How to Make Filled Donuts and Their Cousins

Dennis Weaver Dec 11, 2023

It's easy to make filled donuts or "bismarcks". Start with a raised, glazed donut mix. That makes the dough easy. It's a yeasted dough, just like a bread dough only sweeter. So you let it rise, cut it into circles using a donut cutter, a tin can or glass of the appropriate diameter, let it rise a second time, and deep fry them. You do not need to cut donut holes. Just follow the directions on the package.

Buy a premade pastry filling--though you can make your own. Originally, they were made with a Bavarian cream pastry filling though other creams, including whipped cream, will do to make cream filled donuts. Now, other pastry filings, from chocolate Bavarian cream pastry filling to cherry pastry fillings are also popular.

Choose from twelve different pastry fillings here.

And there's an easy trick for filling them. Cut a starter hole in your cooled donuts, as a guide to insert your filling. A paring knife is perfect. Insert the blade through the side of the fried donut to the center. You'll stick the tip of the bag in the hole and squeeze until the donut starts to swell slightly and the donut gets heavier.

If you're using a professional pastry filling clip the tip off the bag leaving a 3/8-icn hole. Use it as a pastry bag. If you are not using a professional filling, you'll need a pastry bag.

Then you fill your donuts just as you would fill cupcakes except in a cupcake, you don't need to use a guide hole. Just press the tip through the top of the cupcake. With a cupcake, you will cover the hole with frosting.

To glaze your donuts, mix 2 cups powdered sugar with 1/4 cup milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Dip the donuts in the glaze. Instead of a glaze, you may dust the donuts with powdered sugar.

Can I Bake My Donuts?

Yes, baking donuts is possible, and it's less hassle than frying donuts iso we often bake donuts. To bake Bismarck donuts, you prepare the dough according to package instructions, forming the donuts just as you would for dinner rolls, bake them for about 12-13 minutes at 375 degrees F, and then fill them as instructed above.

What About the Filled Donut Cousins?

Here's where you can get creative. Bake them like you would dinner rolls and either fill them with a pastry tip or slice them and fill them. We'll start out with a cross between a donut and a strawberry shortcake--a strawberry whipped cream filled donut. In the background, are fudgy whipped cream filled donuts. You didn't know that a filled donut could do that!