Kitra: I wanted to make a pink cake, because even though Valentine’s Day means nothing to me (I celebrate Oregon’s Birthday instead, hence the decoration on mine) I love a pink cake. Hot damn, I love a pink cake.

Jordan: Meanwhile, this week turned my brain to mush so I wanted something easy and, beyond that, was happy to let Kitra make all the choices.

I had about a million ideas, but ultimately my desire to make something hella simple and use my fancy new nutmeg (I could not be more excited about it) led me to the Powdered Doughnut cake from Snacking Cakes. I am decidedly not a doughnut person, but I dig a cake doughnut. And, I love a pink, berry glazed doughnut most.

You’ll notice that mine is not pink. That’s because the only doughnut I ever want to eat has a chocolate glaze and sprinkles. I used to intern for a weekly magazine where, every Thursday, they would bring in doughnuts ahead of the publication deadline. Did I work on the print edition? No. Did I still get to the kitchen early so I could steal the chocolate-and-sprinkle doughnut? Yes. Apologies to my former coworkers.

I also really believe in holiday doughnuts? Maybe there’s some memory wedged in the back of my brain of The Jelly Doughnut in Grants Pass using seasonal sprinkles on holidays. Maybe it’s just my love of themed foods. Maybe it’s just cute. Whatever the reason, something felt festive about a doughnut cake.

And it’s a pretty good cake! The nutmeg gives it the little something that keeps it from being completely plain—somehow it ups the “cake doughnut” factor just the right amount.

There’s a good mix of sour cream and butter here too, plus not too much sugar so it seems like an all day cake, and isn’t overwhelmingly sweet. It’s also very fluffy.

It is, as the book promises, a good snacking cake! I’ve already eaten several slivers off of the edge of mine.

I adapted a glaze from the book as well and I will be using this glaze all the time now. It’s tangy and might be the only glaze I know that doesn’t make me immediately want to brush my teeth. The raspberry flavor is extremely strong and that is exactly what I wanted.

It’s also beautiful, truly.

So pretty. Great color, just glossy enough, spread like a dream with enough time to fuss with it before it set.

You can, if you prefer, go with the original powdered variation—we’ll put it in the recipe notes—or another glaze of your choice. (Our mom instantly suggested maple.) Like a box of assorted doughnuts, there’s an option for everyone.

Cake Doughnut Cake

From Snacking Cakes by Yossi Arefi

Notes

We’ll give you a few glaze options, but feel free to do your own thing here. To make a powdered variation (as in the original), brush the cake with melted butter while still slightly warm, then sift more powdered sugar than you think you need over top. You could also mix some crushed freeze-dried raspberries or strawberries into the powdered sugar for a pink powdered look.

No sour cream? Jordan used a mix of sour cream and greek yogurt without any issues, and you could probably go with all yogurt if need be.

Ingredients

• ¾ cup (150g) sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup (220g) sour cream
• ½ cup (1 stick, 113g) butter, melted
• 1¼ cup freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1½ cups (190g) flour
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350°. Grease an 8-inch square or round pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the sugar and eggs. Whisk by hand for about a minute, until thick and slightly bubbly/foamy on top. Add the sour cream, melted butter, vanilla, and salt and whisk until well-combined. Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda and whisk until the batter is fairly smooth.

Pour into prepared pan and bake 25-35 minutes, until the top is fully set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan at least 10-15 minutes before turning out, and cool until it’s just warm to the touch before adding a glaze or topping of your choice.

Raspberry Glaze

Adapted from Snacking Cakes by Yossi Arefi

Notes

Kitra’s glaze includes some seeds, which you can see in the photo above. If you want a perfectly smooth glaze, just sift the crushed raspberries along with the powdered sugar.

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup freeze-dried raspberries
• 1 cup (110g) powdered sugar
• pinch of salt
• 2-3 tablespoons milk

Directions

Crush the raspberries as finely as possible using your tool of choice (food processor, spice grinder, mortar and pestle, Ziploc bag and rolling pin, etc.). Add them to a medium bowl. Sift the powdered sugar and salt over top, then whisk in 2 tablespoons of milk until the glaze is smooth. If it’s too thick, add a splash more milk to get it to a pourable consistency.

Chocolate Glaze

Based on recipes by Erin McDowell and Lara Ferroni

Ingredients

• 1½ cups (160g) powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons (15g) cocoa powder
• Pinch of salt
• 2-3 tablespoons milk

Directions

Into a medium bowl, sift the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Add 2 tablespoons milk and whisk until smooth. If it’s too thick, add a splash more milk; it should be somewhere between pourable and spreadable. (You can also pop it in the microwave for 5-10 seconds if need be.)