Cake Doughnuts vs. Yeast Doughnuts: What's The Difference? (2024)

Cake donuts and yeast donuts—which one makes your world go round?

There will be times in your life when you’re forced to pick a side. Important debates so monumental in scope and significance that your stance becomes a part of your identity defines you at your very core.

Coke vs. Pepsi. New York-style vs. Chicago-style pizza. Milk chocolate vs. dark chocolate. Shake Shack vs. In-N-Out. Fresh-cut vs. frozen fries.

Now, I’ve been at this game for a while, and I truly thought I had all my teams chosen. (Coke, New York-style, dark, Shake Shack, frozen, in case you were wondering). But it turns out the roster of my ‘Great Food Rivals Fantasy League’ wasn’t complete; I’d overlooked a major contentious pair: Yeast vs. Cake-style doughnuts. (And no, we don’t have time to get into the “donuts” vs. “doughnuts” question.)

So, let’s see how the two stack up against each before making a judgement call.

First, how about we address the obvious, the-answer-is-in-the-question items? Yeast doughnuts, as the name clearly spells out, are made from dough leavened with yeast (think brioche), whereas cake doughnuts are traditionally made from a kind of cake batter that uses a chemical leavener (i.e. baking powder or baking soda).

The difference in leavening agent dramatically impacts texture and flavor. Yeast doughnuts are lighter: Once cooked, a cross-section reveals a mosaic of air pockets, giving the style a puffy, malleable quality, and a slightly chewy texture. Cake doughnuts, on the other hand, have a dense, more compact crumb (hands up if you like it when wads of cake stick to the roof of your mouth!), and a sturdy, crisp exterior shell.

Of course, there’s also the matter of flavor to consider. At their most plain and basic, cake doughnuts are more rich and buttery (that’s because there’s usually a good amount of butter in the batter), while yeast doughnuts are, well, a little yeasty. You know, they have that subtle fermented tang kind of thing going on. If you’re not a fan of that, you may want to consider joining Team Cake Doughnuts, as the batter for that style is much easier to dress up in a wide variety of flavorings. Not to mention they can handle a thicker coating of icing better suited to secure all your favorite fixin’s: sprinkles, nuts, bacon, you name it. Yeast doughnuts are much more conservatively flavored, traditionally with a thin glaze, or a light icing. They might almost pass as the more modest choice if it weren’t for the fact that the style is used to make filled doughnuts: those little rolls that are gloriously, gluttonously ballooned up with jelly or cream or whatever else your heart desires.

Still can’t decide? Here are a couple more points of distinction to consider. Proponents of the style are likely to point out that yeast doughnuts are the OGs. They predate cake doughnuts by quite some time, likely first introduced to the States by Dutch immigrants. Cake doughnuts, meanwhile, didn’t start popping up in cookbooks here until the 1830sa wondrous byproduct of the avant garde technology that was chemical leavener at the time.

Which brings us to another point: If you’re more of a time-is-of-the-essence cook, yeast doughnuts probably aren’t for you since the dough requires several hours of proofing. The batter for cake doughnuts comes together quickly, plus, if we’re splitting hairs here, they’re also the better choice for dunking in your morning coffee.

I know my vote. But in case you need more time to weigh the options, check out these recipes and test the options for yourself.

While they may be simple, there’s nothing basic about these yeast donuts: The subtle yeast-imparted sourness of the dough, the chewy elasticity, the pillow-light texture that makes eating three in a row a piece of cake (pun intended). Enjoy these plain, sprinkled in sugar, dipped in glaze, filled with jelly, or however your imagination dictates. Get our Basic Yeast Donuts recipe.

When it comes to something that represents their city, Bostonians aren’t shy about showing their pride. Their opponents in sports may take issue, but certainly no one is going to fault them for bragging about having Boston’s name attached to these delicious, iconic pastries. Bursting at the seams with thick, luscious vanilla-flavored custard and capped with chocolate glaze, there’s nothing to improve on here, folks. Get our Boston Cream Donuts recipe.

Where I come from in Texas they call a donut like this a ‘twofer’: That’s a two-for-one special. All the joy and deliciousness of jam and custard packaged under one sugar-dusted, fried dough roof. And as far as hybrids go, I’d definitely take this over the car. Get the Blackberry Jam & Custard Donuts recipe.

Proving that jelly filling isn’t the only way to get fruit in your donut, these colossal fritters feature cinnamon-butter-basted apples mixed into the dough. The apples may be fresh but the donuts are finished in a maple syrup glaze, so don’t even think about counting it as part of your recommended daily dose. Get our Apple Fritters recipe.

