These bright and colorful Baked Cake Mix Rainbow Donuts are sure to add some fun to any breakfast table or party!
They are super cheerful and tasty, and surprisingly simple to make in less than 30 minutes. Plus, it’s easy to customize this baked donuts recipe with nearly any color and flavor combinations you like!
The Best Baked Cake Mix Rainbow Donuts
Fun and yummy baked rainbow donuts are made with a boxed cake mix for the easiest, tastiest donut recipe.
They are moist, tender, and perfect to customize with your favorite flavors and colors. Make these cake mix donuts for a breakfast or brunch party, or just as a colorful weekend project the whole family can enjoy.
Read on for my handy tips and tricks for how to make rainbow donuts in a snap.
What Ingredients You Need
- White cake mix – or yellow cake mix
- Egg
- Milk – whole or reduced-fat
- Butter – melted
- Vanilla extract – and any preferred extract flavor
- Food coloring – 5 rainbow colors, or other colors you like
Variations of this Cake Mix Donuts Recipe
Experiment With Colors
Feel free to use any color combination you like for special celebrations, holidays or even National Donut Day! These baked donuts are great to make for baby showers or Easter brunch with pastel colors, customize with school colors, make a batch in bright red and green for Christmas, or whatever fun shades you like.
Try Different Flavors
We used just vanilla extract to flavor these donuts, but you can include any extracts you prefer. This baked cake mix donut recipe is delicious with hazelnut, almond, or even fruity extracts like orange and lemon. Check out all of the terrific options Amazon has to offer!
Top With Frosting
If you’d like an extra touch of flavor and sweetness, consider adding a glaze or icing drizzle. You want the beautiful colors of these donuts to be the star, so a thin glaze is a perfect choice.
You can also add a bit less milk to your glaze to make a slightly thicker icing that you can drizzle over the tops of your donuts.
Easy Homemade Frosting Recipe For Donuts
Add 2 cups of powdered sugar to a bowl.
Slowly add up to 1/4 cup of milk, and whisk to combine. Start with just a bit of the milk, and continue adding as you whisk until the desired consistency is reached.
Then add in your vanilla (or other flavorings) and a dash of salt to balance the sweetness, if desired.
How to Make Rainbow Donuts
First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and prep your donut pan with nonstick spray.
In a large bowl, add the cake mix, egg, milk, melted butter, vanilla and any desired flavorings. Mix until all ingredients are fully incorporated.
Divide the batter evenly into the five bowls as shown.
Add a different color of food coloring to each bowl, and stir to combine. Start with 1-2 drops for a light color. Add more coloring, 1-2 drops at a time, until you achieve your desired shade.
Next, add the colored batter from each bowl into its own piping bag or ziplock bag. Cut the corner/tip off of your piping bags.
Carefully pipe a small amount of each color of batter into a 1/5 section of each donut shape in the pan. Alternate colors so each donut has one evenly-sized section of each color.
Be sure to only fill the pan about ½ full to allow the rainbow donuts to rise properly during the baking process.
Bake the donuts for about 7-10 minutes total.
IMPORTANT NOTE!
To ensure the beautiful rainbow colors stay visible, you don’t want the tops of the donuts to brown. Check the donuts early and often to prevent over-browning!
After the donuts cool for several minutes, flip the donut pan onto a piece of parchment paper. Tap the pan firmly to release the baked rainbow donuts.
If they stick a bit try running a butter knife or small spatula carefully around the outer edges. Place the donuts on a wire rack to finish cooling.
IMPORTANT NOTE!
If you remove them from the pan too soon, the donuts will still be very hot and may break apart. If you wait too long, they may stick in the pan.
If you would like to glaze or add frosting to your baked cake mix rainbow donuts, let them cool completely first. It’s also a good idea to glaze donuts on the cooling rack with a piece of parchment underneath to catch the drippings.
Be Sure to Try These Other Delicious Baked Treats, Too!
- Fruity Pebbles Cake Mix Cookies
- Whimsical Circus Animal Cheesecake Cups Recipe
- 11 Easy Oven Baked Donuts
- Collagen Donuts
How to Tell if Your Baked Rainbow Doughnuts are Done
The trick to perfect cake mix donuts is to bake them until they are just set. To ensure the beautiful rainbow colors stay visible, you don’t want the tops of the donuts to brown. Check the donuts early and often to prevent over-browning.
Similar to a cake, they are done when a toothpick comes out clean. Or, you can carefully tap the top of a donut. It will feel firm and lightly springy.
If any batter sticks to your finger or you don’t feel a bit of spring, the donuts aren’t quite done. Give them another minute or two in the oven, keeping a close eye that they don’t over-bake.
Baked Cake Mix Rainbow Donuts
Bright and colorful Baked Cake Mix Rainbow Donuts are easy to customize with your favorite flavors and any color combination! Perfect for brunch and parties.
Ingredients
- 1 white (or yellow) cake mix
- 1 egg
- 1 cup milk
- ¼ cup butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- additional flavoring/extracts, optional
- food coloring, 5 different colors as desired
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Apply cooking spray to your donut pans and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the cake mix, egg, milk, melted butter, vanilla and any desired flavorings. Mix until all ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Divide the batter evenly into the five bowls.
- Add a different color of food coloring to each bowl and stir to combine. Start with 1-2 drops for a light color. Add more coloring, 1-2 drops at a time, until you achieve your desired shade.
- Add the colored batter from each bowl into its own piping bag or ziplock bag. Cut the corner/tip off of your piping bags.
- Carefully pipe a small amount of each color of batter into a 1/5 section of each donut shape in the pan. Alternate colors so each donut has one evenly-sized section of each color. Only fill the pan about ½ full to allow for rising during the baking process.
- Bake the donuts for about 7-10 minutes total. NOTE: To ensure the beautiful rainbow colors stay visible, you don’t want the tops of the donuts to brown. Check the donuts early and often to prevent overbrowning.
- Remove from the oven and allow the donuts to cool in the pan for about 2-3 minutes. NOTE: If you remove them too soon, the donuts may break apart. If you wait too long, they may stick in the pan.
- After cooling slightly, flip the pan over the parchment paper and tap firmly to release the donuts. If any get stuck, gently run a knife or small spatula around the edges.
- If desired, you can add a glaze or icing to the donuts after they are fully cooled.
Notes
Optional Glaze Recipe:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla or other flavoring(s)
- Dash of salt
Add the powdered sugar to a bowl. Slowly add some of the milk and whisk to combine. Add more milk until you reach your desired consistency. Add in your vanilla (or other flavoring) and a dash of salt to balance the sweetness if desired.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
If you love this recipe for BAKED RAINBOW DONUTS,
please consider sharing to Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook!
