What’s the Difference Between Yeast Doughnuts and Cake Doughnuts? (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between a yeast donut and a cake donut? ›

The Obvious Difference

Yeast doughnuts, as the name clearly spells out, are made from dough leavened with yeast (think brioche), whereas cake doughnuts are traditionally made from a kind of cake batter that uses a chemical leavener (i.e. baking powder or baking soda).

“A cake doughnut is much more tender,” says Talbot, “whereas a yeast doughnut has more chew.” In terms of seniority, the yeast doughnut came first. We know it's been around longer than the cake doughnut because yeast has been around many centuries longer than chemical leaveners.

The only real difference between them is that the yeast donuts use yeast as a leavening agent, resulting in the aforementioned lighter consistency.

A batch of original glazed starts with Krispy Kreme doughnut mix, water and yeast, the same single-cell fungi used to make bread rise. The yeast is what makes the original glazed so light -- it puffs the dough up with air, so it's not dense like a cake doughnut. (More on this in the next section).

Yeast Donuts make up our glazed rings, iced rings, filled shells and fancies (Coffee Rolls, Bismarks, Bow Ties) which is about 65% of our donut mix. It is a three-hour process from start to finish and worth every minute!

The first step after the proofer is to cook the dough. Like most doughnuts, Krispy Kremes are fried (cooked in oil).

Fresh yeast is favored by seasoned bakers as it is considered to provide a richer, slightly sweeter flavor with a better “rising” quality than its dried counterparts. While it might look intimidating, fresh yeast is easy to use once you get the hang of it.

Frying at too low a temperature will result in greasy doughnuts with a tough crust. Try this: Watch the oil's temperature carefully as you fry and adjust the heat as needed to maintain a temperature between 350°F and 360°F.

Cake donuts are amongst the most iconic and most popular U.S. bakery products. They are made from a cake batter that is chemically-leavened and fried to develop its traditional taste and aroma.

Cake Yeast Vs Dry Yeast

To use cake yeast, crumble over dry ingredients or dissolve in the liquid used in the recipe. Today, cake yeast is only available in limited stores. Dry yeast, on the other hand, has a longer shelf life because it's been dried out. It's granulated and sold in little packets or loose in a jar.

Why are yeast donuts so good? ›

That means they are leavened with yeast and kneaded to develop gluten. They puff dramatically in the hot oil because they've got the structure to support it. Gluten makes yeasted doughnuts feel light and airy. It's also responsible for their satisfying delicate chew.

Cake (Moist) – traditional live yeast; needs to be dissolved in water. Active Dry – traditional dry yeast; needs to be dissolved usually with sugar. Instant – contains small amount of yeast enhancer; does not need to be dissolved.

With National Donut Day on our minds, we wanted to know how to make the perfect glazed rings. So we turned to a brand that is best known for its freshly fried pastries, Dunkin' Donuts. With its 68-year history, DD is the go-to spot for both cake and yeast donuts.

Our yeast-raised dough, hand-rolled with cinnamon and glazed to perfection.

We use vegetable shortening (palm, soybean, and/or cottonseed and canola oil) for zero gram of trans fat per one serving of doughnut. All monoglycerides and diglycerides are vegetable based. Enzymes are also present. The lecithin we use is soy-based.

What is the lowest calorie donut? It may be surprising to see that the lowest calorie donut is a sugar donut. A sugar donut is a yeast-risen donut, making it light and airy and overall lower in calories than a traditional cake donut.

Dunkin' Donuts Glazed Donut is a large, airy, yeast doughnut.

History. Nineteenth century recipes for "old-fashioned donuts" are made with yeast, but in modern doughnut shops an "old-fashioned doughnut" is usually a cake doughnut. Historically, the terms are used imprecisely, and some controversy has arisen over the meaning of the terms doughnut, cruller and fry cake.

Beignet. Similar to a fritter, but French. This deep-fried yeasted doughnut is of French origin. It's made of choux pastry, which is a dough that puffs up as it fries.

