These Bavarian cream donuts are made with soft and fluffy donut dough, rolled with sugar, and filled with decadent vanilla pastry cream.
These Bavarian doughnuts are so incredible and easy to make! All you will need are super simple ingredients. The only waiting time for these is the wait, but they are so worth it!
Why this recipe works
- Made with super simple ingredients.
- Tastes a million times better than a store-bought donut.
- Easy to make.
- Cheap to make.
- Fluffy and melt in your mouth delicious.
Ingredients
Before you start to make this recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
Flour– we use all-purpose flour for this recipe. Bread flour will work great as well for this recipe.
Active dry yeast– active dry yeast works best for this recipe.
Granulated sugar– granulated sugar works best for this recipe, but caster sugar can work as well.
Vegetable oil- use either vegetable oil or canola oil for this recipe. You will need oil for the dough and for frying the dough.
Kosher salt– use kosher salt for this recipe.
Milk- use room temperature whole milk.
Eggs- you will need three large eggs, make sure that your eggs are at room temperature.
Vanilla extract- for extra flavor.
Brandy or vodka- classic sufganiyot are made with 1 tablespoon of either brandy or vodka. This step is optional, if you don't have brandy or vodka laying around, you can simply skip this step.
For the Bavarian cream:
Milk- use room temperature whole milk.
Egg yolks- you will need 4 egg yolks for this recipe. Use large eggs.
Vanilla extract- for extra flavor.
Granulated sugar– granulated sugar works best for this recipe, but caster sugar can work as well.
Cornstarch- you will need cornstarch for the bavarian cream.
Assembly
For the assembly, we used a combination of powdered sugar and granulated sugar.
Instructions
In a bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour, dry yeast, kosher salt, and sugar. Mix with a spoon until combined.
Add the room temperature milk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, brandy or vodka, and the eggs, and start mixing on low until the dough forms.
Increase the speed to medium and mix for at least 8 minutes or until the dough is smooth and silky.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature for 1-2 hours or until it’s doubled in size (or even tripled in size).
Make the filling
Place a saucepan over high heat and fill it with the milk and vanilla extract. Let it simmer, and remove from heat. Scoop ¼ cup of the milk and set aside.
In a small mixing bowl, add the sugar and cornflour. Mix with a whisk until combined. Add the egg yolks and mix. Gradually add the ¼ cup of milk and mix constantly with a whisk.
Move the saucepan with the milk to the stovetop over low heat and add the egg yolk mixture into the milk mixing constantly with a whisk.
Mix over medium-low heat and mix constantly with a whisk until the mixture thickens. Don't increase the heat, be patient it will be worth it!
Transfer the mixture to a bowl and cover it with a plastic wrap tightly. Place the bowl in the fridge. to set and cool for a few hours.
Punch down the dough and transfer it to a clean floured surface. Sprinkle flour on the dough and roll it into a ¼ inch rectangle, making sure that the bottom of the donuts doesn’t stick to the surface.
Using a 2-inch cookie cutter, stamp out as many rounds as you can. Reuse the leftover dough and make more dough rounds.
Transfer the dough rounds to parchment paper squares, cover with a clean towel and let the dough rise until its doubles in size or at least for 30 minutes.
Heat canola oil in a dutch oven, saucepan, or frying pan and allow it to get to about 180c (350f). Gently place a donut round in the hot oil (using your hand or a spatula) and fry in small batches for about 2 minutes on each side.
Remove the fried donuts to paper towels to drain any excess oil. Let the donuts cool for a few minutes or until they are cool enough to hold.
Assembly
Dip the donuts in a sugar and powder sugar mixture, and coat it all around.
Using a sharp knife, make a hole on the side of the donut, and create a pocket inside the donut (as seen in the video).
Transfer the bavarian cream into a piping bag (we used a star tip) Pipe the cream into each donut. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Make sure that your yeast isn’t expired. You can check if your yeast is expired by mixing a teaspoon of dry yeast with ¼ cup of room temperature water, waiting 10 minutes, and if the yeast has bubbles in it and it puffed a bit, your yeast is alive and good, if there are no bubbles in your yeast mixture, your yeast is probably expired.
- Be patient! Let the dough rise at least until it doubles its size. The more the dough rises, the more fluffy the sufganiyot will be.
- Use bread flour! We like to use either all-purpose flour or bread flour for making bread. Bread flour contains more gluten, which makes the dough more stretchy and easy to work with.
- Make sure that your ingredients are fresh! Make sure that your flour and yeast are fresh and not expired. This step ensures that you will have a great dough to work with.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan when frying the sufganiyot, this step ensures that your sufganiyot cook well.
- Remove the fried donuts to paper towels to drain any excess oil.
- Use room temperature ingredients.
- Make these your own! If you don't like bavarian cream, simply fill the donuts with whatever filling that you'd like! Nutella, vanilla pastry cream, dulce de leche, jelly, etc.
Faq's
The donuts will last for about 2 days at room temperature, stored in an airtight container. Or freeze for up to 3 months.
Yes, simply preheat an oven to 180c (350f), and bake for about 5 minutes or until the donuts are slightly golden brown.
This recipe makes about 12 donuts, depending on the size. You can make them smaller or bigger.
Yes, you can air fry these donuts. Simply grease the basket of the air fryer generously with canola oil or vegetable oil. Add 4 dough rounds to the basket of the air fryer and brush the donuts with butter or oil.
Fry at 180c (350f) for about 5 minutes flipping halfway through.
Freezing
After baking or frying them, let them cool completely and freeze them in an airtight container for up to 3 months. When ready to use, defrost at room temperature for 30 minutes and reheat in a toaster oven for 2-3 minutes.
