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Baked Donuts give you the doughnut shop experience with zero hot oil, tender strawberry mini doughnuts dusted in powdered sugar, and the first time I set the funfetti dip next to them on a summer morning the girls treated it like a dunking contest. They are the no fry cousin of our homemade funnel cake.
A boxed cake mix, strawberry jello, and real strawberry puree do the heavy lifting, so these go from craving to cooling rack in about 25 minutes.
Baked Donuts Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 10 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 25 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 6 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 751kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Sweet strawberry cake with vanilla buttercream dip and sprinkle crunch
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, even faster than our easy cinnamon rolls
Quick Answer
Mix a box of white cake mix with strawberry jello powder, egg whites, vegetable oil, and water for about 3 minutes, then blend in fresh strawberry puree and a few drops of red food coloring. Spoon the batter two thirds of the way up a greased mini doughnut tin, bake at 325 degrees for 7 to 8 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean, and cool on a wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with the whipped funfetti dip.
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Cake mix is the shortcut backbone. The mix already has the flour, leavening, and sugar balanced, so the doughnuts rise evenly in the tin every single time. The box is the disclosed secret here, not a workaround.
- Jello powder doubles the strawberry. Strawberry gelatin intensifies both the color and the fruit flavor in a way puree alone cannot, the same trick classic poke cakes use.
- Real puree keeps it tasting fresh. Six blended strawberries add actual fruit moisture, which is why these taste like berries and not just pink sugar.
- Egg whites only, on purpose. Skipping the yolks keeps the crumb light and lets the pink color stay bright instead of turning muddy.
- A 325 degree oven bakes gently. The lower temperature sets the little rings without browning them hard, keeping the outside as soft as the middle.
- The dip is a buttercream in disguise. Whipped butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk make a fluffy frosting dip that clings to every doughnut and pretzel you drag through it.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- No fryer, no thermometer, no oil smell in the house, the oven does everything.
- The whipped funfetti dip turns breakfast into a party trick the kids fight over.
- They are ready faster than a doughnut shop run, and cuter than our elephant ears at a fraction of the work.
Key Ingredients
A short shortcut list builds both the doughnuts and the dip.
- White cake mix: The disclosed shortcut base, it guarantees a tender even crumb with zero measuring of dry ingredients.
- Strawberry jello: One small box packs the pink color and berry punch into every ring.
- Fresh strawberry puree: About six blended strawberries bring real fruit flavor and moisture to the batter.
- Egg whites: They keep the doughnuts light and the strawberry color bright.
- Butter and powdered sugar: The whipped backbone of the funfetti dip, finished with vanilla, milk, and plenty of sprinkles.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
One mini doughnut tin, endless spins.
- Swap the strawberry jello and puree for lemon gelatin and lemon zest for a bright citrus batch.
- Use chocolate cake mix and skip the food coloring for a fudgy version, the funfetti dip still applies.
- Dip the cooled tops in melted chocolate instead of powdered sugar for a glazed finish.
- Make them holiday themed by matching the sprinkle colors, red and green for Christmas, pastels for Easter.
- For the yeasted, from scratch experience on a weekend, our cinnamon rolls are the project bake.
How to Make Baked Donuts
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Mix together the cake mix, jello, oil, water, and egg whites with a hand mixer on medium speed for about 3 minutes.
- Scrape the sides of the bowl, add in the strawberry puree and food coloring, and mix until combined.
- Spoon a small amount of batter into a greased mini doughnut tin, filling each ring about two thirds of the way up, and wipe any excess off the sides of the mold.
- Bake for 7 to 8 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in the tin on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then turn the doughnuts out onto the rack to cool completely.
- For the dip, cream the butter and powdered sugar with a hand mixer, add the vanilla and milk, and whip until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Fold in the sprinkles just until combined.
- Dust the doughnuts with powdered sugar and serve with the funfetti dip, plus extra dippers like pretzels, apple slices, or graham crackers. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Grease every ring well. Mini doughnut tins have tight centers, a good baking spray keeps the rings pretty.
- A piping bag fills neater than a spoon. Snip the corner of a zip top bag and pipe the batter in a ring, no drips on the pan.
