I had taken a poll throughout the house to find out what kind of doughnuts we should make, and the resounding request was for chocolate cake doughnuts. Daddy picked a recipe from the ones I found online. I mixed up the dough ahead of time, since it had to chill for at least 2 hours, and it went very well until I added the buttermilk to the other liquids--I didn't take it out of the fridge ahead of time, so when cold buttermilk met melted butter, things got a little . . . lumpy. Luckily, after the dry ingredients were combined with the wet, everything smoothed out.
After dinner, Daddy started heating the canola oil in the fryer. He used a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature of the oil instead of going by the temperature gauge on the fryer itself. This was good, since apparently the fryer cannot be trusted to report the correct temperature. While Daddy tended to our medieval torture device, I got to work with the dough. I started with about half of the dough (Daddy put the rest in the freezer to keep it chilly while we worked--it is much easier to work with when chilled!). First I floured the counter and the top of the dough, and then gently patted it out to a half-inch thickness.
We own a nifty doughnut cutter, but if you don't, you could just use the rim of a glass to cut your doughnuts. Our doughnut cutter is about 2 1/2 inches across with a removable 1-inch cutter attached in the center, so I would suggest finding a glass about the same size. You could either use your fingers to poke holes in the doughnuts, or you could use a really small round cookie cutter to cut out the centers. (By the way, doughnut holes do not take as long to fry as regular-sized doughnuts, and sometimes they flip themselves!)
When the oil was at the right temperature, I transferred the dough rounds to a large metal skimmer and lowered them completely into the oil. Our doughnuts took only a minute or two per side. We used bamboo chopsticks to flip the doughnuts in the oil and to carefully remove them when they were finished.
Daddy made the chocolate glaze in the microwave while I fried the first half of the doughnuts. The original recipe made twice as much glaze and was done on the stove, but we halved the recipe and made it in the microwave to save time, space, and dishes. The measurements below are for a half batch of glaze, and it was just enough to coat all the doughnuts (but only a few of the holes, which were delicious both plain and glazed).
After the doughnuts had drained and cooled slightly, I dipped them in the chocolate glaze. The recipe says to let them set before devouring, but I didn't want to wait that long, so we all took a doughnut break to sample them before continuing the cutting and frying process.
Now that I've conquered my fear of boiling oil, I can't wait to fry some more! I think I should try plain cake doughnuts next, and then maybe yeast doughnuts. And Mommy even encouraged me to make doughnuts again! She said that these doughnuts weren't greasy and didn't upset her stomach the way store-bought doughnuts often do. My chocolate-loving little brother adored them, of course, and Daddy (who usually doesn't like sweets) seemed to enjoy them, too. The doughnuts themselves are not overly sweet, so the glaze adds to the experience as opposed to overpowering everything with more sugary sweetness.
And one more thing: homemade doughnuts are best eaten the day they are made, but if you fry them in the evening, they still taste excellent for breakfast the next morning! :)
Chocolate Cake Doughnuts
Adapted from The Prepared Pantry
Yield: approximately 22-24 doughnuts
Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons butter, melted
3/4 cup buttermilk
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
2. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla, melted butter, and buttermilk.
3. In a separate bowl, alternately mix the dry ingredients and wet ingredients together, beginning with about one third of the flour, then half of the liquids, then one third of the flour, etc. until all are mixed. Do not over mix.
4. Chill the dough for a minimum of two hours.
5. Flour the dough on both sides. Working with half the dough at a time, roll or pat the dough until it is one-half inch thick. Cut into doughnut shapes with a doughnut cutter or two concentric circle cutters.
6. Deep fry the doughnuts, two or three at a time, at 365 degrees (but not below 360 degrees) for approximately 1 to 1 1/2 minutes per side.
7. Carefully remove the doughnuts from the hot oil and drain on a cooling rack placed over a paper towel-lined cookie sheet. Once slightly cooled, dip each doughnut in the chocolate glaze (recipe below).
Chocolate Glaze
Ingredients:
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions:
1. Place the chocolate chips and butter in a small, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high power for 30 seconds, then stir. Continue to microwave for 10-15 seconds at a time, stirring well in between, until the mixture is completely melted.
2. Whisk in the milk until the chocolate mixture is smooth, microwaving for a few more seconds if necessary.
3. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and whisk until smooth and completely combined. The glaze should be slightly runny, but not watery. Adjust the amount of powdered sugar if necessary.
4. Dip each doughnut halfway into the glaze to coat one side. Invert onto a wire rack over waxed paper to catch the drips and allow the glaze to set before serving.
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| YUM! |
