High Altitude Baked Blueberry Donuts

A quick and easy recipe for high altitude baked blueberry donuts! Soft and fluffy baked vanilla cake donuts are flecked with vanilla bean and flavored with a hint of almond extract and cardamom. And the blueberry icing gets its vibrant pink color and blueberry flavor from freeze dried blueberry powder. Serve these pretty donuts for a special occasion breakfast or dessert!

You might also love these high altitude recipes for baked chocolate espresso donuts, baked maple glazed donuts, and old fashioned sour cream cake doughnuts.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Ready in 1 Hour. This really is the simplest donut recipe to make, since you don’t need a mixer, the donuts are baked instead of fried, and everything comes together quickly. From start to finish, you can enjoy fresh baked blueberry donuts in about an hour.

Versatile Recipe. Add some fresh blueberries to the cake batter for juicy blueberries in every bite. If you don’t have freeze dried blueberry powder, you can use blueberry jam in the icing instead. You could even add a little lemon juice to the icing for a blueberry lemon donut. And this recipe will work with any size donut pan you have, whether you want to make standard-sized donuts or mini donuts.

High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.

See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.

Ingredients

Doughnuts

• Flour. For a lighter texture, try using cake flour, but all-purpose flour can also be used. The flour is what gives the doughnuts structure and strength.
• Sugar. Granulated sugar adds sweetness and moisture.
• Baking Powder. Leavening agent, to help the doughnuts rise.
• Salt. Balances the sweetness.
• Cardamom. Complements the flavor of the vanilla and almond extracts.
• Egg. Strengthens the dough and adds richness and moisture.
• Sour Cream + Milk. For the best flavor, use full-fat sour cream and whole milk. These add moisture and richness, while the acidity in the sour cream tenderizes the cake.
• Butter. The butter is key to a rich flavor, and moist dense texture.
• Vanilla + Almond Extracts. You can use either vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract, plus a little almond extract. These flavors are delicious with the blueberry icing.

Icing

• Powdered Sugar. Sweetens and thickens the icing.
• Freeze Dried Blueberry Powder. Adds a beautiful, vibrant color and an intense blueberry flavor.
• Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
• Whole Milk. Thins the icing to a drizzly consistency.

Instructions

Doughnuts

• Preheat the oven to 375 F, and grease your doughnut pans with non-stick baking spray.
• In a bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cardamom. Separately, whisk together the egg and sour cream until smooth, then whisk in the milk, melted butter, vanilla and almond extract.
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and use a spatula to fold everything together just until combined.

Baker’s Note: If you like, you can add fresh blueberries to the batter, but you’ll need to spoon and spread it into the doughnut pans, rather than piping it from a piping bag. You’ll probably get more than 12 donuts if you add blueberries.

• Scrape the batter into a piping bag and cut off an inch from the pointed end. Pipe the batter into the doughnut pans, filling them no more than 1/2 – 2/3 full.
• Bake the doughnuts on the center oven rack for about 10-12 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool the doughnuts for several minutes in the pan, then gently remove the doughnuts and let them cool completely on a cooling rack before adding the icing.

Icing

• In a bowl, combine the powdered sugar and freeze dried blueberry powder. Add the vanilla and milk, and stir into a smooth, drizzly icing.

Baker’s Note: This icing recipe makes a generous amount of icing. If you like less, simply cut the icing recipe in half. You can also make it thinner with more milk, if you want to just lightly drizzle the icing over your baked blueberry donuts.

• Spoon the icing on top of the cooled donuts, letting it drip down the sides.
• The icing will set to the touch in a few minutes, but will stay soft underneath the surface.

Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I buy freeze dried blueberry powder?

You may be able to find freeze dried blueberries at your local Target, on the dried fruit and nuts aisle. Freeze dried fruit can easily be ground into a powder at home. You can also buy freeze dried blueberry powder on Amazon. The powder is wonderful in smoothies, or used in icings and glazes for cakes, cookies and donuts.

What can I use instead of freeze dried blueberry powder?

Instead of freeze dried blueberry powder, you can use blueberry jam or preserves in the icing, to add flavor and color. I’d suggest first blitzing several tablespoons of jam in a small food processor or Ninja for a smooth texture, then add it to the icing. You may need to use less milk since the jam will add moisture.

Can I add blueberries to the cake batter?

You can add fresh blueberries to the vanilla cake batter for juicy bites of blueberries throughout the donuts. Simply fold in 1/2 – 2/3 cup fresh blueberries. Instead of piping the batter into the doughnut pans, you’ll need to spoon it in. You may need to add 1-2 more minutes to the bake time.

How long do baked blueberry donuts stay fresh?

Unlike fried yeast donuts which can go stale after just a day, baked donuts are more like cupcakes, and they’ll stay soft, moist and fresh for 2-3 days. Store the leftover donuts in a single layer in an airtight container to keep them fresh.

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