These Baked Mexican Mocha Donuts are a healthier take on donuts! Loaded with cozy warm spices, topped with a delicious chocolate glaze and have a spicy cayenne kick to them! So delicious!
You guyssssss! This donut is the coziest, warmest, yummiest Fall breakfast (or snack or dessert) treat you could ever dream of! I recently bought my first ever donut pan. It was on sale at Target and I’m always just in love with all of the awesome donut creations my food blogger friends create…so I figured, why not?! (I linked it above but sadly it’s not on sale online..be sure and check your stores just in case!)
I have many many donut ideas but they first one I had was this one! Now…before you get too freaked out about these, let me explain something to you..
What in the world is a Mexican Mocha?
A Mexican Mocha is a popular espresso beverage you can find at usually local coffee shops. When I was a barista, we made it like this: the base is deliciously chocolate mocha syrup, topped with a dash of cinnamon and cayenne. You pour the steaming hot espresso over the spiced thick syrup and stir it up. Then, you steam whole milk over to just the right amount of deliciousness, make some dope latte art and then top it with a pinch of extra cayenne! It’s spicy, it’s sweet, it’s warming – everything you want it to be!
Mexican Mocha Donuts:
So, yeah. I basically took all those cozy, warm and spicy flavors and baked them into a healthy-ish donut. The chocolate is extra dark, the cinnamon and nutmeg are integrated for extra coziness and the cayenne…well, let’s just say that will certainly warm you up! Did I mention they have espresso powder in them? This not only ensures that they are extra rich, but also that they give you a pep in your step with a tiny kick of caffeine! They are baked, so they are more like cake donuts. They’re not overly sweet and they are topped with the easiest chocolate glaze! Top with powdered sugar and extra cayenne if you’re feeling brave!
Let’s get into how to make this delicious treat.
Ingredients You Need for Baked Mexican Mocha Donuts:
- all purpose flour
- cocoa powder
- light brown sugar
- cinnamon, cayenne, nutmeg
- baking powder, baking soda
- egg
- whole milk
- vinegar
- melted butter
- espresso powder
- melted chocolate
- powdered sugar (optional)
How to Make Baked Mexican Mocha Donuts:
Alright, y’all, let’s get into how to make these super easy donuts! First, let’s preheat the oven to 350. Take your donut pan, grease it (either with butter or cooking spray) and set that aside while we make the batter.
In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients aka the AP flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder, brown sugar, cinnamon, cayenne, nutmeg and espresso powder. Make sure these are all mixed together.
In a small bowl, melt butter and let it cool for a minute or so. Mix whole milk, an egg and vinegar with the butter until it’s fully combined. Whisk in the wet ingredients to dry ingredients slowly.
Next, if you have a fancy piping bag you can add your donut batter to that. If you are new to the donut game or don’t own piping bags, take a trusty ziploc bag, spoon your batter into it and cut the tip of the bag off. Pipe the batter into the donut pan, about ⅔ of the way full for each donut.
Place in the preheated oven and bake these for 11-12 minutes or until toothpick comes clean.
Let these cool in the pan for a few minutes and then remove them to a wire baking rack until they are completely cooled. When cooled, melt chocolate in 30 second increments or until super melty. Gently dip one side of the donut into the melted chocolate, making sure you coat it good. Place it icing side up on the wire rack and repeat until all of the donuts are iced.
Top with extra powdered sugar on top and a pinch of cayenne if you’re feelin’ extra frisky! Hope you guys enjoy these – I think they’re just the perfect Fall breakfast. Yum!
Did you enjoy this recipe? Here are a few others you might like:
Thank you so much for following along here, friends! Want to see more? Be sure to follow ourbalancedbowl on Instagram and tag me with your photo if you end up making a recipe! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the Our Balanced Bowl Facebook page! Like a recipe that you saw? Follow me on Pinterest here! I always love to see your re-creations! If you do make a recipe, it would make my whole day if you were to rate and comment so I can get your feedback! Lots of love! – Haylie

Baked Mexican Mocha Donuts
These Baked Mexican Mocha Donuts are a healthier take on donuts! Loaded with cozy warm spices, topped with a delicious chocolate glaze and have a spicy cayenne kick to them! So delicious!
