Donut you see? I’m a mirrorball
Mirrorball Donuts: A Shimmery, Sweet Tribute to Taylor Swift
So, keeping it 100 with all of you—when it came time to dream up my next #SwiftInspiredSweet for the Swift Heart Bakes series, I actually had the dessert in mind before I knew which song I’d be pairing it with.
My boyfriend had requested donuts, which honestly felt like fate. During the pandemic, I ran a little side hustle baking business, and custom donuts were always a hit—kind of my signature. So when he asked, I didn’t hesitate.
Admittedly, a big part of what led me to choose mirrorball as the companion song was… well, the shape. Donuts are circular. Mirrorballs are circular. You get it. I could already see the shimmery glaze and intricate iced decorations recreating that iconic disco ball look. But as I got deeper into the baking process, I started to notice layers of meaning that felt too aligned to ignore.
In mirrorball, Taylor describes herself as shiny and reflective—on display, constantly performing, trying to stay relevant in a demanding industry. This was especially true for her during the pandemic, when her Lover tour was cancelled. Releasing folklore and evermore felt like her way of saying “the show must go on…I’m still here.”
As I piped the icing to mimic mirrored tiles, the glaze underneath would blur the lines, slightly distorting the design. The result? A little wobbly. A little imperfect. And no two mirrorballs alike. Which, honestly, felt perfect. It was a visual reminder that broken doesn’t mean ruined—it means real. It means lived-in. And sometimes, it means even more beautiful.
Taylor uses the mirrorball as a metaphor for fame—always spinning, always on display, always craving connection through performance. But on a deeper level, she’s also talking about all of us. How we present curated, polished versions of ourselves to the world while hiding the chaos behind the scenes. We’re always “on,” always reflecting what others want or need to see.
That quiet emotional truth made its way into every step of this bake. The result was a donut that felt joyful, a little melancholic, and deeply personal—just like the song itself.
Featured Recipes:
This is Me Frying: Baking on My Tallest Tiptoes
Now, I started this post talking a big game about my signature donuts… but truthfully, it had been a few years since I last made them. I definitely felt a little rusty during this bake, but it ended up being a great refresher. And bonus! I worked out all the kinks so I can pass along the “lessons learned” to you!
First up: the dough. This recipe uses a yeasted dough that’s deep-fried, as opposed to a cake-style donut baked in the oven. Personally, I’ll always prefer the light, airy texture of yeasted donuts—but hey, to each their own! One thing I forgot (until I was elbows-deep in dough) is just how wet and sticky this dough can be. It’s a bit of a nuisance to work with, especially when cutting out the shapes and transferring them from the counter to the fryer. A lesson quickly re-learned: flour your counter, your rolling pin, your baking sheets—basically everything—very generously to make the process smoother. I had a few donuts stretch and lose their intended shape in transit, but as I alluded to earlier, those little imperfections ended up enhancing the mirrorball’s symbolism. They added charm and, in a way, more honestly captured the themes of the song.
Now, another handy trick—especially if you don’t have a full afternoon to dedicate to the process: make the dough the night before. Let it ferment in the fridge overnight—the overnight rise brings out a deeper, yeasty flavor and splits the work over two days, which seriously takes the pressure off! Just be sure to take it out a couple hours before you want to start frying so it has time to come back to room temp.
Back when I was running my baking side hustle, I invested in a deep fryer because I was making donuts on the regular. It’s definitely convenient, but absolutely not necessary if you’re only planning to make these a few times a year. Frying in a heavy pot works just fine—but in that case, a good thermometer is your best friend, since you’ll want to keep the oil temperature consistent. One of the perks of the deep fryer is that it handles temperature control for you; but if you’re frying on the stovetop, plan to babysit your burner a little to avoid donuts that are overcooked on the outside and raw in the middle. Another hot tip—don’t fry more than 3-4 medium-sized donuts at a time. Adding too many will drop the oil temperature too quickly, and that’s a fast track to uneven frying.
Once the donuts are fried, here comes the hard part: patience.
Let them cool completely before moving on to the fun part—decorating!
For these mirrorball donuts, I kept the base simple with a plain vanilla glaze. After dipping, I used edible silver glitter spray and piped dark grey icing to create the mirrorball tile effect, and finished them off with the perfect mirrorball sprinkles. Pro tip: give your glaze at least 10 minutes to set before adding any decorative icing. If you start too soon (as I learned the hard way), the piped details will blur into the glaze and lose their definition (see photo).
Closing Notes & Silver Reflections
Like Taylor says in mirrorball, “I’m still a believer, but I don’t know why.” There’s something about that line that lingers—just like the shimmer of glaze after a donut has cooled, or the quiet confidence that comes after reconnecting with a skill you haven’t touched in years.
This bake started out as a simple request for donuts and a fun way to tie a dessert to a song. But as with so many things in life (and in Taylor’s lyrics), there’s always more going on beneath the surface. Through sticky dough, wobbly icing lines, and imperfect circles, I was reminded that flaws can be beautiful, and trying—really trying—still counts for something.
