Bavarian Cream Donuts from The Food Charlatan (2024)

What’s better than a soft, puffy Donut? A cream filled donut! Bavarian Cream Donuts are a classic for a reason. Fried dough rolled in sugar and filled with custard (Pastry Cream + whipped cream), they are a totally irresistible and decadent treat. I will show you exactly how to make them step by step!

Sometimes companies will mail me fancy food packages that are kept fresh with those reusable cold pack things. I always toss them in my freezer for when we are heading to the lake or going camping with a cooler. They are super handy to have around!

We used one just last Sunday for our picnic after church. Twice a year my church has a regional conference, a two hour meeting that is always great and uplifting, but also a long time for the kids to sit still. It’s tradition to pack a picnic and let the kids run around on the huge wooded lawn on the temple grounds afterward.

We spent half the day there, just hanging out in this amazing September sunshine we are having. And FINALLY crossed off the last item on our summer bucket list, “have a picnic.”

And that was when I realized we’ve been icing our cooler with a bag of frozen cauliflower rice. And here’s the kicker, I KNOW I’ve used this pack before. This poor cauliflower has been on several outings with us apparently. They looked exactly the same! How was I supposed to know!

I’m just gonna put this out there, it’s probably Edison’s fault. I bet he swapped them when I wasn’t looking. He is in this stage right now where his entire life purpose is to put a stick in our wheels, I swear. He watches every single move we make and does exactly the thing that will mess us up.

Soccer uniform finally came in the mail? He shoves it in a corner of the garage where we would never think to look. I was making several batches of bread the other day and rinsed off my dough hook to use again, set it right by the mixer where I would need it. He hid it in the bathroom. The other day he even stole my darn toothbrush right before bedtime, and stashed it in his closet.

If you ever think of me lately, just know that I am dropped to my knees, clutching my hair and shouting toward the sky, “EDISONNNNN!!!!!!!” Foiled again!” While he rubs his hands together malevolently in the background.

Oy vey. I may not be able to differentiate between ice packs and cauliflower, and I might not be able to out-sleuth my own 3-year-old, but at least I can whip up a MEAN Cream Filled Donut to make me feel better! This really is something, right??

Bavarian Cream Donuts

Today’s post is a part of a 3-post series: I’m showing you how to make Glazed Donuts, how to make Pastry Cream to fill them, and here I’m sharing the Cream filled recipe to put it all together! Don’t even ask how many donuts we’ve all eaten at this point. IT’S A LOT 😂

What is a Bavarian cream donut?

Think of the lightest, fluffiest donut, roll it in obscene amounts of sugar and THEN fill it with the dreamiest creamiest Bavarian Cream. It’s like a donut’s version of getting all gussied up and going to prom.

Bavarian cream donut is the basic term for any cream or custard filled donut. In the United States especially, the filling can differ, but most shops will still call it either a Bavarian Cream donut or simply a cream filled donut. Usually they are round, sometimes they are rectangular, but always have a creamy vanilla flavored custard piped into the center.

Traditionally, Bavarian cream is a pastry cream specifically made with gelatin, but my recipe skips the gelatin and uses egg yolks and cornstarch to thicken. I never have gelatin in my pantry, do you?? My filling is made by taking Pastry Cream and folding it with whipped cream, I’ll show you just how to do it. It’s basically a thickened Vanilla Pudding. It’s really hard not to just eat it with a spoon!

Bavarian cream donut ingredients

No fancy ingredients required! Even the Pastry Cream uses stuff you have on hand. Full ingredient list and instructions are down below in the recipe card!

How to make Bavarian cream donuts

First you need to whip up your Pastry Cream and get it chilling in the fridge! Head over to my Pastry Cream recipe for all the details.

Next put together the yeast dough. I have more pictures of this process on my Homemade Donuts recipe! Check out the how-to section of that post for all the details. The donut part of the recipe is exactly the same.

Here is the dough once it’s been kneaded together for 5 minutes. Nice and soft and stretchy! Smell it, I have dreams of this smell.

Now slap it in a bowl you’ve coated with oil, and flip it over to make sure it’s oiled top and bottom.

One of the special methods that professionals use to make donuts is using a proofing box. They have these huge boxes, kind of like an oven, where the temperature and humidity are controlled.

We are going to fake a proofing box in our oven! It’s so easy. Creating this humid, warm environment helps our donuts get puff puff puffy. I use the same method for my Cinnamon Rolls!

Turn your oven on for about a minute until it’s warm inside, but not hot. You should still be able to touch the oven racks without wanting to pull your finger away.

Then boil a kettle of water and pour it into a pan sitting just below your dough. The steam will rise up and make your yeasty dough puff and puff! You can see the oven is ON in this photo, I was still heating it up a bit, but I turned it off right after. You can also see in this photo that I have very low oven cleanliness standards. Try not to hate me. That’s my pizza stone in there, it helps regulate my oven temperature when I’m actually baking. (My oven is a piece of actual garbage and needs to be replaced 😂) You want a temp of around 100-130 degrees F.

And after an hour it will look like this:

Now it’s time to roll out this beauty.

You want to roll it out to about 12 inches, or less. Make sure the dough is about 1/2 inch thick.

