4 Ingredient Lemon Cake Donuts
These lemon flavored cake donuts are soft and tender. They only need 4 ingredients and don't require any eggs, dairy, butter or oil.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (118ml) canned coconut milk, see note before starting, room temperature
- 2 tbsp (30ml) lemon juice + zest from 1 small lemon
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated white sugar
- 1 cup (138g) self-rising flour, see note before starting
Instructions
- If you are baking the donuts in the oven, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease your baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Whisk the contents inside the can of coconut milk with a small whisk. This is important because the fat often separates. When the mixture is uniform, measure out 1/2 cup for the recipe.
- Add canned coconut milk, lemon juice and sugar to a large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Add in the flour and mix it in with a spatula. Using a spatula will help prevent overworking the batter. Mix until there no more flour lumps. Add in the lemon zest and stir until just combined.
- Use a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop and release the batter into your prepared pan. The amount you need to scoop may vary depending on the pan you are using. My donut hole pan had a 1 tablespoon capacity for each donut hole. If using a mini muffin pan or a larger cake hole pan, you may need 1.5 tablespoons of batter. If you are using a regular donut pan, it is better to pipe the batter into the pan.
- Bake the donuts for about 15-25 minutes or until lightly golden, puffed and cooked through. If you apply light pressure to the surface, it should bounce back. If cooking in a donut hole or cake pop maker instead of the oven, the donuts will only need a few minutes to cook (around 5-10 minutes. Using the light indicator will help you determine when the donuts are done).
- Allow the donuts to cool slightly before serving. You can also dust the donuts with powdered sugar or dip them in lemon glaze before serving. The lemon glaze recipe I used is in the recipe notes. Store uneaten donuts in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.
Notes
- Donut pan note: You can cook these donuts in a variety of pans or molds. I made mine using my cake pop maker* which makes 12 at a time, with 1 tbsp of batter for each mold. You can also use cake pop molds meant for baking in the oven. Some cake pop molds have a bigger capacity (about 1.5 tbsp of batter). Baking time is going to vary depending on the size of your baking pan. If you don't have a cake pop pan, a mini muffin pan works well. You will need 1.5 tbsp of batter for each cavity and will get about 11 mini donut muffins. You can also make these in a regular donut pan but you'll end up with less donuts.
- Canned coconut milk note: Make sure to use canned coconut milk with 14 grams of fat per 1/3 cup serving. Canned coconut milk with less fat will not work well for this recipe. Brands like Thai Kitchen Organic do not contain enough fat. I used Whole Foods Organic Canned Coconut Milk.* Make sure you use canned coconut milk and not the carton/drinking type of coconut milk.
- Self-rising flour note. There are 2 main kinds of self-rising flour sold in the US. One that is a lower protein (2 grams per 1/4 cup serving) flour and one that has a regular amount of protein (3 grams per 1/4 cup (30g) serving). The amount of protein affects how much liquid is absorbed. For this recipe, I tested it with Gold Medal self-rising flour* (regular amount of protein). Please use a self-rising flour with a regular amount of protein (3 grams per 1/4 cup), or make your own self-rising flour with the recipe below.
- *These product links are affiliate links. This means I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
- Homemade self-rising flour: Whisk together 1 cup all purpose flour, 1.5 tsp baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Make sure your all purpose flour has a regular amount of protein (3 grams per 1/4 cup). Most brands in the US contain this amount but there are some brands with higher protein (4 grams per 1/4 cup) such as King Arthur Flour and Bob's Red Mill, which will not work well for this recipe.
- Optional lemon glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3-4 tbsp lemon juice, or more as needed
- Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice and whisk together until you have a smooth glaze. You can add more lemon juice or water to thin out the glaze or add more powdered sugar to thicken the glaze.
- Estimated nutrition is for the donut hole and does not include glaze or sugar dusting. Estimated nutrition assumes 17 donut holes (1 tbsp batter per donut hole) and is for one donut hole. You may end up with larger donut holes depending on the size of your pan which will affect the nutrition estimate.
Serving: 1donut, Calories: 48kcal, Carbohydrates: 8g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 84mg, Fiber: 0.01g, Sugar: 3g, NET CARBS: 8
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. This is not a comprehensive list of all the nutrients in the recipe (i.e., does not include vitamins, cholesterol, etc). I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
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