No Bake Donut Cake with Mascarpone Cream

Three pounds of store-bought donuts and a random Tuesday. Needed something for a dinner party that didn’t involve turning on the oven. This donut cake remix happened instead—basically a no bake cheesecake situation but it’s donuts stacked with mascarpone cream and fruit instead. Takes 45 minutes total. No oven required.

Why You’ll Love This

No bake means no stress. Throw it together while people arrive. 45 minutes and you’re done.

Works for actual parties or just because. Looks like you tried harder than you did. You didn’t.

Fresh fruit on top keeps it light enough that nobody feels destroyed after eating it. Mascarpone cream instead of traditional cheesecake stays fluffy, not dense.

Kids understand it immediately. It’s donuts. Stacked. Covered in cream and berries. There’s nothing complicated about that.

The Glaze and Sugar Coating

Start with powdered sugar. About 110 grams. Add 25 ml of milk—whole or almond, doesn’t matter. Mix until it’s smooth like paint. Not grainy. Not runny. Just velvety. Pick a gel color. Red or violet work better than pink. Pink looks pale. A tiny drop of color goes in. Stir it.

If it’s too thin, sprinkle more powder in. Gradually. If it separates and looks like soup, add more milk in 5 ml splashes. It’ll come together.

Take 10 donuts. Use an offset spatula or butter knife. Spread glaze on one side only. Set them on a sheet. Room temperature. They firm up as you work on the others.

Now the sugar coating part. Powdered sugar in one shallow bowl. Granulated sugar in another. Take 7 donuts and roll them in the powdered sugar. Cover them lightly but fully. They should look frosted. The remaining 7 go in the granulated sugar. Roll gently. The wet glaze catches the crystals differently than powder does. That’s the texture contrast you want.

Building the Donut Tower

Mascarpone cream first. Heavy cream—35% fat or whatever heavy cream you have. 260 ml. Mascarpone cheese. 120 ml. Caster sugar. 45 grams. Vanilla extract. 3 ml. Throw it all in a cold bowl. Electric mixer on medium. Whip it until soft peaks form. Not stiff peaks. Soft. It should still be creamy, not separated and broken. That takes maybe 3 minutes, depends on your mixer. Stop when you see peaks that flop over slightly. Transfer to a pastry bag with a star tip.

On a cake plate or cake stand—something flat that’s 20 to 23 cm across—arrange your first ring of donuts. Stand them upright in a circle. Mix your sugar-coated types. Alternate them. Dab small amounts of mascarpone cream under each donut. This glues them to the plate. It matters. Wobbly towers collapse.

Second layer goes on top. Smaller circle. So like 16-18 donuts now instead of 24. Same process. Dab cream underneath. Press down lightly. Firm enough that it doesn’t shift. Third layer gets narrower still. Maybe 12 donuts. You’re building a pyramid. It should be stable enough to move the plate.

Piping, Topping, and Storage

Pipe decorative swirls of mascarpone cream on the very top. Around that final ring. Don’t overthink this part. The cream is forgiving. Scatter fresh cherries across it. Pitted. Halved strawberries too. About 80 grams of cherries, 65 grams of strawberries. If you want sugar pearls for crunch, sprinkle them now. They catch light. They add texture. They’re not necessary but they’re nice.

Refrigerate it until you serve. Same day is best. The donuts start to soften by the next day. They’re still fine. They’re just softer. If you’re making this for a party, assemble it 4-6 hours before people come. It sits fine in the fridge. Flavors develop a little. The mascarpone stays cold and holds everything together.

No Bake Donut Cake with Mascarpone Cream

By Emma

Prep:

45 min

Cook:

0 min

Total:

45 min

Servings:

12 servings

Ingredients

• Donuts
• 110 g powdered sugar plus more for coating
• 25 ml whole milk or almond milk for dairy-free twist
• Gel food coloring red or violet instead of pink
• 24 plain or honey donuts store-bought
• White granulated sugar for dusting
• Mascarpone Cream
• 260 ml heavy cream 35%
• 120 ml mascarpone cheese
• 45 g caster sugar fine granulated sugar
• 3 ml vanilla extract pure or almond for variation
• Topping
• 80 g fresh cherries pitted
• 65 g halved fresh strawberries
• Crunchy sugar pearls optionally added

Method

1. Glaze and coat donuts
2. 1 Mix powdered sugar, milk, and a very small drop of chosen gel color until velvety smooth. If glaze too runny, add powder gradually; too thick, splash more milk. Use offset spatula or butter knife to gently spread glaze on one side of 10 donuts. Set glazed donuts on baking sheet to firm up at room temp while preparing others.
3. 2 Place powdered sugar in a shallow bowl. Roll 7 donuts carefully, covering fully but lightly. In a separate bowl, put granulated sugar and roll the remaining donuts there. Observe how sugars catch on slightly moist surfaces—important for texture contrast.
4. Mascarpone cream preparation
5. 3 Combine cream, mascarpone, sugar, and vanilla in chilled bowl. Whip on medium speed using electric mixer. Stop when soft peaks form—stiff enough to hold shape but still creamy. Avoid over-whipping, which separates fat and ruins texture. Transfer cream to pastry bag fitted with star tip.
6. Assembly and layering
7. 4 On cake plate or pedestal, arrange donuts in a circle between 20 and 23 cm diameter. Alternate the coated types to vary sweetness and texture. Dab small amounts of mascarpone cream beneath each donut to glue them to plate. Build second layer with slightly smaller circle of donuts, again affixing with cream. Repeat for third layer narrower still, creating a donut tower. Press lightly but firmly to stabilize layers—if it feels wobbly, add more cream dollops in gaps.
8. Garnishing
9. 5 Pipe decorative swirls of mascarpone cream along top ring. Scatter fresh cherries and strawberries across cream. If using, sprinkle crunchy sugar pearls for sparkle and contrast. Keep refrigerated until serving. Best eaten the same day before donuts soften excessively.

Nutritional information

Calories

320

Protein

4g

Carbs

35g

Fat

18g

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use cream cheese instead of mascarpone? You can. Cream cheese whips stiffer and tastes sharper. Mascarpone stays creamy and soft. It’s a different thing but it works. Philadelphia cream cheese, cool. Just know it’ll be less luxurious.

How do I keep the donut tower from falling apart? Mascarpone cream is the glue. Don’t skimp on it between layers. Press each donut down firmly. If it feels wobbly after you build it, add more cream in the gaps. More cream doesn’t hurt anything. The plate matters too—something with a lip or a pedestal base prevents sliding.

Can I make this ahead for a party? Yes. Up to 6 hours ahead. Any longer and the donuts start absorbing moisture from the cream and get soggy. Build it, cover it loosely with plastic, refrigerate. Add fruit maybe an hour before serving so the berries stay firm.

What’s the difference between the powdered sugar and granulated sugar coating? Powdered sugar dissolves into the glaze underneath. Tastes smooth. Granulated stays crunchy. Together they’re different textures. You need both for the full effect. Not totally sure why but the contrast is what makes this work.

Can I use almond milk for the glaze? Yeah. It works exactly the same. Consistency is identical. Only thing—almond milk is thinner than whole milk sometimes depending on the brand. Add it slowly. Stir. You might need slightly less.

What if I don’t have a pastry bag? Spoon the cream on. Doesn’t look like piped swirls but it tastes the same. The cream being whipped is what matters. A piping bag just makes it look fancier. Not required.