Make sure your dough is not too thin. You want nice thick donuts, like this.

Turn your oven into a proofing box again! Try to fit all your pans of donuts on the racks, then you can see that I have the 9×13 pan directly on the bottom of my oven. Only do this AFTER you have turned the oven on and off!

Heat up a whole ton of oil over medium heat. At least 2 inches deep. You need LOTS of oil for deep frying, otherwise you will end up with half burned doughy-in-the-center doughnuts.

A steady temperature is the secret to frying donuts successfully. You want a temp of about 350. When you add your first batch, the temperature will drop, so it’s best to wait a minute in between batches. Just keep an eye on it and keep gauging with the thermometer.

Get everything set up and ready to go! I call this my “fry station”: Hot oil, thermometer, spider strainer or tongs, wire cooling rack set on top of paper grocery bags (or paper towels), shallow bowl full of sugar, and the risen donuts nearby.

(My daughter Charlotte helped me fry the donuts. These bracelets were from a summer camp she went to this year, she’s kept them on forever!)

Here’s what all the fuss was about with the squares of parchment paper. We are picking up the donuts and setting them directly in the oil, paper and all. I have ruined one too many risen donuts by puncturing it with the spatula trying to get it in the oil, and I’m so over it. I saw this tip somewhere (I can’t remember where!) and it’s been life changing for frying any yeast dough. I’m never going back ever ever.

Hang onto one corner of the paper, let the donut fully submerge, and shimmy the paper back and forth until the donut loosens from the paper. Then remove the paper right away and set aside.

If the donut pops up out of the oil a whole bunch when you flip it, sometimes it’s helpful to hold it down in the oil to make sure the middle part gets browned properly.

Let the donuts cool on the wire rack for a minute, not too long, but you don’t want to burn your fingers. After 60-90 seconds, toss the donut in the sugar, coating it really well. (Add a couple tablespoon cinnamon to your sugar for a fun twist!

Now it’s time to make the filling! Beat some heavy cream until stiff peaks form, add in a couple tablespoons of powdered sugar if you like it sweet like me.

Then add the Pastry Cream that you’ve had chilling in the fridge! Give the pastry cream a good whisk to smooth it out, then fold it into the cream using a rubber spatula, using as few strokes as possible to incorporate it. We want to keep it fluffy.

My best tip for getting filling into a piping bag is to use an empty glass to hold up the bag. So much easier! You can use a piping bag or even just a ziplock with the end snipped off. You don’t really need a tip for filling donuts, just the bag is fine.

Use a toothpick, paring knife, or chopstick to poke a whole in the side of your donut. Twist it around a bit to make room.

Then push the end of the piping bag inside the donut and fill ‘er up! Your donut will plump up and look so good!

If you are serving a bunch of these at once its handy (and pretty) to line them up on their sides like this. I like to put them in a pretty casserole dish with the filling pointing up.

And that’s IT! Remember, only fill the ones that you are planning to eat right away. These do not store well! Invite all your friends over, they will love you!

More filling ideas

Here’s what you could pipe into your donuts instead of Pastry cream. The options are ENDLESS:

• LEMON CURD. omg I’m telling you guys, I had a donut filled with fresh lemon curd once on vacation in Australia forever ago, and forgot about it until this moment. It was so good, you have to try it.
• Nutella. I mean, do I need to explain further? I guess I do, because I actually have an entire post dedicated to Nutella Stuffed Donuts. Please read my story about Kirby the vacuum man and die with me, haha! Good times. 😂 Ooh, here’s an idea, you could even mix your nutella with the whipped cream called for in this recipe for something lighter.
• Jelly or Jam. I mean, this is a classic right? See above about folding with whipped cream. Yum.
• Any flavor of homemade or even instant pudding would be so good.

What to serve with cream filled donuts

I like to serve my donuts with more donuts. Ha! It’s like pizza. Do you really need that side? I’m just sayin. But here are some ideas if you have a big crowd.

• What even is a donut without milk, tea or coffee? Start there for sure!
• Baked Bacon >> Ready in about 10 or 15 minutes, SO much easier than frying on the stove.
• My Best Quiche Recipe >> This one is no joke. You will never go back.
• Make Ahead Scrambled Eggs >> so creamy and tender and easy to have waiting while you finish the donuts
• Cheesy Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole with Ham >> fun fact, this is the most visited recipe on my site!
• Chili Rellenos Casserole >> this one is so easy
• Cheesy Ham and Broccoli Frittata >>easy to make, super fast, and full of cheesy deliciousness
• Classic Fruit Salad from Downshiftology

Do Bavarian cream donuts need to be refrigerated?

The best option is to only fill as many donuts as you think you’ll eat that day. Then, store the leftover cream separately in the fridge and the donuts in a loosely closed paper bag on the counter. You can then fill any extra donuts as needed.

If you’ve already filled your donuts and have some leftover, eat just one more. Stuff it in. I’m sorry, you didn’t come to me for diet advice. The next option is to call all the neighbors over for a donut party! You will be solving all of America’s loneliness problems! Pat yourself on the back!

But, if you really have no alternative, you can refrigerate them in an air-tight container for about 3-4 days. Just know that the quality of the donut will deteriorate significantly with each passing day.

Frequently Asked Questions