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Introduction to Cake Mix Donuts
Cake mix donuts hold a great opportunity as a different approach to other donuts. You can prepare them quickly, use fewer ingredients and the recipe will suit those who want to have freshly baked donuts at home but don’t want to spend time preparing the batter. This is because cake mix will help you reduce some of the complications that are usually associated with the preparation of donuts so that you can prepare these treats as soon as possible. But still, even simple cake mix donuts have a couple of pitfalls that most people fall for.
Regardless of the experience and expertise in baking, every above-mentioned pitfall should be avoided to produce better donuts.
In this article, we will be taking a look at six errors made while preparing cake mix donuts and the ways that can be used to avoid such. Let it be picking the right cake mix and proper cooling of the cake before glazing. We will discuss it all here.
Mistake #1: Using the Wrong Type of Cake Mix
The first and probably the most prevalent is that most individuals select an incorrect kind of cake mix for their donuts. As for cake mixes, they are diverse, and they include sponge, butter, pound cake, and others. The difference is mainly based on the texture and taste of the cakes. However, not all the cake mixes are to be used to prepare donuts, and therefore, the following guidelines are important when doing so.
Why It’s a Problem:
To prepare the donut, the choice of cake mix affects kind of texture and consistency of the donuts since it is usually added in the preparation of the donuts. If it is too slippery, then the donut will not be good to eat; if it is too dry, then again, the donut will be heavy.
On the other hand, if the mixture is too light and makes a lot of appeal to the commercial side, the dough may lack enough texture, and it ends up being crumbly.
Because Donuts are not as dense as pound cake then cake mixtures that are designed for making cake with a little density will not give people that light and tender texture they want most for Donuts.
How to Avoid It:
When making cake mix donuts, go for a light and moist mix, which will include the ones with the ability to make either vanilla, chocolate, or yellow cake. These types of cake mixes shall provide you with a good donut texture. It is likewise important not to use mixes with pudding, which may be labeled as ‘extra moist’ that may actually contribute to the heaviness of the donut batter. In case you are in doubt, use traditional cake mixes because they give the required consistency of cake mix donuts.
Mistake #2: Overmixing the Batter
The other mistake that can lead to the failure of the cake mix donuts is mixing the batter too much. Most beginners in baking do think that the more they mix the batter, the better the outcome will be but the opposite is true for cake mix donuts.
Why It’s a Problem:
If you over-mix the batter, you will be activating the gluten in the flour, and that is not what you want with a doughnut. You want a light doughnut, not one that is tough in the mouth.
In the production of donuts, one is focused on a soft texture that disintegrates in the mouth rather than hard or rubbery. It also results in deathly air pockets in the donut, which is not evenly distributed, hence making the donuts to be baked unevenly.
How to Avoid It:
Do not over-mix the batter and it is only required that you stir the batter until all the ingredients are incorporated. As soon as there’s no dry mixture left in the bowl, stop mixing. It is okay to have a few lumps in the batter. No need to worry, they will not harm the outcome of the food. If you are using an electric mixer, use it at the lowest setting so as not to over-mix the batter.
Mix gently enough so that your donuts will not be compacted and heavy on the inside but fluffy when tasted.
Mistake #3: Not Using a Donut Pan
Quite several people try to bake cake mix donuts without even having the donut pan and believe they can prepare them using the muffin tins or hand-forming the donuts.
Why It’s a Problem:
However, one thing which causes lots of problems in making the donuts is the lack of suitable donut mold which makes it extremely hard to achieve the traditional donut rings. If you try to use a muffin tin or if you try to shape the donuts manually, what you’re going to get are either unappetizing-looking donuts or evenly baked donuts.
In addition, the batter for cake mix donuts is relatively floppy most of the time, therefore, without the use of a donut pan, the batter will spread out and collapse in the course of baking. This often leads to very mundane, rather flat things with the consistency of pancakes, which is not at all what the breveting process was supposed to achieve.
