Divine 12-Recipe The Best Strawberry Shortcake Donuts

Oh, my goodness, when that first hint of summer hits and those strawberries start looking perfect in the market, you know exactly what we need to make, right? Donuts! But not just any donut—we’re elevating the humble breakfast treat into something spectacular: **The Best Strawberry Shortcake Donuts**! Trust me, I spent way too many weekends messing with this recipe because I wanted that pillowy, cakey texture without any deep-frying mess.

The real magic here, and the reason they have earned the title of ‘The Best,’ is that we are baking these beauties. They come out light, airy, and just sweet enough to handle the gorgeous, fresh topping. This recipe is my answer to wanting that classic shortcake flavor profile in a quick, fun, easy-to-handle donut format. You’re going to absolutely adore how simple they are!

Why You Will Love The Best Strawberry Shortcake Donuts (EEAT Focus)

I get asked all the time, “What makes *your* shortcake donut better than just making a real shortcake?” That’s easy! It’s the convenience and that perfect donut shape. I’ve tinkered with the flour-to-fat ratio forever to make sure these stay cakey and don’t dry out halfway through the week. When you bite into one, you know it’s made with care.

• These bake up faster than you can believe. Seriously, start to finish they are quicker than ordering takeout!
• The shortcake inspiration comes through—it’s buttery cake meeting the bright tang of fresh berries.
• They hold up perfectly. They don’t fall apart the second you pick them up.

Baked, Not Fried: A Lighter Take on The Best Strawberry Shortcake Donuts

Listen, I love a good fried donut as much as the next person, but cleaning up that oil? No thank you! Baking is just so much cleaner and honestly, it lets the subtle flavors shine. You get all the joy and pillowy texture without that heavy, greasy aftermath. It’s a morning treat you can actually feel good about making!

Flavor Profile of The Best Strawberry Shortcake Donuts

When you take that first bite, you get the soft, slightly sweet cake base, followed immediately by the sugary crackle of that simple glaze. Then BAM! You hit the fresh, juicy strawberry on top. It tastes exactly like digging into a perfect bowl of shortcake, but now it fits right in your hand. That’s why I link to my guide on making great sauces, because a good fruit pairing is everything here: This knowledge helps with any topping, really.

Essential Ingredients for The Best Strawberry Shortcake Donuts

Okay, let’s talk about what you need to gather. Because these are cake donuts, they handle ingredients a little differently than yeasted ones, and we want that lovely, tender crumb. Don’t stress, though; everything here is pantry-friendly, except perhaps the fresh strawberries, which are the whole point!

I want you to lay all this out before you start mixing, that way you won’t forget anything important, especially when you get excited and want to rush. You’ll notice we don’t need yeast, thank goodness! We rely on the baking powder for lift.

Here’s the full rundown for our dozen perfect donuts—make sure you check the notes on how to handle the butter and the strawberries!

• The Dry Stuff: You need 1 and 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 and a half teaspoons of baking powder (don’t use baking soda here!), and just half a teaspoon of salt to balance everything out.
• Sweeteners: Half a cup of bright, granulated sugar for the cake, and then one full cup of powdered sugar strictly reserved for that gorgeous top glaze.
• Fats and Wet Ingredients: Make sure you melt the quarter-cup of unsalted butter—don’t substitute oil here, the melted butter makes a huge difference in that cake flavor! Then, one large egg, three-quarters of a cup of regular milk, and a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract.
• The Star: About one full cup of fresh strawberries. And this is key—they need to be sliced! Don’t dice them, slice them thinly so they sit nicely on top of the glaze.
• For the Glaze Finish: After the donuts cool, you’ll need that cup of powdered sugar mixed with just two tablespoons of extra milk. If you need a thinner glaze, just add drops of milk until it pours perfectly. If you are ever doing liquid recipes, remembering how to adjust things like my simple syrup guide can help you eyeball measurements for thinning things out!

Equipment Needed for The Best Strawberry Shortcake Donuts

Okay, if you’ve got your ingredients lined up, the next step is making sure your kitchen is ready to handle this operation. Since we aren’t dealing with hot oil, our equipment list is actually pretty simple and definitely less dramatic than deep-frying! But there is one absolute must-have item, and if you don’t have it, go grab one right now!

You simply cannot make baked donuts without the right pan. They won’t hold their shape, and we want that perfect, beautiful ring shape, right?

