Chocolate Glazed Donut Tim Hortons Copycat

This is the recipe to win you over on the cake donuts team. Inspired by Tim Hortons, these are cakey, chocolatey and take less than 20 minutes.

Jump to:

• Why This Recipe Works
• Ingredients
• How to Make This Recipe
• Expert Tips and FAQ to Make This Perfectly
• MORE DESSERT RECIPES YOU'LL LOVE
• 📖 Recipe

Why This Recipe Works

If you needed a reason to love this recipe more than how delicious it is, these chocolate glazed donuts are also:

• Quick. They take less than 20 minutes from start to finish.
• Light. These donuts are rich and delicious without being as heavy or calorie dense as traditional fried donuts.
• Easy clean up. With only 2 bowls needed (1 if you rinse the dough bowl while the donuts bake) you aren't tearing up your whole kitchen with dishes.
• Chocolatey. If all that isn't enough, it's the perfect chocolate punch to go with your coffee - we won't tell anyone if you enjoy these for breakfast! 😉 

Ingredients

With only 11 different ingredients and most of them being pantry staples, this is the most dangerous recipe to have on hand when a sweet craving strikes.

Flour. Stick to All Purpose Flour - if you're gluten-free, I only recommend substituting the flour with 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour from Bob's Red Mill. Use other brands at own risk!

Sour Cream. If you don't have sour cream, you can use plain greek yogurt in the same quantities. I used full fat sour cream. If you use sour cream or greek yogurt - avoid low-fat or fat-free varieties.

Cocoa Powder. Use the basic cocoa powder found at your grocery store. Avoid dutch process cocoa powder or black cocoa powder as they both contain different acid quantities and may affect the rise. Here's an article explaining the difference between cocoa powders.

Milk. I use 2% milk for both the donuts and the glaze. In a pinch you can use skim in the glaze but I recommend using 2% milk in the batter.

Oil. You can use any neutral oil - I use Canola Oil but you can use Vegetable Oil or even Coconut Oil though Coconut Oil will change the taste slightly.

Sugar. Use white granulated sugar. This recipe hasn't been tested with sugar substitutes of any kind. Substitute at your own risk.

Vanilla. I always use real vanilla. It gives the best flavour and allows you use less than imitation vanilla extract. I get mine fairly cheaply at Costco.

How to Make This Recipe

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. Grease two half dozen donut pans with cooking spray or a neutral oil. Set aside.

• 

• 

3. In a large bowl, combine All Purpose Flour, Cocoa Powder, White Sugar, Baking Powder and Table Salt.

4. Stir to combine.

• 

• 

5. In a different medium bowl, combine the Egg, Sour Cream, Milk, Canola Oil and Vanilla Extract. Whisk until combined.

6. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

7. Mix until just combined. Don't over mix.

• 

• 

8. Spoon the donut batter equally between the 12 greased donut pans. Each donut should be about 1 ½ tablespoons.

9. Bake at 400°F for 8-10 minutes, until the tops of the donuts spring back when touched and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let the donuts cool completely in the pan.

10. While the donuts are cooling, combine the ingredients for the glaze (Icing Sugar, Milk and Vanilla Extract).

11. Make sure the glaze has no lumps.

• 

• 

12. Take the donuts, 1 at a time, and dunk them in the glaze. Flip the donuts to make sure both sides are covered. Let them sit on a cooling rack until set (about 5 minutes).

Expert Tips and FAQ to Make This Perfectly

For the perfect glaze, glaze the donuts when they're mostly cool but still a bit warm. If they're fully cooled, the donut will absorb the glaze - if they're too warm, the glaze will melt off.

This is a cake donut and will have a stickier batter than a fried donut. See the process images for the ideal consistency for the batter.

The perfect compliment to this treat is easy cold brew. Making cold brew at home saves you another trip to the drive-thru. Like warm coffee? This recipe is still the best way to brew - cold brewing methods make coffee more smooth.

Frequently Asked Questions

MORE DESSERT RECIPES YOU'LL LOVE

Have you tried this recipe? Leave me a 5 ⭐️ rating in the recipe card! I love to hear from you! You can also follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter, and sign up for my newsletter!

📖 Recipe