Lemon Curd Donuts with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

These are THE BEST lemon donuts well, ever. Fried lemon cake donuts, dunked in lemon glaze and then topped with lemon cream cheese frosting and a swirl of lemon curd. They’re lemon overload in the best possible way and I know you’re gonna love ’em.

What makes these Lemon Donuts THE BEST?

• They’re fried. I feel like maybe that’s all the argument I need? Don’t get me wrong, I love a baked cake donut. But these particular lemon donuts are best fried. The tart lemon cuts through the sweetness of the frosting and the heaviness that can sometimes come from a fried dessert.
• Fresh Lemon. I do use a small amount of lemon extract in the actual donut dough just to make SURE that lemon flavor comes through, but the majority of the lemon flavor is coming from real lemon juice and zest. It’s in the donut dough, the lemon glaze, the cream cheese frosting, and of course the lemon curd.
• Texture. These lemon donuts have it ALL. Crispy edges, soft cakey middles, silky creamy frosting, and gooey lemon curd. We’re checking all the texture boxes with these.

Ingredients

• Fresh Lemons & Lemon Extract. In total you’ll need about 2 large lemons (more if you’re making the curd from scratch!) and 1 tsp of lemon extract. I prefer this lemon extract paste – it ensures that the lemon flavor doesn’t get lost when you fry the donut, and still tastes like real lemon.
• Sugar & Powdered Sugar. You’ll need regular granulated sugar for the donut, and powdered sugar for the glaze and the frosting.
• Lemon Curd. You can use your favorite store bought lemon curd or you can make it from scratch. When making it from scratch, I always use Martha’s recipe. My favorite store bought lemon curd is the one from Trader Joe’s.
• Cream Cheese. When making cream cheese frosting I always grab the full fat Philadelphia Cream Cheese or the Trader Joe’s.
• All Purpose Flour. I have not tested this recipe with anything other than all purpose flour. If you want me to test a gluten free version of these lemon donuts, let me know!

How to Make Lemon Curd Donuts with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

If you’re making the lemon curd yourself, do that first so that it has plenty of time to chill.

Make the Lemon Donut Dough

Add the sugar to a large mixing bowl and zest one lemon into the sugar. Use your fingertips to massage the lemon zest into the sugar. This will help the lemon release it’s oils and flavor the sugar. Add the vanilla and lemon extracts and the eggs. Use a mixer to whip the eggs into the lemon sugar until it becomes light in color and fluffy, about 2 minutes. While continuing to mix, drizzle in the cooled melted butter. Add the sour cream and mix until combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients into the wet and use a rubber spatula to fold together until combined. Keep in mind that these are cake donuts, so the dough won’t be like a bread dough, it will actually seem more like cookie dough or thick cake batter.

Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least an hour, up to overnight.

Fry the Lemon Donuts

When you’re ready to fry, add the canola oil to a heavy bottomed pot. I use my enameled cast iron dutch oven. Also take a moment to set up your cooling rack. Line a large baking sheet with paper towel and set a cooling rack on top. You’ll want at least 3 inches of oil to fry the donuts. Set the burner to medium high and bring the oil to 350 degrees. While the oil comes to temperature, cut out the donuts. Place a sheet of parchment on the counter and lightly dust it with flour. Roll the dough out to 1″ thickness.

Use a 2 1’4″ donut cutter to cut 12 donuts. Rather than re rolling the scraps and middles to cut more donuts, I typically just fry the scraps as donut holes. If you don’t have a donut cutter, a round cookie cutter will work fine, but be sure to cut a hole in the center or they won’t cook all the way through. Also, be sure to wipe away any excess flour left on the donuts from rolling/cutting them.

When the oil reaches 350-360 degrees, carefully add 3-4 donuts at a time. Do this by lowering the donut into the oil, then gently dropping it away from your body. The donuts will sink to the bottom of the oil, then float to the top after 30-45 seconds. Once the donuts are floating, let them cook on that same side for 2 more minutes, then flip and cook on the opposite side for another 2 minutes. They should be a deep golden brown. Be sure to keep checking the oil temperature throughout the frying process and do your best to maintain the temperature between 350 and 360 degrees.

Use a deep fry strainer ladle to remove the donuts from the oil. Tap off any excess oil and place the donuts on your cooling rack. Resist the urge to crack one open right away as they will finish cooking while they cool. If you crack them open too quickly it might be slightly underdone in the center.

Make the Lemon Glaze

While the donuts cool, make the lemon glaze. Use a wide but shallow bowl to whisk all of the glaze ingredients together until smooth. It should be pretty thin. Once the donuts are cool enough to handle, dunk them into the glaze coating the entire donut with the glaze. Return the donut to the cooling rack to allow the glaze to set up.

Make the Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

In a small/medium mixing bowl, whip together the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla extract. You can do this with a regular whisk and a little muscle, or an electric hand mixer. Add the powdered sugar and mix until combined and smooth. Add the lemon juice and lemon zest and mix until combined. It should be super soft and silky, but not runny. If it’s too thin, add 1-2 TBSP of powdered sugar until it reaches your desired consistency.

Add about 1.5 TBSP of the lemon cream cheese frosting to the center of each donut. Use an offset spatula or the back side of a spoon to spread the frosting almost to the edge. Add 1 tsp of lemon curd to the center and swirl it into the frosting. Top with extra lemon zest and enjoy immediately.

Lemon Curd Donut FAQs

• Can I make these lemon donuts gluten free? I have only tested these with all purpose flour and am not entirely confident that they would have the same texture with a gluten free flour alternative. If you’d like me to test it, just say the word!
• My donuts are too browned on the outside and raw in the middle, help! This is likely because the oil got too hot. You want to use a thermometer to constantly check the oil temp as you’re frying and keep it between 350 and 360 degrees. Adding the donuts into the oil will drop the temp a bit each time, so just keep an eye on it!
• What oils are best for frying donuts? I would suggest canola, vegetable, or peanut oil.

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