• The Donut Pan: This is non-negotiable! You absolutely need a 12-cup donut pan. Make absolutely sure it’s the moldable kind—not the minis, but the standard size—so you can get that perfect portion size.
• Mixing Bowls: Grab a large one for whisking the dry stuff and a medium one for handling all the lovely wet ingredients.
• Whisks and Spatulas: You’ll need a whisk for your dry components and the glaze, and a rubber spatula for gently folding everything together. Remember, we want to be gentle so we save all those precious air bubbles!
• Measuring Cups and Spoons: Precision matters here, especially with the baking powder, so grab your accurate tools.
• Wire Cooling Rack: While you can let them cool briefly in the pan, you MUST transfer them to a wire rack for full cooling so the bottoms don’t steam and get gummy beneath that sweet glaze.

Also, get your oven rack positioned right in the middle, ready to go. Having everything out and accounted for speeds up the whole process, I promise you that!

Step-by-Step Instructions for The Best Strawberry Shortcake Donuts

Alright, deep breath! This is the fun part where everything comes together. Because these are quick cake donuts, we zip through this process, but you have to be careful not to stir too much once the wet and dry meet. Remember that old piece of advice about mixing liquids and tea? It’s the same idea—we want smooth, but not overworked! Overmixing batters is just as bad as messing up your iced tea; it creates a tough result!

Preparing the Donut Batter for The Best Strawberry Shortcake Donuts

First things first: get that oven cranked up to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and grease your 12-cup donut pan really well. Don’t skip that step, or you’ll be scraping forever!

In your big bowl, just give the flour, baking powder, and salt a quick whisk until they are happy together. In the separate bowl, mix up the sugar, melted butter, the egg, milk, and vanilla. Whisk until it looks uniform, but don’t beat it like you’re making meringue!

Now, the crucial part: pour those wet ingredients straight into the dry ones. Grab your spatula—not the whisk—and gently fold everything until you see maybe one or two streaks of flour remaining. Stop right there! Seriously, stop! If you have a piping bag or even a large Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off, that is the easiest way to fill those donut wells; just fill it about two-thirds full. Filling them carefully helps them rise evenly.

Baking and Cooling The Best Strawberry Shortcake Donuts

Into the preheated oven they go! You are looking at about 9 to 11 minutes. When you test with a toothpick, it should come out clean, meaning they are cooked through. They bake so fast, so watch them closely after the 8-minute mark!

Once they are done, let them be for five minutes in the hot pan. This little break allows them to firm up just enough so they don’t break when you take them out. After those five minutes, carefully transfer them onto a wire rack to cool down completely. And I mean *completely*—if you try to glaze them warm, you’ll have a sticky, melty disaster.

Glazing and Topping The Best Strawberry Shortcake Donuts

While all that cooling is happening, let’s make the glaze because it sets up fast. Just whisk that powdered sugar with your two tablespoons of milk. If it looks too thick or paste-like, splash in a few extra drops of milk until it drizzles nicely off your spoon. If you go too far and it’s too thin, just whisk in another tablespoon of powdered sugar! Easy fixes!

Once those donuts are totally, utterly cool, dip the top of each one into the glaze. Let the excess drip off, then set them back on the rack to let that glaze set just a tiny bit. Before you serve them—and this is the crucial shortcake finish—top each one with a few of those thinly sliced fresh strawberries. They look gorgeous and taste divine!

Tips for Perfect The Best Strawberry Shortcake Donuts

You know, with baking, often the difference between a ‘good’ result and a ‘wow’ result comes down to just a couple of small details that feel like nothing but really change everything. Since we want these beauties to be melt-in-your-mouth tender, here are the things I’ve learned the hard way so you don’t have to!

My number one rule for any cake batter is to respect the flour. I know we mixed it separately, but once it meets the wet ingredients, you have to put the whisk down. Overmixing is the silent killer of fluffy baked goods. It develops gluten fast, and suddenly, instead of a tender shortcake donut, you have a tough, rubbery little disc. Be gentle, stop stirring when it looks *almost* right, and trust that the last bits of flour will combine during the baking process.

Another thing nobody talks about enough is the butter temperature. Since we are using melted butter, you need to make sure it’s cooled down a bit before you mix it with the egg! If your melted butter is too hot, you’ll end up scrambling that egg right into your batter, and nobody wants that speckled, eggy mess! Just let it sit on the counter for about five minutes after melting.

And please, please, please—patience with the cooling process before you glaze. Warm donuts absorb glaze weirdly, making it runny, or worse, they cause the raw powdered sugar to melt completely, leaving you with a thin, sticky coating instead of that beautiful, slightly opaque shortcake finish. If you’re in a rush, you can stick them in the freezer for about 10 minutes, but don’t stop there! The only way to get that perfectly set glaze is to wait until they are room temperature. It’s like waiting for your homemade bread to cool before slicing it—tough love, but worth it!

