Strawberry Cream Donuts (Milk Cream)

Bite into these fluffy strawberry cream donuts that taste just like spring and summer.
Inspired by Chubby Baker in Salt Lake City, these treats bring Asian-style magic home.
Plus, the sweet milk cream and juicy strawberries make every bite feel light, fresh, and fun.

Soft, Airy Donuts Start with the Right Dough Ingredients

• All-purpose flour – Use sifted flour for extra light and fluffy donuts. Sifting helps avoid dense or uneven texture.
• Sugar – Adds sweetness and helps the yeast activate for a better rise and golden color.
• Whole milk or half-and-half – Choose whole milk or half and half for a richer dough.
• Instant yeast or active dry yeast – Instant yeast mixes right in. Bloom active dry yeast in warm milk before adding.
• Milk powder – Boosts flavor, tenderness, and browning. Use full-fat for best results.
• Eggs – Bind the dough and add richness. Use room-temperature eggs for smoother mixing.
• Salt – Enhances flavor and balances sweetness. Avoid direct contact with yeast.
• Butter – Adds softness and flavor. Use room-temperature butter for easier mixing. Also, this maybe an unpopular opinion, I don’t care whether the butter is salted or not. They both work. I’ve tried it!

How to Make the Donut Dough in 4 Simple Steps

1. Mix dry and wet ingredients separately
   Whisk flour, sugar, yeast, milk powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. In another bowl, whisk water, milk, and egg.
2. Combine and knead the dough
   Add wet mixture to the dry. Mix on low (speed 1) until combined, then knead on medium (speed 2–4) for 10 minutes.
3. Add butter and knead until smooth
   Add butter and knead for 15–20 minutes. The dough will look wet but should pull away from the sides.
4. Let it rise and shape
   Transfer to a greased bowl, cover, and rise for 90 minutes to 2 hours or until double in size. After rising, punch down and shape into 70 grams balls. I was able to make 17 of them. If you do not have a scale on hand, you can still roll the dough our in a big circle and divide it into 16 small pieces. It is going to be less than 75 grams for each of the dough ball. Not a big difference!
   You can also refrigerate the dough after punching it down and shape the next day. Let shaped dough rise again for 60–90 minutes before frying.

Make Ahead Tips to Safe Yourself from Stress

• Make the dough ahead – Store it in the fridge for up to 48 hours. It will continue to rise slowly. The cold dough actually makes shaping easier. You can roll it out and cut it with 6 cm (2.5 inch) donut rings.
• Prep the milk cream in advance – Whisk heavy cream with powdered sugar and vanilla. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. It’s exactly the same as my regular strawberry cream recipe!
• Slice strawberries ahead of time – Keep them refrigerated until you’re ready to assemble them into strawberry cream donuts.

How to Fry Donuts

• Place the shaped dough on a greased baking sheet, lightly oil your hands, and gently press the dough down. Cover and let rise for 1 hour. The oil on top prevents sticking.
• I usually dip a chopstick in the oil to see if it’s hot enough. Once I see tiny bubbles around the stick, it’s ready. I’ve checked with a thermometer and found this method gives me 320°F to 330°F every time.
• Keep the oil temperature between 320°F and 330°F. Avoid going over 350°F to prevent over-browning and raw centers.
• Gently lift each dough ball and place it presentation side up in the oil. Fry 2 and a half to 3 minutes per side.
• If you see any bubbles on the dough puffing up while frying, make sure to pop them with a tooth pick or a skewer.
• Flip only once to form a clean white ring. If a second flip is needed, lift and reposition before returning to the oil.
• Check doneness by inserting a toothpick into the donut—it should come out clean when fully cooked.

Coating and Filling the Donuts

I waited about 5 to 10 minutes for the donuts to cool slightly before handling. You want to coat them while they’re still warm so the sugar sticks better. If the donuts are too hot, the sugar will melt into the dough and disappear. Once cooled enough, I sliced each donut about three-quarters of the way through to create a pocket. Then, I rolled the donut in regular sugar until fully coated. Finally, I filled each one with whipped cream and tucked in fresh strawberries right before serving.