I’m sorry, I feel like there’s really nothing to explain here. Smooth, hazelnut-chocolatey, the-stuff-dreams-are-made-of, Nutella. Inside a fried ball of dough. Covered in cinnamon sugar. What more do you need to know? Get the Nutella Cinnamon Sugar Doughnuts recipe.

While they may not be the “original” donut, the cake-style version, with its rich texture and crisp outer shell, is definitely not wanting for fans. Lovely as they are simply tossed in sugar or glazed, one of the biggest appeals of this style is its versatility, easily able to take on nearly any flavor styling you can dream up. Get the Old Fashioned Cake Donuts recipe.

Kick it old-school with this subcategory of the cake donut (recognizable by its flower-like tapered edge) that adds in a touch of sour cream to the mix. Get the Old Fashioned Sour Cream Doughnuts recipe.

I appreciate simplicity, a reverence for the unfettered classics, I do. But if you’re going to improve upon the understated perfection of apple cider donuts, this is how you do it: Add gooey chocolate chips to the batter, cover the finished baked rings in sticky cider caramel glaze, and finish with a sprinkle of sea salt flakes. Stick that in your pipe, as they say. Get the Baked Salted Caramel Apple Cider Donuts recipe.

In case the donuts themselves weren’t enough of a childhood throwback, you can really get into the spirit by referencing everyone’s favorite birthday cake flavor. Get the Funfetti Cake Donuts recipe.

I am always so happy when salty and sweet say “I do,” because the union never disappoints. For example: Crispy, salty, fatty pieces of bacon and sugary-sweet maple glaze. Don’t worry, the cake donut was happy to play designated driver, I checked. Get the Baked Maple Bacon Donuts recipe.

Cake Doughnuts vs. Yeast Doughnuts: What's The Difference? (2024)

FAQs

Are yeast or cake donuts better? ›

A cake doughnut is much more tender,” says Talbot, “whereas a yeast doughnut has more chew.” In terms of seniority, the yeast doughnut came first. We know it's been around longer than the cake doughnut because yeast has been around many centuries longer than chemical leaveners.

Is Krispy Kreme a cake donut or a yeast donut? ›

Traditional Cake Doughnut

The classic cake doughnut is simple and a little less sweet than its fellow doughnuts. Moist and rich, sometimes simple is all you need. "Krispy Kreme doughnuts are the best part of my morning."

Are Dunkin donuts cake or yeast donuts? ›

Dunkin' Donuts Glazed Donut is a large, airy, yeast doughnut. Instead of a smooth layer of glaze, Dunkin's version featured a harder, shell-like layer of glaze.

What are cake doughnuts? ›

What are Cake Donuts? Cake donuts are amongst the most iconic and most popular U.S. bakery products. They are made from a cake batter that is chemically-leavened and fried to develop its traditional taste and aroma.

Are cake donuts fried or baked? ›

Cake doughnuts can be either baked or fried, though with some limitations. Looser batters need to be piped (either directly into hot oil or onto a piece of parchment, frozen, and fried later) if they are going to be fried; otherwise, they must be baked in molds.

Are old-fashioned donuts cake or yeast? ›

The old-fashioned doughnut is a term used for a variety of cake doughnut prepared in the shape of a ring with a cracked surface and tapered edges around it. Nineteenth century recipes for "old-fashioned donuts" are made with yeast, but in modern doughnut shops an "old-fashioned doughnut" is usually a cake doughnut.

What is the healthiest donut? ›

It may be surprising to see that the lowest calorie donut is a sugar donut. A sugar donut is a yeast-risen donut, making it light and airy and overall lower in calories than a traditional cake donut.

Are cake donuts real donuts? ›

Yeast doughnuts, as the name clearly spells out, are made from dough leavened with yeast (think brioche), whereas cake doughnuts are traditionally made from a kind of cake batter that uses a chemical leavener (i.e. baking powder or baking soda).

Are cake donuts healthier? ›

A cake donut is lower in fat, calories and sugar than a donut bursting with sugary fruit filling or glazed with a thick layer of chocolate, but they aren't nutritious.

Which has more calories cake or yeast donut? ›

Airier yeast donuts usually have fewer calories than cake donuts, which have a denser texture.