Celebrate your birthday every day with our scrumptious Cake Batter Doughnut. Indulge in this festive doughnut filled with creamy cake batter KREME filling, topped with yellow icing and confetti sprinkles. "It's tough to say which doughnut is my favorite."

Which brand of yeast is best? ›

When purchasing yeast, always look for the best-buy date on each package and buy the freshest one. Once opened, dry yeast will last four months in the refrigerator and six months in the freezer. On the other hand, fresh yeast will last around two weeks in the fridge and should not be frozen.

Fresh yeast has the highest moisture content of any form of baker's yeast, but also the shortest shelf life. Blocks require refrigeration and last for only 2–3 weeks after opening. Fresh yeast is highly perishable, a considerable drawback that can cause issues in bakeries as well as home kitchens.

All-purpose flour works well for doughnuts since it has a moderate amount of gluten–the binding protein commonly used in baking. This gluten content helps create a dough that is strong enough to trap air, which helps create the fluffy doughnut texture we all love.

Too much water, cold trying temperature; donuts turned too late; cutter (excessive overlap, cutter damaged or worn, cutter too high over surface). 4. Not enough water, screen too deep in shortening: cutter (excessive overlap, too low-touching shortening).

What kind of oil is best for cooking donuts? The best oil is the one with the least flavour. Vegetable oil and canola oil are both very good in this respect. The most important thing is to use the same oil for the same kinds of foods, since oil readily absorbs flavours and aromas.

Cake doughnuts are stored similarly to yeast doughnuts but can be left in a room temperature airtight container longer because it has a denser dough. Keeping these doughnuts in a container out of direct sunlight should be safe for about five to six days as long as it does not have any dairy-based fillings or grow mold.

Doughnuts are usually deep fried from a flour dough, but other types of batters can also be used. Various toppings and flavors are used for different types, such as sugar, chocolate or maple glazing. Doughnuts may also include water, leavening, eggs, milk, sugar, oil, shortening, and natural or artificial flavors.

Facturas are a popular baked doughnut found in every corner bakery. Other names that may be seen in bakeries are berlinesas and bolas de fraile ("friar's balls").

Where Can Fresh Cake Yeast Be Purchased? Fresh Cake Yeast for home bakers is found in the dairy section of grocery stores. It is sold in 2-ounce packages. (*see note below for larger packages of cake yeast).

What is the name for a yeast cake? ›

Savarin is a style of yeast cake. It's very light and delicate thanks to the use of yeast as a rising (leavening) agent.

There are three main types of commercially produced baker's yeast: active dry, instant, and fresh. All of them will work to leaven doughs in any given yeasted baking recipe, but each has slightly different properties, and, for the more discerning palate, varying flavors.

A great donut is the sum of all its parts - flavor, texture, fillings and freshness are all key elements.

The cream filling is usually a custard or other creamy filling mostly made from whole milk and sugar. A Boston cream doughnut contains approximately 400 calories and 16 grams of fat. Over half of the fat in the Boston creme doughnut is from saturated fat. Apple fritters are among the unhealthiest doughnuts.

Nutritional Yeast

This type of yeast is not for baking. Nutritional yeast is deactivated yeast that's commonly used as a health supplement (it's high in B vitamins).

You can use expired yeast provided that some of it is still active. Yeast that's past it's prime will take longer to grow and raise the dough, so only use it with breads that are made without eggs are a lot of sugar (those bread recipes need a pretty powerful proof that weak yeast can't provide).

Fresh yeast can be frozen and then used. Crumble 12g into about 30g of an ordinary bread flour and mix it up into a dry crumbly mix and then put into a small plastic bag and place in the freezer.

Dunkin' Donuts: The Bacon, Egg & Cheese Sandwich uses a blend of egg whites, egg yolks, soybean oil, and water, with less than 2 percent of other additives like xanthan gum, cellulose gum, and citric acid.

First, Dunkin' had to figure out the fat content in its doughnuts, which are typically cooked with a partially hydrogenated soybean oil.

All donuts are fried in a soybean and palm oil blend at the manufacturing facility.