Serving tips
Classic Bavarian cream doughnuts are served with pastry cream filling and topped with powder sugar or sugar. For the ones who don't like pastry cream, there are a few filling options:
Fill the donuts with:
- Dulce de leche.
- Nutella.
- Chocolate spread.
- Jelly.
- Vanilla or chocolate pudding.
Roll the donuts with:
- Powder sugar.
- Granulated sugar.
- Cinnamon sugar.
- Leave plain.
Or if you are using jelly, switch out the jelly flavor! You can fill these donuts with strawberry jelly, blueberry jelly, apple jelly, peach jelly, raspberry jelly, or any of your favorite homemade jelly!
More dessert recipes
Pecan upside down cake- This pecan upside-down cake is made with a moist and simple vanilla cake and topped with an easy caramel pecan topping.
Ferrero rocher cake- These Ferrero rocher cookies are made with chewy hazelnut chocolate cookies, filled with chopped hazelnuts, and topped with Nutella.
Mini burnt basque cheesecake- This mini basque cheesecake is the perfect-sized cheesecake if you don't serve a crowd. Yes, this cake is intentionally "burnt" with a slightly burnt caramelly flavor that adds so much to this cheesecake.
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📖 Recipe
Bavarian Cream Donuts
Ingredients
- 500 g Flour
- 1 ½ tablespoon Dry yeast
- ¼ cup Granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 2 Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup Vegetable oil
- 1 cup Milk
- 1 tablespoon Vodka or whisky
- Vegetable oil for frying
For the filling:
- 1 ½ cups Milk whole milk
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 4 Egg yolks large
- ½ cup Granulated sugar
- 30 g Cornstarch
Assembly:
- ½ cup Powder sugar
- ½ cup Granulated sugar
Instructions
- Step 1: In a bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour, dry yeast, kosher salt, and sugar. Mix with a spoon until combined.
- Step 2: Add the room temperature milk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, brandy or vodka, and the eggs, and start mixing on low until the dough forms.
- Step 3: Increase the speed to medium and mix for at least 8 minutes or until the dough is smooth and silky.
- Step 4: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature for 1-2 hours or until it’s doubled in size (or even tripled in size).
- Step 5: Punch down the dough and transfer it to a clean floured surface. Sprinkle flour on the dough and roll it into a ¼ inch rectangle, making sure that the bottom of the donuts doesn’t stick to the surface.
- Step 6: Using a 2-inch cookie cutter, stamp out as many rounds as you can. Reuse the leftover dough and make more dough rounds.
- Step 7: Transfer the dough rounds to parchment paper squares, cover with a clean towel and let the dough rise until its doubles in size or at least for 30 minutes.
- Step 8: Heat canola oil in a dutch oven, saucepan, or frying pan and allow it to get to about 180c (350f). Gently place a donut round in the hot oil (using your hand or a spatula) and fry in small batches for about 2 minutes on each side.
- Step 9: Remove the fried donuts to paper towels to drain any excess oil. Let the donuts cool for a few minutes or until they are cool enough to hold.
Make the filling:
- Place a saucepan over high heat and fill it with the milk and vanilla extract. Let it simmer, and remove from heat. Scoop ¼ cup of the milk and set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl, add the sugar and cornflour. Mix with a whisk until combined. Add the egg yolks and mix. Gradually add the ¼ cup of milk and mix constantly with a whisk.
- Mix over medium-low heat and mix constantly with a whisk until the mixture thickens. Don't increase the heat, be patient it will be worth it!
- Transfer the mixture to a bowl and cover it with a plastic wrap tightly. Place the bowl in the fridge. to set and cool for a few hours.
Assembly:
- Dip the donuts in a sugar and powder sugar mixture, and coat it all around.
- Using a sharp knife, make a hole on the side of the donut, and create a pocket inside the donut (as seen in the video).
Notes
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Make sure that your yeast isn’t expired. You can check if your yeast is expired by mixing a teaspoon of dry yeast with ¼ cup of room temperature water, waiting 10 minutes, and if the yeast has bubbles in it and it puffed a bit, your yeast is alive and good, if there are no bubbles in your yeast mixture, your yeast is probably expired.
- Be patient! Let the dough rise at least until it doubles its size. The more the dough rises, the more fluffy the sufganiyot will be.
- Use bread flour! We like to use either all-purpose flour or bread flour for making bread. Bread flour contains more gluten, which makes the dough more stretchy and easy to work with.
- Make sure that your ingredients are fresh! Make sure that your flour and yeast are fresh and not expired. This step ensures that you will have a great dough to work with.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan when frying the sufganiyot, this step ensures that your sufganiyot cook well.
- Remove the fried donuts to paper towels to drain any excess oil.
- Use room temperature ingredients.
- Make these your own! If you don't like bavarian cream, simply fill the donuts with whatever filling that you'd like! Nutella, vanilla pastry cream, dulce de leche, jelly, etc.
Erin
Really good…
Rena Sterling
I am half way through, I only know cups as a measure. I did the math though. When I was thickening the filling I had no idea of the consistency I was looking for. All in all easier than I thought. Thank you!
Suzanne
Made these donuts this morning and chose to fill with raspberry jam and coat in powdered sugar. This recipe is amazing, simple to make, the
Directions are precise and easy to follow. I have always wanted to make sufganiyot but until today had not found a recipe that I was comfortable using. I recommend it without any hesitation. The dough is a dream to work with so silky smooth and easy to handle. The doughnuts are soft and fluffy and absolutely delicious!! Make these now you will not regret it!!
Hannah
These donuts are absolutely incredible!