Is a glazed donut a yeast donut? ›

Yeast Donuts are soft, tender with a slight fermented flavor and sweet to the taste. After the product has cooled, it is sponge-like and tender to the touch. Yeast Donuts make up our glazed rings, iced rings, filled shells and fancies (Coffee Rolls, Bismarks, Bow Ties) which is about 65% of our donut mix.

What is a yeast donut? ›

Yeast donuts are fried bakery products that are yeast-leavened, unlike traditional donuts that are chemically-leavened with baking powder and made with a cake batter. The unique characteristics of donuts are their traditional ring shape and the method of frying in hot oil.

Why are cake donuts so good? ›

Some prefer cake donuts because the flavor can be created in the batter and raised donut flavor is typically in the glaze. We love both!

What is a cake donut made of? ›

A cake donut is made from a sweet dough that is leavened with baking powder and a yeast donut is a sweet dough that is made with yeast. The dough is rolled out and then cut with a donut cutter or circular cutter and then fried.

Are Tim Hortons donuts yeast or cake? ›

Top Selling Tim Hortons Donuts Canada

What is this? It's a filled, soft, yeast donut and has chocolate and creamy vanilla flavours. The concept for the donut comes from a Boston Cream Pie recipe that's over 100 years old.

Can I bake donuts instead of frying them? ›

Yes, they definitely are. A typical fried glazed donut will be around 269 calories, while a baked donut will have much fewer. The difference is the fact that you won't be dealing with any extra fat from the oil from frying when you bake.

Does Dunkin Donuts bake or fry their donuts? ›

In what Dunkin Donuts coins on-demand baking, these shops simply bake the doughnuts and do all of the necessary finishing work, from adding sprinkles and spreading pink frosting to inserting jelly, before the confections are lined up on the shops long display racks.

What makes cake donuts rise? ›

Cake. While yeast donuts rely on biological leaveners, which take time to make the dough rise, cake donuts use chemical leaveners, which require no waiting time before frying.

Why are old fashioned donuts so good? ›

They have a crackly, craggy exterior that holds onto the tasty glaze, making them hard to resist. They're also sweet but not too sweet, and the sour cream and nutmeg add a wonderful flavor to them. There's no yeast in this recipe, but instead, these donuts use baking powder as a leavening agent.

What is the most unhealthiest donut? ›

Apple fritters are among the unhealthiest doughnuts. Just because a doughnut has fruit it it doesn't mean it is a good choice. Apple fritters are deep fried in fat. A medium sized apple fritter contains approximately 17 grams of fat (almost half the fat from saturated fat) and 450 calories.

Is a donut healthier than an apple? ›

The effect of sugar in the body will be different according to the source of the sugar (of course apples are healthier than donuts and offer nutrients other than sugar), but once digested the sugar in your system is the same. And unfortunately sugar contributes to weight gain.

Is a banana healthier than a donut? ›

Why is that difference important? Eat a banana and you'll get a good hit of fiber and potassium, as well as other key vitamins and minerals. A donut contains what we call “empty calories”—there's not much in the way of nutritional value.

Is a glazed donut a cake donut? ›

Cake donuts include apple cider donuts, chocolate cake donuts with glaze, and those crunchy, old fashioned donuts that are sometimes glazed and sometimes not.

Are doughnuts bread or cake? ›

The ones made with baking powder are a type of quick-bread, easily and quickly made, and are more cakelike and denser than the yeasted variety. Those known as "old fashioned” doughnuts are usually cake doughnuts.

What type of donut is a glazed donut? ›

Glazed donuts are light and fluffy pastries that use all the classic donut ingredients: eggs, flour, milk, sugar, etc. They are fried to perfection, giving you a soft, sweet bite every time. But the most crucial part of a glazed donut is, of course, the glaze.

How much sugar is in a cake donut? ›

Nutrition Facts
1 Donut (57g) Serving size
Total Carbohydrate 26g10%
Dietary Fiber <1g3%
Sugars 9g
14 more rows

What donut has the most calories? ›

Among the full-size doughnuts, Starbucks' Old Fashioned glazed doughnut is highest in calories, but it's also fairly large at 113 grams.

Are donuts the unhealthiest food? ›

#3 Worst Food: Doughnuts

Store-bought doughnuts contain the unholy trinity of unhealthy ingredients, reports livestrong.com: trans fat, sugar, and refined flour. Many contain a whopping 10 to 20 grams of fat each and between 250 to 300 empty calories.

Are donuts OK for weight loss? ›

So back to the original question, “Can you eat doughnuts and lose weight?” Well, YES. Provided you can account for your daily macronutrient and micronutrient requirements, there's absolutely no reason why you can't enjoy your doughnuts in moderation.

