Air Fryer Cinnamon Sugar Donut Cakes

If you’ve never made donut cakes in the air fryer before, you’re going to love how easy this is.

These little cakes taste just like the cinnamon sugar donuts you’d get from a bakery. Soft, warm, and completely coated in buttery cinnamon sugar goodness.

The best part is that the whole recipe takes under 20 minutes from start to finish. You mix up a quick batter, pour it into ramekins, and let the air fryer handle the rest.

You don’t need a donut pan or a deep fryer or anything complicated. Just basic baking ingredients that you probably already have at home.

I like to serve these warm right after coating them. That’s when the cinnamon sugar sticks perfectly and the inside is still super soft.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Tastes Like a Fresh Bakery Donut – That buttery cinnamon sugar coating on a warm cake gives you real donut shop flavor right at home.

Soft and Tender on the Inside – The crumb is incredibly moist and fluffy thanks to the butter and milk in the batter.

Perfectly Crisp Cinnamon Sugar Crust – Rolling the warm buttered cakes in cinnamon sugar creates an irresistible sweet and slightly crunchy outer layer.

Ingredients

For the Cakes

• 3/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
• 1/3 cup Granulated Sugar
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg
• 1/3 cup Whole Milk
• 1 Large Egg
• 2 tbsp Melted Butter
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

For the Coating

• 3 tbsp Melted Butter
• 1/3 cup Granulated Sugar
• 1 tbsp Ground Cinnamon

How To Make

Step 1

In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. In another bowl, whisk together milk, egg, melted butter, and vanilla.

Step 2

Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until just combined and smooth.

Step 3

Grease four 4-oz ramekins or small donut-shaped silicone molds. Fill each about two-thirds full with batter.

Step 4

Preheat air fryer to 340°F. Place filled ramekins in the basket and cook for 10-12 minutes until golden and a toothpick comes out clean.

Step 5

Let cakes cool for 3 minutes, then remove from ramekins. While still warm, brush each cake all over with melted butter.

Step 6

Mix cinnamon and sugar in a shallow bowl. Roll each buttered cake in the cinnamon sugar mixture until completely coated. Serve warm.

Tips

Don’t Overfill the Ramekins

Fill each ramekin to about two-thirds full and no more. These little cakes rise a decent amount in the air fryer, and if you go past that mark they’ll puff up over the top and lose their shape.

If you have leftover batter, just use a fifth ramekin. Cramming extra batter in will give you dense, unevenly cooked cakes instead of light fluffy ones.

Use Ramekins That Fit Your Air Fryer

Before you start, check that your ramekins actually fit in the air fryer basket with a little space around each one. Air needs to flow around them for even cooking. If they’re crammed in touching each other or the walls, the outsides will cook faster than the centers.

If you can only fit two at a time, cook in batches. It only takes about 12 minutes per batch so it goes fast.

Brush the Butter On While the Cakes Are Warm

As soon as the cakes are cool enough to handle after that 3-minute rest, start brushing the melted butter on. The warmth of the cake helps the butter soak in slightly and creates a sticky surface.

That sticky layer is what makes the cinnamon sugar actually cling to the cake. If you wait too long and the cakes cool down completely, the butter just sits on top and the coating slides right off.

Use a pastry brush and cover every surface – top, bottom, and all around the sides. Don’t be shy with it.

Related Recipes

• Air Fryer Apple Cider Donuts
• Air Fryer Doughnut Holes
• Air Fryer Churros
• Air Fryer Maple Glazed Donut Holes
• Air Fryer Funnel Cake Bites

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a regular muffin tin instead of ramekins in the air fryer?

Yes, you can use a small muffin tin or silicone muffin cups as long as they fit inside your air fryer basket. Just make sure to grease them well so the cakes pop out easily without sticking.

Silicone molds actually work great here because they’re flexible and make it really simple to remove the cakes while they’re still warm, which is exactly what you want before rolling them in the cinnamon sugar coating.