Related Recipes

• No knead cinnamon rolls
• No knead raspberry rolls
• No knead/ no dutch oven Jalapeño Cheddar bread
• Strawberry and Cream

Strawberry Cream Donuts (Milk Cream)

Mary Thatcher

Bite into these fluffy strawberry cream donuts that taste just like spring and summer.Inspired by Chubby Baker in Salt Lake City, these treats bring Asian-style magic home.Plus, the sweet milk cream and juicy strawberries make every bite feel light, fresh, and fun.

No ratings yet

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Resting Time 3 hours hrs

Total Time 3 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Asian Inspire

Servings 17 donuts

Equipment

• 1 wok or fryer
• 1 baking sheet

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

For donut dough

• 4¼ cups all purpose flour (600 grams)
• 3 tbsp milk powder (40 grams)
• 1 tsp salt (5 grams)
• 1 tsp instant yeast (or active dried yeast_
• ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar (120 grams)
• 150 ml water
• 150 ml milk (whole milk or half and half)
• 2 eggs (100 grams)
• 4 tbsp butter

For Strawberry and Cream Filling

• 1 pint heavy whipping cream
• 9-11 tbsp powder sugar anywhere from 9-12 tablespoons depends on the brand.
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 lb strawberries

Instructions

 

Make the Dough, Let Rise, and Fry

• Whisk flour, sugar, yeast, milk powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. In another bowl, whisk water, milk, and egg.
• Add wet mixture to the dry. Mix on low (speed 1) until combined, then knead on medium (speed 2–4) for 10 minutes.
• Add butter and knead for 15–20 minutes. The dough will look wet but should pull away from the sides.
• Transfer to a greased bowl, cover, and rise for 90 minutes to 2 hours or until double in size. After rising, punch down and shape into 70 grams balls. I was able to make 17 of them.
• Place the shaped dough on a greased baking sheet, lightly oil your hands, and gently press the dough down. Cover and let rise for 1 hour. The oil on top prevents sticking.
• Dip a chopstick in the oil to see if it’s hot enough. Once I see tiny bubbles around the stick, it’s ready. I’ve checked with a thermometer and found this method gives me 320°F to 330°F every time.
• Gently lift each dough ball and place it presentation side up in the oil. Fry 2 and a half to 3 minutes per side.
• If you see any bubbles on the dough puffing up while frying, make sure to pop them with a tooth pick or a skewer. Flip only once to form a clean white ring. If a second flip is needed, lift and reposition before returning to the oil.
• Check doneness by inserting a toothpick into the donut—it should come out clean when fully cooked.
• Rest the donuts on a rack or paper towel to cool down for about 5-10 minutes before slicing and coating with sugar.
• Slice each donut about three-quarters of the way through to create a pocket. Then, I rolled the donut in regular sugar until fully coated.

Make Milk Cream and Fill the Donuts

• Add the heavy whipping cream to a bowl and start whisking on medium speed (setting 4 on a KitchenAid mixer) for a few minutes.
• Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract, then continue whisking for a few more minutes until you reach your desired consistency. (or stiffed peaks)
• Fill the donuts with milk cream. Smooth the milk cream with a spoon, knife, or spatula.
• Finally place slices of strawberries on the exterior of the milk cream and enjoy the combination of the soft, fluffy donut dough and the creamy milk strawberry cream.

Notes

Note : I sincerely thank you for visiting my blog and I appreciate you checking out my passion – recipes! If you enjoy these recipes, please share them, rate 5 stars and leave reviews of ones you try, as it will help the blog continue creating new recipe content. Your recommendation is the highest review I could hope for. Your support means the world to me.

Keyword milk cream donuts, strawberry cream donut, strawberry cream donuts, strawberry milk cream donuts

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!