- Do not overfill past two thirds. Overfilled rings bake over the center post and lose the doughnut hole entirely.
- Watch them like a hawk at 7 minutes. Mini doughnuts go from perfect to dry in about a minute, the toothpick is your friend.
- Dust with powdered sugar right before serving. Sugar applied too early melts into the warm doughnuts and disappears.
- Whip the dip a full 3 minutes. The long whip is what makes it fluffy and scoopable instead of dense frosting.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Pile them on a platter with the dip bowl in the center for birthday breakfasts and sleepovers, they disappear faster than our buttermilk pancakes on a Saturday.
For a brunch spread, set them next to a savory anchor like our breakfast casserole or breakfast sliders so the table balances sweet and hearty.
The funfetti dip doubles as a fruit dip, surround it with strawberries, apple slices, and pretzel rods once the doughnuts run out.
Store cooled doughnuts in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days and re dust with powdered sugar before serving. The dip keeps refrigerated for 4 days, let it sit out 15 minutes and give it a quick stir to fluff it back up.
Baked Donuts FAQs
They are different treats, baked donuts are lighter and cakier while fried are richer with a crisp shell. Baking wins on ease, no hot oil, no splatter, no thermometer, and these strawberry minis go from bowl to cooling rack in under 15 minutes of active work.
Yes, a mini muffin tin works, you will just get doughnut holes instead of rings. Bake them at the same 325 degrees and start checking a minute or two later since muffin wells run deeper than doughnut rings.
The tin was under greased or the doughnuts cooled too long in the pan. Coat every ring and center post with baking spray, and turn the doughnuts out after exactly 5 minutes of cooling, while they still have a little steam to release themselves.
Yes, this recipe blends about six fresh hulled strawberries into a puree that goes right into the batter. Frozen thawed berries work too, just drain the excess liquid before blending so the batter does not thin out.
Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, with parchment between layers so the powdered sugar does not glue them together. They also freeze plain for up to 2 months, thaw and dust with fresh powdered sugar before serving.
The whipped funfetti dip is the star pairing, plus extra dippers like pretzels, graham crackers, and apple slices. For a brunch party, coffee and a fruit platter round them out into a full spread.
Made these Baked Donuts? Leave a comment and a star rating below, and tell me what you dunked in the funfetti dip!
Baked Donuts
Ingredients
Mini Baked Doughnuts:
- 1 box white cake mix
- 3 oz strawberry jello
- 4 egg whites
- 1/3 Cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 Cup water
- 1/2 Cup strawberry puree about 6 strawberries, tops removed and pureed in blender
- 20 drops red food coloring
- powdered sugar for garnish
Funfetti Dip:
- 3 Cups powdered sugar
- 1 stick unsalted butter softened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or paste
- 4 Tbls milk or water
- 1 1/2 tsp red sprinkles or any color you wish
- 1 1/2 tsp blue sprinkles (or any color you wish
- additional sprinkles for garnish
Instructions
Mini baked doughnuts:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix together cake mix, jello, oil, 1/2 cup water and egg whites with hand mixer on medium speed for about 3 minutes. Scrap the sides of the bowl, add in the strawberry puree and food coloring. Mix until combined.
- Spoon small amount of batter into mini doughnut tin about 2/3 of the way up. Wipe off excess on sides of mold. Bake for 7-8 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Let cool in tin on wired rack for 5 minutes, take out doughnuts and place on wires rack to cool completely. Store in air tight container until ready to serve, before serving sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Funfetti dip:
- Cream together the butter and powdered sugar in a large bowl with hand mixer. Add in the vanilla and milk, whip until light and fluffy about 3 minutes. Add in the sprinkles and mix again just until combined.
- Serve with mini baked doughnuts or dippers of your choice (pretzels, apple slices, graham crackers, etc.) Sprinkle on additional sprinkles for garnish if desired.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
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These little dipping donuts would be fun! Who thought of adding jello to the cake mix?!? totally interesting idea! And you know the grandbabies would LOVE to dip so this works for them too 🙂 Thanks for sharing another awesome recipe!! Millie
This looks so fun and yummy! pinning!