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp espresso powder
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 2 tsp white vinegar
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet OR dark chocolate chips, melted
- powdered sugar, extra cayenne (optional)
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350. Take a donut pan, grease it (either with butter or cooking spray) and set aside.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder, brown sugar, cinnamon, cayenne, nutmeg and espresso powder.
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In another bowl, melt butter and let it cool for a minute or so. To the butter, add the whole milk, egg and vinegar. Whisk until it's fully combined.
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Slowly whisk in the wet ingredients into dry ingredients.
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Next, carefully spoon the donut batter either into a ziploc bag or a piping bag if you have one. If you're using a ziploc bag, cut the tip of the bag and pipe the batter into the greased donut pan, about ⅔ of the way full for each donut.
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Bake for 11-12 minutes or until toothpick comes clean.
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Let these cool in the pan for a few minutes and then remove them to a wire baking rack until they are completely cooled.
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While they are cooling, melt the semi-sweet chocolate in a bowl that you're able to dip the donuts in. Melt it in 30 second increments until fully melted.
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Gently dip one side of the donut into the melted chocolate, making sure you coat it fully on one side. Place it icing side up on the wire rack and repeat until all of the donuts are iced.
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Garnish with powdered sugar and/or extra cayenne or cinnamon! Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
I used a 6-mold donut pan. I linked mine above (not an affiliate link!)
If you don't enjoy spicy foods, I suggest removing the cayenne completely!
Haylie! These donuts are absolutely gorgeous. I love that glaze!!! My hubby loves a little bit of kick with his chocolate so I think he’d be all over these beauties. Happy weekend!
Thank you so much, Katherine! You’re too sweet 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe. I am using gluten free all-purpose flour, organic cane sugar, and I added a splash of organic coffee that I made. It smelled good. Didn’t have regular vinegar so I used apple cider vinegar instead. Also, bought some dark chocolate morsels for the frosting.
Love the idea of adding the fresh coffee in them! How fun! I hope they turned out delicious for you, Lucy! XO!
I love baked donuts, and these look so tender and fluffy! Can’t go wrong with the flavour combo here, and that glaze is just calling my name! Pinning!
Thank you so much, Leanne! You’re so sweet! You always make the BEST donut recipes!
That donut! That glaze! My eyes…I think I’m crying! 🙂 If these aren’t everything I want right now! OMG! Pinning!
LOL! Annie, this comment just totally made my day! Thank you!!
OMG Haylie! These donuts look so decadent and delicious! Pinned and so excited to try!
Thank you so much, Mary Ann! That means so much coming from you! 🙂
Baked donuts for the win! And I just love the touch of cayenne in these, Haylie! I want to reach right through my screen and grab one (three) 😉 Perfect fall breakfast indeed! Hope you are having an awesome week so far, my friend 🙂
You’re so sweet, Dawn!! Lol at wanting to grab 3…totally understand that!! 😉
Haylie, these donuts are magical! Love the hint of cayenne, espresso, and warm spices in them – how wonderful for the season! A big YES to chocolate donuts with that incredible glaze for breakfast! Your pictures are drop dead gorgeous!
Thank you so much, Kelly!!! Your photos are always just stunning so it means so much when you comment on my photos <3 🙂
Yay! That makes me so happy, Vicki!
In line 2 of the recipe you forgot to include the baking powder, soda and salt…. I was quickly throwing these together and accidentally made these without those ingredients! While they were still delicious they were more of a brownie. Time to make them properly!
Hey Cassie! I’m so sorry about forgetting to add that in. I swear, sometimes I type so fast lol – I need to do a better job at proofreading! I’ve just updated both the recipe card and the blog post itself and added in that crucial step. Thank you for letting me know. Happy baking! XO – Haylie
white or cider vinegar
Hi James – I used white vinegar for this recipe 🙂 Sorry that I didn’t clarify. I just updated it in the recipe post! Happy baking!
So good! Now that I have a donut pan, I’m on a donut kick. The cayenne and cinnamon are just enough to add a bit of heat after the initial flavor. 🥰
Thank you so much, Joan 🙂