01.29.2012 | Cake Doughnuts

Well, this hasn't been the healthiest weekend of breakfast foods for the Keys... But, boy! It's been a delicious weekend of breakfasts. We kick-started the weekend with homemade buttermilk biscuits and sausage gravy, then opened our Sunday morning with these tasty cake doughnuts from the blog Spoon Fork Bacon.

These doughnuts do not require yeast, which means no need for rising the dough, making them a fairly fast dough-based treat. They are lightly crisp on the outside, soft and cakey on the inside, and perfectly coated with a simple powdered sugar glaze...


What you need:
1 quart (4 c.) peanut or vegetable oil

.for the doughnuts.
1 T. vegetable shortening
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg yolk
1 3/4 c. + 2 T. flour
1 T. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. whole milk (I needed about 1-2 T. more)

.for the glaze.
1 c. powdered sugar
2-4 T. heavy cream, depending on the consistency you want
1/2 tsp. vanilla

.garnishes.
toasted coconut
chopped peanuts
powdered sugar, sifted

What to do:
.Preheat the oil to 365 degrees
.Whisk together the shortening, egg yolk, and sugar until well combined
.In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon
.Alternate adding the flour mixture and milk to the egg mixture until the dough has just formed
.Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth, about 3 minutes
.Roll the dough out to a 1/2" disc and, using a 2" round cutter, cut out the doughnuts
.Use a 1/2" round cutter (I used the lid to my hairspray...) to cut out the doughnut holes
.Carefully drop 3-4 doughnuts into the oil and fry until the edges begin to turn golden, then flip and continue frying until the whole doughnut is a deep golden brown color, about 2 minutes total.
.Drain on a paper towel and repeat the process until all doughnuts and doughnut holes have been fried
.Dip each doughnut into the glaze, then gently press them into your desired garnish until it adheres to the glaze

Serve with a tall glass of milk!

It's nice to share with your neighbors, too!

Powered sugar on my lips,

HK