How to Avoid It:
It is recommended that you buy a donut pan. These pans are not expensive and they will greatly improve the appearance as well as texture of the donuts you are producing. They make sure that the dough acquires the right thickness so as not to compromise with the shape during baking, besides, they help to produce standard donut sizes, which gives a standard baking size. If you do not have a donut pan at your disposal, then different molds are used for making donuts, but they must be of the donut shape so that the shape is not lost while the batter is being baked.
Check Out: Dunkin Jelly Donuts at Home: 5 Delicious Steps To Follow.
Mistake #4: Improperly Greasing the Pan
Another of what you should avoid doing is greasing the donut pan wrongly; this is one of the causes of cake mix donuts to stick or break, or even end up with the wrong shape once you attempt to take them out of the pan after baking.
Why It’s a Problem:
If the pan used is not greased well the donuts will stick on it and will be deformed while removing them from the pan. Furthermore, when the dough becomes stuck, it is hard to get perfectly smooth and pretty donuts. And when you scrape them out of the pan to smooth it over you end up with chunky bits that become part of the dough and ruin the texture of the donut.
How to Avoid It:
If you want to avoid the formation of a thick layer on the sides of the pan and thus sticking, make sure that the pan is greased with either some cooking spray or oil and that it is done so in large quantities before pouring the batter into the pan. Others recommend dusting it lightly with flour after greasing in order to avoid the donuts sticking to the pan. grease the pan in order not to have some stumbling blocks when trying to remove the donuts.
Mistake #5: Baking at the Wrong Temperature
Earlier, it helped to have undercooked and overcooked donuts and burnt donuts with raw centers.
Why It’s a Problem:
When toasting your cake mix donuts, the heat that you use will result in the outside part of the donuts burning while the inside part remains raw. This can also result in the donuts rising very fast, while they cool, the donuts will end up flat, rather than fluffy donuts. On the same note baking the donuts below the right temperatures will cause them to dry out, this is because the interior part of the donut takes a longer time to cook than the surface hence the donuts turn out to be chewy and unappetizing.
How to Avoid It:
The baking temperature, which is also indicated on the box, follows the general rule of baking cakes depending on the type of cake mix that is being used. Conventionally, cake mix donuts have to be baked at 350°F (175°C) for about ten to twelve minutes. However, different ovens have different temperatures, and therefore, it is always advisable to check on the donuts one or two minutes before the correct time.
Mistake #6: Not Letting Them Cool Before Glazing
The last point that may be detrimental to your cake mix donuts is the failure to let the donuts cool down before glazing or icing them. This step, you may think, is quite simple, but I can guarantee you it goes a long way in changing the final work’s appearance and quality.
Why It’s a Problem:
When you apply the glaze or frost the donuts while they are hot, the glaze will melt and will simply run off the donuts, leaving you with a situation you do not want, apart from making the donuts sticky. Also, warm donuts make the glaze to be absorbed and not sit on the surface of the donut making it to become soggy.
How to Avoid It:
Patience is key here. If you have baked your donuts in a pan, allow it to cool down in the pan for about five to six minutes, and then move it and place it on a wire rack to cool completely. When they are cooled right down to room temperature, the icing will not melt in the glaze or the frosting. There are cases where one may wish to hasten the donut cooling process. This can be easily done by putting the donuts in the refrigerator.
Conclusion
Cake mix donuts are delicious, especially if you’re craving something sweet, but to achieve perfect donuts, you have to avoid the following mistakes. If you pick a good cake mix, mix the batter correctly, use a donut pan, grease it well, bake the donuts at the right temperature, and only glaze your donuts after they’re cool enough, you will end up with delicious, fluffy, beautiful donuts in no time. Finding these tips helpful, here are the ways how you can prepare your next batch of cake mix donuts:
FAQs
Can I use any sort of cake mix to make donuts?
Yes, but it is preferable to used ones such as the Vanilla or Yellow cake mix. Use moderate cake mix as heavier cake mix, such as pound cake, can make your donuts to be more dense.
Why do my donuts come out flat?
This may be attributable to over-mixing of the fine or using the fault type of cake mix. Make sure you mix only until the ingredients are combined, and use a light cake mix for a good touch.