What is the secret to Krispy Kreme donuts? ›

What is the secret to Krispy Kreme Donuts? The secret to Krispy Kreme doughnuts is of course the sweet glaze, and this is achieved by bathing the doughnuts in a glaze of icing sugar, vanilla extract and milk, for a thicker glaze increase the quantity of icing sugar by a few spoons.

Absolutely. Potato doughnuts have been around for over 150 years; in fact, the original Krispy Kremes were made with potato, whose starch adds moisture to help keep doughnuts tender.

How to make yeast-raised doughnuts. 1. Prepare dough. Warm milk and butter, then combine with half of the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and eggs.

Oils high in monounsaturated fats are best for cooking with due to their stability when heated, as well as their potential health benefits. Examples include olive, avocado, and canola oil. Coconut oil is also a stable fat to cook with.

We have found that peanut oil or vegetable shortening yield the best texture for donuts, with shortening producing the crispest exteriors. However, frying in shortening can result in a somewhat waxy/fatty mouthfeel, but not everyone finds that to be the case. High-quality shortening will help avoid the problem.

The good news is that the answer is yes! Frying oil has a longer lifespan than people realize — it can be used several times before you need to dispose of it. Reusing oil is the best way to reduce the waste (and cost) of frying.

What are Cake Donuts? Cake donuts are amongst the most iconic and most popular U.S. bakery products. They are made from a cake batter that is chemically-leavened and fried to develop its traditional taste and aroma.

A cake donut is made from a sweet dough that is leavened with baking powder and a yeast donut is a sweet dough that is made with yeast. The dough is rolled out and then cut with a donut cutter or circular cutter and then fried.

Yeasted doughnuts, on the other hand, are an enriched bread dough. That means they are leavened with yeast and kneaded to develop gluten. They puff dramatically in the hot oil because they've got the structure to support it. Gluten makes yeasted doughnuts feel light and airy.

The old-fashioned doughnut is a term used for a variety of cake doughnut prepared in the shape of a ring with a cracked surface and tapered edges around it. Nineteenth century recipes for "old-fashioned donuts" are made with yeast, but in modern doughnut shops an "old-fashioned doughnut" is usually a cake doughnut.

What is the difference between the two types of doughnuts? ›

So what makes the two types of doughnuts different beyond their humble beginnings? It's mainly the leavening agent. Cake doughnuts, so named for their cakey taste and texture, are leavened with baking soda and baking powder, whereas yeast doughnuts are leavened with, you guessed it, yeast.

How to make yeast-raised doughnuts. 1. Prepare dough. Warm milk and butter, then combine with half of the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and eggs.

Some prefer cake donuts because the flavor can be created in the batter and raised donut flavor is typically in the glaze. We love both!

LaMiaItalia. These classic doughnuts are typically round without a hole in the middle, and generally leavened with yeast.

Brioche Donuts - Bakers make brioche donuts with buttery brioche dough, and the donut's fluffy texture balances its richness.

Essentially a ball of dough that's fried, fritters are a small, versatile doughnut that can be filled, glazed, or dusted with powdered or granulated sugar.

What makes the Krispy Kreme doughnut so light? The Krispy Kreme donuts are made using a yeast dough. The copycat Krispy Kreme recipe also uses a yeast based dough.

If you're eating a jelly- or a cream-filled doughnut, you are eating a yeast doughnut. Of course, the pinnacle of the yeast doughnut variety is the Original Glazed made by Krispy Kreme (more below).

They do in fact, fry their donuts in oil. If they didnt, if wouldnt taste nearly as good. They used to fry them in oil containing trans-fat, Then cook on the other side for 1 minute or less, until golden.

They were originally called "oily cakes."

The early Americans took the fact that the treats were fried in oil quite literally, naming them olykoeks, translating to "oily cakes." The word 'donut' came soon after when a woman is said to have put nuts in the dough before frying it.

Are Dunkin donuts fried or baked? ›

With National Donut Day on our minds, we wanted to know how to make the perfect glazed rings. So we turned to a brand that is best known for its freshly fried pastries, Dunkin' Donuts. With its 68-year history, DD is the go-to spot for both cake and yeast donuts.