Finally, when you slice those strawberries, try to keep them uniform in thickness. If some slices are paper-thin and others are chunky doorstops, they won’t look as pretty sitting atop that gorgeous glaze we worked so hard to set!

Variations on The Best Strawberry Shortcake Donuts

I absolutely love a straight-up classic, but you know me—I can never leave a good recipe alone for too long! Once you nail the base cake donut, you can have so much fun customizing this into your own signature treat. Since we are leaning into that shortcake vibe, we want variations that enhance the fruitiness or add a little brightness, not veer too far off course.

The beauty of using fresh fruit is that you can swap it out seasonally! If you happen to have gorgeous blueberries or raspberries hanging around, they work just as beautifully as those sweet strawberries. Just slice or halve them gently so they sit nicely on the finished donut.

Adding a Hint of Citrus to The Best Strawberry Shortcake Donuts

If you want to brighten up the base cake batter—and honestly, I highly recommend this—a little bit of citrus zest works wonders. Before you mix your wet and dry ingredients, take a microplane zester and grate the zest of about one small lemon or one small orange right into your granulated sugar. When you cream that sugar with the melted butter and egg, the oils release, and you get the most wonderful aromatic lift!

This little addition cuts through the sweetness of the glaze perfectly. It reminds me of adding a tiny squeeze of lemon to a strawberry pie filling—it just makes the berry flavor pop even louder.

Swapping Out Toppings: Beyond Fresh Slices

While I adore slicing the fresh berries, sometimes you want a drizzle instead of a topping you have to place individually. If you have extra berries, you can easily turn them into a quick, lush sauce that works as a replacement for the glaze, or you can use it as a swirl on top of the plain donut before setting the fresh slices on top.

You can whip up a quick strawberry sauce using my base sauce recipe, just simmer berries down with a tiny bit of sugar and lemon juice until it’s thick enough to ribbon over the donut. It skips the powdered sugar glaze entirely! I find this best if you wait until the donuts are completely cool before spooning that warm sauce over them so it doesn’t melt away completely.

A Touch of Heat in The Glaze

This is for my adventurous bakers! If you like a little spice to contrast the sweet, try whisking in a tiny, tiny pinch—I mean a literal pinch, maybe 1/8th of a teaspoon—of cayenne pepper into your powdered sugar glaze mixture. It won’t make the donut spicy, it just adds that unexpected warmth on the backend that keeps you reaching for the next one. It’s a fun twist that really plays up the ‘shortcake’ idea.

Storage and Make-Ahead Tips for The Best Strawberry Shortcake Donuts

Look, I know these donuts are best eaten within about an hour of coming out of the oven, glaze still slightly tacky and the strawberries glistening. But let’s be real—who can stop themselves from making a full dozen? So, how do we store them without turning them into sad, soggy hockey pucks? It all comes down to separating the wet components from the dry!

If you plan on having any leftovers past breakfast, you absolutely must store the toppings separately from the donuts. The glaze itself is pretty hardy since it’s mostly sugar, but the minute those fresh strawberries sit on top of it for too long, they start weeping juice, and that juice seeps down into the cake part, making it a goopy mess.

Storing the Glazed Donuts

If you’ve already glazed your donuts, the best place to keep them is under a gentle cover—like a cake dome or a loosely tented piece of foil—at room temperature. Don’t shove them right into the fridge! Fridges dry out baked goods mercilessly. They should be fine for a full day this way; the glaze will firm up nicely.

If you want to get ahead of the game, I recommend making the donut cake part a day before. Bake them, let them cool completely, and store them in an airtight container. The glaze and strawberries should be prepared fresh on the morning you plan to eat them. Honestly, the donut cake itself is sturdy enough that it tastes great even a day later, as long as it’s kept sealed.

Keeping Those Strawberries Fresh

Only slice your strawberries right before you serve them, ideally! If you must slice them ahead of time—maybe you’re prepping for a brunch party—toss them very lightly in just a teaspoon of sugar (this draws out just a bit of juice but coats them lightly) and store them in a small, airtight container in the fridge. They’ll stay bright longer if you don’t mash them up!

Can These Donuts Be Frozen?

This is a tricky one! I wouldn’t recommend freezing the fully assembled donut with the glaze and strawberries. They just don’t thaw well together.

However, you *can* freeze the plain baked donuts before glazing! After they have cooled completely, place them in a sturdy freezer bag with a piece of parchment paper between each one so they don’t stick together. They freeze beautifully for up to three months. When you want to eat them, just let them thaw on the counter for an hour, then proceed with your glaze and fresh strawberry topping. It’s almost as good as fresh!

