Rich, fluffy, dark chocolate cake donuts dipped in a creamy, chocolatey, Nutella glaze and topped with crunchy, salted pretzel pieces and delectable, mini chocolate morsels

First and foremost, Happy World Nutella Day! Chocoholics unite!

To celebrate, I’ve teamed up with Cost Plus World Market to bring you the ultimate Nutella experience.

I know what you’re probably thinking… there is a “national” day for everything. That is true, but this is one you should really be excited about! You have full permission- and I mean unbridled permission- to indulge in as much Nutella as your heart desires. Friday just got a whole lot sweeter!

These dark chocolate Nutella cake donuts will literally change your life. They are baked, not fried, so you can go ahead and pretend they are healthy. Again, today’s a holiday, so treat yo’ self!

The donut itself is incredibly moist and full of the richest dark chocolate flavor from my all-time favorite Guittard Cocoa Powder. Using high quality cocoa makes a tremendous difference in the taste and texture of baked goods. There are certain products you can get away with buying the off-brand on, cocoa powder is just not one of them. The batter is also accented with a hint of Nutella because, let’s face it, there’s no such thing as too much Nutella.

For the frosting I went all out with a thick, decadent, Nutella glaze. Chocolatey hazelnut goodness that literally melts in your mouth. I finished these babies off with some crushed salted pretzel pieces and miniature chocolate chips. Sweet and salty for the win!

Seriously, this flavor combination is mind-blowingly delicious. Perhaps my favorite to date.

As amazing as the donuts themselves are, the easiness of this recipe makes them 10x better. This is a two bowl recipe (three cheers for less dishes). Simply mix together your dry ingredients in one bowl, your wets in another, mix them together and bing bang boom! Your batter is ready!

I like to pipe my batter into the donut cavities as I find it to be the most effective (and least messy) way of doing so; however, in a pinch spooning in the batter works just fine. After you’ve filled your nonstick donut pan bake the donuts for just 8-10 minutes (taking care not to over-bake). Remember not to keep opening your oven door to check on the doneness! This will cause drying out, so use the oven light instead. When the donuts are done a toothpick inserted into the center will come out clean. Let the donuts cool completely before dunkin’ them in the glaze.

This frosting is also a cinch to make. Dump all the ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer and mix until very smooth. If you find your glaze to be a bit thick for your liking, add milk, a teaspoon at a time, until it reaches the desired consistency. That’s it!

Next, dip the donuts into the glaze and top with crushed pretzel pieces and miniature chocolate chips. I chose these pretzels due to their thin nature. They worked perfectly for this recipe!

Allow the glaze to set before serving the donuts. Like most donuts, these guys are best devoured day of!

You are now officially ready to celebrate World Nutella Day and partake in all the festivities that entails. So go on. Live a little. Eat the donuts. Eat all the donuts.

Like what you see in this post? These are some of my all-time favorite baking tools and server ware! You can purchase them here:

1. White Batter Bowl
2. Galvanized Cake Stand
3. Vintage Measuring Spoons
4. Measuring Cup Set
5. White Plate
6. Natural Linen Napkin
7. Chambray Crochet Napkin
8. Ikat Placemat
9. Honeycomb Bowl
10. Favorite Donut Pan
11. Wood and Wire Whisk – World Market in-store

The Recipe

*Yields 8-9 donuts

Dark Chocolate Cake Donuts

1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (29.5 g) Guittard Cocoa Powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup (66 g) brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons Nutella
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons Nielsen-Massey Vanilla
1/3 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1/4 cup vanilla yogurt, at room temperature

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease or spray a non-stick donut pan.

2. In a large bowl whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together butter, oil, Nutella, egg, vanilla, buttermilk, and yogurt until smooth.

4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.

5. Use a piping bag to fill donut cavities 2/3 of the way full.

6. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool donuts in pan for a few minutes before transferring to wire rack. Cool donuts completely before frosting.

Nutella Chocolate Glaze

1 1/4 cups (156 g) powdered sugar, sifted
1 1/2 tablespoons Guittard Cocoa Powder
1/4 cup Nutella
1/2 teaspoon Nielsen-Massey Vanilla
8-10 teaspoons milk

Toppings

1 cup crushed pretzel sticks
1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the balloon attachment, mix powdered sugar, cocoa powder, Nutella, vanilla, corn syrup, and milk until completely smooth (adding more milk if necessary, a teaspoon at a time, until glaze reaches desired consistency).

2. Dunk cooled donuts halfway into frosting.

3. In a small bowl stir together toppings. Top donuts with pretzel-chocolate chip mixture. Allow glaze to set before serving. Donuts are best eaten fresh.