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plate of stacked chocolate filled doughnuts with milk glass, coffee mug, stacked doughnuts, and spoons

Classic Dark Chocolate Filled Doughnuts

The perfect way to start the day! These Classic Dark Chocolate Filled Doughnuts are rich, perfectly sweet, and seriously delicious. Our new favorite breakfast!
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Additional Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 10 doughnuts
Calories: 421kcal

Ingredients

Chocolate Pastry Cream

  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 4½ Tablespoons cornstarch
  • 6 large egg yolks room temperature
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • ¼ cup salted butter sliced, room temperature
  • ½ cup bittersweet chocolate

Doughnuts

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 Tablespoon instant yeast
  • ½ cup whole milk room temperature
  • 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg room temperature
  • 1 large egg yolk room temperature
  • ⅜ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • vegetable oil for frying

Glaze

  • 1 cup powdered sugar sifted
  • 1 Tablespoon cocoa powder sifted
  • 2 Tablespoons whole milk

Instructions

Pastry Cream

  • In a large glass bowl, whisk together sugar and cornstarch.
  • Gently mix in egg yolks, being careful not to incorporate any air. Set aside.
  • Bring milk to a boil over medium heat.
  • Add milk slowly to egg mixture while gently whisking continually.
  • Return to pot.
  • Bring to a boil, stirring continually, and continue to cook for 2 minutes.
  • Turn off heat.
  • Add butter and chocolate.
  • Stir until melted and smooth.
  • Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl.
  • Cover with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic touches the entire surface of the cream.
  • Refrigerate.

Doughnuts

  • Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and yeast. Set aside.
  • In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine milk, butter, sugar, eggs, egg yolks, salt, and vanilla.
  • Beat to mix.
  • Add flour mixture.
  • Knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes.
  • Place in a covered container and proof for 30 minutes.
  • Turn dough.
  • Allow to proof for another 30 minutes.
  • Divide dough into 2 ounce portions.
  • Roll each portion of dough into a tight ball.
  • Place seam side down on prepared parchment.
  • Flatten slightly.
  • Cover and allow to rise for 45 minutes.
  • Add 2-3 inches oil to a wide, shallow pot.
  • Heat oil to 355℉-360℉/179℃-182℃. (Let dough continue to proof while oil heats.)
  • Fry doughnuts a couple at a time until golden brown and cooked through, about 3-4 minutes, flipping as necessary.
  • Remove from oil and drain.

Glaze

  • Sift together powdered sugar and cocoa.
  • Add milk.
  • Stir until smooth.

Assembly

  • Allow doughnuts to cool.
  • Fit a pastry bag with a Bismark tip or a tip large enough to inject pastry cream into doughnuts.
  • Fill bag with pastry cream.
  • Push tip into the center of the side of the doughnut.
  • Press filling into the doughnut, pulling back as it fills.
  • Dip top of doughnuts into glaze, allowing excess to drip back into bowl.
  • Place on drying rack.

Notes

Substitutions
  • To substitute unsalted butter for the salted in the pastry cream, add ⅛ teaspoon of salt in with the sugar.
  • In the dough, you can use unsalted or salted butter interchangeably.
  • You can use semi-sweet chocolate instead of bittersweet in the pastry cream.
Tips For Making The Best Filled Doughnuts
    • Room temperature is about 70℉/21℃.
    • This recipe isn't difficult to make, but it takes time and requires a lot of moving parts. Be sure you have the time to make them before you start!
    • When making the pastry cream, do not beat the egg yolks and cornstarch! Any air in the mixture causes problems. Use a rubber spatula and gently fold in the yolks until no more cornstarch is visible.
    • Gently whisk while you pour the milk into cornstarch mixture.
    • If you have any bubbles, carefully spoon them out!
    • When properly cooked mixture will be thick and very pudding-like.
    • Remember to strain the pastry cream!
    • Make sure the plastic wrap is touching the filling. This keeps a skin from forming over the top.
    • We recommend SAF Gold Yeast for this recipe because it is specifically formulated for sweet doughs.
    • Sweet doughs take a long time to rise. If it's not doubled in bulk in the time we suggested, let it sit until it is.
    • Don't skip folding and resting the dough multiple times! This is very important.
    • The dough is sticky, but don't use any excess flour to keep it from sticking to your hands!
    • If the doughnut is browning but not cooking in the middle, your oil is too hot. Turn it down and try again!
    • When making the glaze, remember to sift the powdered sugar and the cocoa powder to ensure a smooth topping.
    • Poke a hole into the doughnut before filling. This will make filling them much easier!

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 421kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 162mg | Sodium: 170mg | Potassium: 196mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 537IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 103mg | Iron: 2mg