Whether you’re deep in your Swiftie feels or just here for the donuts, I hope this mirrorball bake encourages you to embrace the messy, the meaningful, and the moments in between. Bake something. Try something. Let the glaze run a little wild.
We’re all just doing our best to shine—one mirrorball donut at a time.
Until next time,
Stay sweet & stay spinning. ✨🍩
Check out the Featured Recipes!
mirrorball Yeasted Donuts
Prep Time: 3 hours I Cook Time: 30 minutes I Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes I Yield: 8-10 donuts
INGREDIENTS:
1 packet of active dry yeast
2 Tbsp of warm water
3 1/4 cup of all purpose flour
1 cup of milk
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 large egg yolks
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp of salt
2 tsp of cinnamon
1 tsp of nutmeg
INSTRUCTIONS:
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk the yeast and warm water. Let stand for 5-10 minutes until foamy.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer, mix flour, milk, butter, egg yolks, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and yeast mixture on low speed until dough comes together. Knead dough for 3-5 minutes until elastic and smooth. If not using a standing mixer, mix ingredients with a spatula until dough comes together, then turn dough on to a well floured surface and knead by hand for 7 minutes.
- Transfer dough into a lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with cling wrap or loosely with a kitchen towel until dough has doubled in size (minimum 2 hours). Alternatively, let the dough rise in the fridge for 8-12 hours overnight.
- Once the dough has sufficiently proofed, turn out the door on a floured surface and roll dough out to about half-inch thick. Using cookie cutters or round cutters, cut out as many rounds as possible. Transfer the donuts to a lightly floured baking sheet and cover loosely to allow donuts to rise at room temperature for 30-45 minutes.
- Fry donuts, 3-4 at a time, until puffed and golden. Approximately 1-2 minutes per side. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel lined plate.
- Let donuts cool completely before decorating.
Donut Glazes
Below are three glaze options for donuts: vanilla, chocolate and raspberry.
I. For vanilla glaze
INGREDIENTS:
- 1/2 cup of icing sugar
- 1/2 tsp of vanilla
- 2 tsp of milk
INSTRUCTIONS:
- In a small mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and whisk to fully incorporated.
- Once donuts have cooled, dip donuts in glaze or pour glaze over donut for full coverage. Allow donuts to dry on wire rack.
- Enjoy!
II. For chocolate glaze
INGREDIENTS:
- 1/2 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips
- 2 Tbsp on butter
- 2 tsp of corn syrup
- 2 tsp of water
INSTRUCTIONS:
- In a small pot, melt chocolate chips and butter. Stir occasionally until completed melted.
- Add corn syrup and water and stir until combined.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool. Once donuts and glaze have cooled, dip donuts in glaze and allow to dry on wire rack..
- Enjoy!
INGREDIENTS:
- 6 oz of fresh or frozen raspberries
- 1 Tbsp of lemon juice
- 3 Tbsp of water
- 2 Tbsp of granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp of vanilla
- 1 1/2-2 cups of icing sugar
INSTRUCTIONS:
- In a small pot add raspberries, lemon juice, water, sugar and vanilla. Stir over medium heat until ingredients are incorporated and raspberries have liquified.
- Pour raspberry mixture over a mesh strainer to remove the seeds. Allow liquid to cool.
- Add in icing sugar and whisk until fully incorporated.
- Once donuts have cooled, drip donuts in glaze and allow to dry on wire rack.
- Enjoy!
Still hungry? Here’s more
A Message in Every Swirl: Indian-spiced Chelsea Buns
In this post, we reimagine Taylor Swift’s Message in a Bottle as a dessert, blending the classic British Chelsea Bun with the syrupy warmth of Indian gulab jamun. Inspired by the song’s ocean-spanning romance and dizzying infatuation, the spiraled buns become a visual metaphor for sending love across the sea. The bake is infused with rose water, cardamom, and clove, marrying East and West in a sticky-sweet swirl of cultures and emotions. Along the way, I reflect on what it means to create desserts that feel like songs—not just look like them. It’s a love letter in pastry form: soft, spiced, and a little bit smitten.
Salted Butter and Honey Glaze…I never needed anything more
This blog post is a celebration of august, the beloved Track 7 from Taylor Swift’s folklore, and the unofficial Swiftie holiday that arrives with the start of the month. Inspired by the song’s iconic opening lyric—“salt air and the rust on your door”—this Salty Honey Cake is a sweet-and-salty tribute to fleeting summer, unspoken feelings, and quiet emotional depth. With minimal ingredients, a soft, classic flavor profile, and decoration that mirrors the folklore aesthetic (including a royal icing silhouette of Taylor and edible wildflowers), the cake embodies the essence of the song. It’s simple, wistful, and just a little magical — much like august itself.