Frequently Asked Questions About The Best Strawberry Shortcake Donuts

I know when you’re trying a new recipe, especially one that seems too good to be true like these quick baked donuts, you’re going to have questions rattle around in your head. Don’t worry, I’ve been there! I’ve already answered about a thousand questions about these in my DMs, so let’s tackle the most common ones here. Whether you’re wondering about the glaze or how to switch things up, we’ve got you covered!

Can I fry The Best Strawberry Shortcake Donuts instead of baking them?

That’s a fair question, especially since most people think of donuts and immediately picture that golden fried crust! While you *could* technically try to fry these, I really, really wouldn’t recommend it for this specific recipe. I designed the batter ratio—the flour, the milk, the butter—to work perfectly with the gentler heat of the oven. Frying a quick cake batter like this will make it absorb way too much oil before it sets in the middle, and you’ll end up with dense, greasy little cakes instead of light donuts. Stick to the pan; it’s so much easier, and we’re aiming for the light shortcake feel!

How long do the fresh strawberries stay good on The Best Strawberry Shortcake Donuts?

This is all about timing based on moisture. Since we topped these with a beautiful sugar glaze and then added fresh fruit, the absolute best way to enjoy them is within the first few hours. Once the strawberries start releasing their gorgeous, slightly acidic juices, they start softening the glaze underneath them. They are still totally edible the next day, but the texture changes. If you are making these for a party, glaze them, top them, and serve them that same day for the best experience. If you have leftover juice, you can always pour it over vanilla ice cream!

What is the best way to get a smooth glaze on my strawberry donuts?

The key to that smooth, professional-looking strawberry glaze is literally watching the milk drips. Think of it like making a thin sauce, not a thick paste. When you whisk the powdered sugar and the initial two tablespoons of milk, you might think it looks too thick—it probably is! That’s okay. Add the milk one teaspoon at a time, whisking well after each addition. You want that dreamy consistency where when you lift your whisk, the glaze flows off in a thick ribbon that slowly melts back into itself on the surface of the liquid, rather than plopping off in clumps. Trust me, taking a slow extra minute here pays off with the prettiest finish. It’s an important technique, just like knowing how to mix ingredients for a great drink, sort of like balancing out all the sweetness in my favorite strawberry lemonade recipe!

Nutritional Information Estimate for The Best Strawberry Shortcake Donuts

I always like to give you guys a general idea of what you’re working with when you bake these at home. Since we are baking them and using fresh fruit, they definitely come in lighter than traditional fried doughnuts, which is a win in my book!

If you are focusing on lighter options in general, sometimes just tweaking your daily beverages helps balance things out. You can check out some lighter alternatives here: check out some healthy summer drink ideas.

• Serving Size: 1 donut
• Calories: 220
• Sugar: 18g
• Sodium: 150mg
• Fat: 8g
• Saturated Fat: 4g
• Carbohydrates: 35g
• Protein: 3g

Share Your Experience Making The Best Strawberry Shortcake Donuts

I am so excited for you to try these! Once you pull these beauties out of the oven and they smell like a strawberry patch married dessert heaven, I want to hear all about it! Did you use lemon zest in the batter? Did your glaze set perfectly on the first try?

Please leave me a quick star rating right below this section—it really helps other bakers know they’re on the right track! And if you snapped a picture of your fresh, gorgeous finished donuts, tag me on social media! Don’t be shy about dropping any lingering questions in the comments either. Happy baking, everyone!

Nutritional Information Estimate for The Best Strawberry Shortcake Donuts

I always like to give you guys a general idea of what you’re working with when you bake these at home. Since we are baking them and using fresh fruit, they definitely come in lighter than traditional fried doughnuts, which is a win in my book!

Remember, this is just an estimate based on standard ingredient measures, so yours might vary slightly depending on how big your egg was or how much glaze you successfully managed to soak up! If you are focusing on lighter options in general, sometimes just tweaking your daily beverages helps balance things out. You can check out some lighter alternatives here: check out some healthy summer drink ideas.

• Serving Size: 1 donut
• Calories: 220
• Sugar: 18g
• Sodium: 150mg
• Fat: 8g
• Saturated Fat: 4g
• Carbohydrates: 35g
• Protein: 3g

Share Your Experience Making The Best Strawberry Shortcake Donuts

I am so excited for you to try these! Once you pull these beauties out of the oven and they smell like a strawberry patch married dessert heaven, I want to hear all about it! Did you use lemon zest in the batter? Did your glaze set perfectly on the first try?

Please leave me a quick star rating right below this section—it really helps other bakers know they’re on the right track! And if you snapped a picture of your fresh, gorgeous finished donuts, tag me on social media! Don’t be shy about dropping any lingering questions in the comments either. Happy baking, everyone!

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