Are Old Fashioned Donuts healthy? ›

No one mistakes a doughnut for health food. The combination of flour, sugar and fat contains very little fiber, so its 200 to 300 calories are absorbed quickly, said Randi Konikoff, a dietitian at Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy in Boston.

What are donuts without holes called? ›

Jelly Doughnut

These classic doughnuts are typically round without a hole in the middle, and generally leavened with yeast.

What is different about an old-fashioned donut? ›

Old-Fashioned

It's risen with a chemical leavener and made into either batter or dough. It's fried at a lower temperature than other doughnuts, thereby creating a craggy, rough-edged specimen. Glaze clings to its cracks; it begs to be dipped into milk or a cup of joe.

What are donuts with filling called? ›

Long John (doughnut)
Long John with maple frosting (maple bar doughnut)
Alternative namesCream stick, filled stick, chocolate bar, maple bar
TypePastry
Main ingredientsDough, and glaze or icing
Other informationMay be called an "éclair", but has yeast-risen dough

What type of donut is most popular? ›

Glazed doughnuts have been ranked the most popular of donut types, with 36% of Americans selecting them as their top choice.

What country eats the most donuts? ›

For the love of doughnuts

Whether it be a cruller or apple fritter, Canadians eat the most doughnuts in the world. Although in pop culture, like in The Simpsons, the donut is often seen as portrayals of the American life, there are more doughnut shops in Canada per capita than any other country.

Why are my baked donuts hard? ›

Over mixing will make tough donuts. Stop mixing when the ingredients are just combined. The batter will be lumpy and there may even be little bits of unincorporated flour ... and that's okay. That's exactly how you want the batter to be to make tender donuts.

Why are my yeast donuts tough? ›

Frying at too low a temperature will result in greasy doughnuts with a tough crust. Try this: Watch the oil's temperature carefully as you fry and adjust the heat as needed to maintain a temperature between 350°F and 360°F.

Why are my donuts not fluffy? ›

Underproofed – leads to stiffer (denser) donuts that don't puff up well when fried. Cracked donuts – this may have happened if you used a cutter and it wasn't sharp enough to cut through the dough cleanly. Or the dough is underproofed or too cold.

Do yeast donuts have eggs? ›

For the donut dough you'll need:

Instant Or Active Dry Yeast. Eggs. Unsalted butter. All Purpose Flour.

Should cake donuts be refrigerated? ›

Cake doughnuts are stored similarly to yeast doughnuts but can be left in a room temperature airtight container longer because it has a denser dough. Keeping these doughnuts in a container out of direct sunlight should be safe for about five to six days as long as it does not have any dairy-based fillings or grow mold.

Does Dunkin donuts make cake donuts? ›

The new Chocolate Cake Batter Donut is filled with chocolate buttercreme filling, frosted with chocolate icing and topped with colorful confetti sprinkles, while the new Vanilla Cake Batter Donut features vanilla-flavored cake batter filling, frosted with white icing and topped with confetti sprinkles.

Do cake donuts have milk? ›

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Mix in butter until crumbly. Stir in milk and egg until smooth.

Can I use baking powder and yeast for doughnut? ›

Doughnuts are made using the simplest of pantry staples, including flour, yeast, baking powder or baking soda, sugar, butter, and oil for deep-frying. Here's a quick overview of essential doughnut-making ingredients.

Which has more calories yeast donut or cake donut? ›

Airier yeast donuts usually have fewer calories than cake donuts, which have a denser texture.

Why are yeast donuts so good? ›

Yeast Donuts are soft, tender with a slight fermented flavor and sweet to the taste. After the product has cooled, it is sponge-like and tender to the touch. Yeast Donuts make up our glazed rings, iced rings, filled shells and fancies (Coffee Rolls, Bismarks, Bow Ties) which is about 65% of our donut mix.

What is the healthiest kind of donut? ›

It may be surprising to see that the lowest calorie donut is a sugar donut. A sugar donut is a yeast-risen donut, making it light and airy and overall lower in calories than a traditional cake donut.

Why are my cake donuts dry? ›

If that happens, your temperature is too high. On the other hand, you don't want the center to cook long before your donut has a nice brown colour. If that happens, your temperature is too low and your donut may turn out dry or soaked full of oil.

What does egg do to donut? ›

You mix flour with butter, sugar, milk, eggs, yeast and a few other minor ingredients into a nice dough. The butter and the fat in the eggs help make your donut soft and rich.

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