Donuts
Buttermilk Bar or Buttermilk Cake Donut? The Difference, and What Each Costs
1 October 2026 · 4 min read
A buttermilk bar and a buttermilk cake donut are not the same thing, they are not the same price, and ordering one when you wanted the other is the most common mix-up at our counter. Both are buttermilk. One is a bar from the specialty board at $2.75, the other is a ring from the cake board at $2.50. Here is how to tell the staff which one you mean.
The short answer
| Buttermilk bar | Buttermilk cake donut | |
|---|---|---|
| Shape | A rectangular bar, split down the top | A round ring |
| Board | Specialty | Cake |
| Each | $2.75 | $2.50 |
| Dozen | $27.50 | $25.00 |
| Glaze | Glazed, and the split catches a pool of it | Lighter glaze over the whole ring |
| Texture | Craggier edges, more surface, more glaze per bite | Even crumb, softer edge |
Same batter family, same tang. The bar is cut and fried flat so it has more edge and therefore more glaze; the ring is the plainer, slightly cheaper version of the same idea.
Why they taste tangy at all
Buttermilk is acidic. The acid reacts with the baking soda in the batter, which is what lifts a cake donut — there is no yeast doing that job. It also leaves a faint sourness behind, which is why a buttermilk donut tastes less flatly sweet than a glazed. If you find most donuts too sweet but do not want fruit, buttermilk is the usual answer; if you do want fruit, the blueberry cake is the least sweet thing we make.
And how both differ from the old fashioned
All three are cake donuts. The old fashioned is the one with the cracked, blistered surface and the crispest edge — the batter is handled so it splits as it fries. A buttermilk bar is smoother and glossier. A buttermilk cake ring sits between the two. The glazed, cake or old fashioned page lays the whole family out if you want the full picture, and the buttermilk bar page goes deeper on the bar alone.
Which to order
- You want maximum glaze per bite — the bar. The split down the top is a channel that fills with it.
- You want the tang without the sugar hit — the cake ring. Less surface means less glaze.
- You are filling a mixed dozen — the ring, at $25.00 a dozen against $27.50, and it sits in a box more tidily than bars do.
- You are buying for later in the day — either one. Cake donuts keep for hours where a raised glazed does not.
What a dozen of each costs
Every dozen at The Donut Run is buy ten, get two free, so a buttermilk cake dozen is ten rings at $2.50 — $25.00 — and a specialty dozen, bars included, is ten at $2.75 — $27.50. A glazed dozen is $15.00 for comparison. Custom decorated donuts are the one thing the dozen deal does not cover; those stay at $3.00 each.
Where to buy either
Three shops, all open at 5:00am, everything fried that morning:
- Spanish Fork — 1306 E Center St.
- Ogden — 554 Washington Blvd.
- St. George — 922 E Brigham Rd.
Closing times differ by shop and by day — take them from the location pages. Half off after 2:00pm Monday through Thursday runs at Spanish Fork and St. George; Ogden does not run it.
Bars and cake rings both sell through, and once a tray is gone it is gone for the day, so if one of them specifically is what you came for it is worth ringing ahead. Every item we make is on the Utah Donut Index. Nothing we make is gluten free, and all of our donuts contain dairy, wheat and egg — see the allergen page.
Common questions
What is the difference between a buttermilk bar and a buttermilk cake donut?
Shape, board and price. A buttermilk bar is a rectangular bar split down the top, from the specialty board, at $2.75 each or $27.50 a dozen. A buttermilk cake donut is a round ring from the cake board at $2.50 each or $25.00 a dozen. Same buttermilk batter family and the same tang — the bar has more edge, so it carries more glaze per bite.
Why does a buttermilk donut taste tangy?
Buttermilk is acidic. The acid reacts with the baking soda in the batter, which is what lifts a cake donut since there is no yeast doing that job, and it leaves a faint sourness behind. That is why a buttermilk donut tastes less flatly sweet than a glazed.
How much is a buttermilk cake donut at The Donut Run?
$2.50 each, or $25.00 a dozen. The buttermilk bar is $2.75 each, or $27.50 a dozen, because it sits on the specialty board. Every dozen is buy ten, get two free, so a cake dozen is ten rings at $2.50 with two more in the box.
How is either one different from an old fashioned?
All three are cake donuts. The old fashioned has a cracked, blistered surface and the crispest edge of the three. A buttermilk bar is smoother and glossier. A buttermilk cake ring sits between the two — an even crumb with a softer edge.
Which one should I order?
Take the bar if you want the most glaze per bite, since the split down the top fills with it. Take the cake ring if you want the tang without as much sugar, or if you are filling a mixed dozen — it is cheaper by the dozen and sits in a box more tidily than bars do.
Where can I buy them?
All three shops — Spanish Fork at 1306 E Center St, Ogden at 554 Washington Blvd, and St. George at 922 E Brigham Rd — open at 5:00am and fry everything that morning. Closing times differ by shop and by day, so check the location page. Half off after 2:00pm Monday through Thursday runs at Spanish Fork and St. George; Ogden does not run it.