixer, beat the room temperature butter on medium until creamy, 1-2 minutes. Turn the mixer to low and add the sifted powdered sugar followed by the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt. Turn speed up to high and beat for 2 more minutes. If the frosting is too thick, add a little more heavy cream. If it's too thin, add more powdered sugar. If it's too sweet, more salt can be added to balance out that sweetness. 
  • Frost donuts or, spoon frosting into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Top with more sprinkles!

Notes

*Using room temperature ingredients helps prevent the butter from hardening when you combine the wet ingredients. 
 

Nutrition

Calories: 342kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 56mg | Sodium: 205mg | Potassium: 50mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 37g | Vitamin A: 474IU | Vitamin C: 0.02mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 1mg