Powdered Cake Doughnuts

I am back in New York after a fun few weeks on the road, catching up on things, including my vegetable consumption that I may have let slip a little bit while I was traveling....but that doesn't mean that I can't talk doughnuts with you today. Specifically, perfectly tender-crumbed, excessively powdered cake doughnuts like these guys.

Doughnuts are one of those treats that really are 1 million times better when they are warm and fresh, and the best way to make that happen is to pull out your biggest pot, a quart of oil, and get to work at home. Most cake doughnuts some together just like cookie dough (this one is even simpler than cookie dough!), and once you get over the fear of frying, they are super easy to make. These doughnuts (by way of  Stella Parks, who you may know as the Brave Tart)  are gloriously powdered, made with the legendary Hostess Donette in mind, and they do not disappoint.

I took most of this batch to a picnic where everyone was happily covered in powdered sugar by the end of the afternoon, and ate a couple hunched over the sink – which is a move I usually reserve for one of summer's perfect peaches, juices dripping down my arm. I highly suggest either :)

I'll be back soon with more summer book event announcements, and lots of rhubarb things as soon as I get some film for my camera. Have a nice holiday weekend, US friends!

STELLA PARKS' POWDERED DOUGHNUTS

makes about 1 dozen doughnuts and holes

very, very slightly adapted from Serious Eats

Stella originally made these as little bitty donettes, like the ones from the convenience store, but I went with more traditional sized doughnuts and holes. Also, she recommends frying in coconut oil for a lot of great reasons, but I couldn’t find refined coconut oil at my local market (and didn’t want to wait to order it online!) so I fried my doughnuts in coconut oil. Visit the original post on Serious Eats for lots more in depth info about this recipe and some troubleshooting tips from Stella!

3 1/2 ounces granulated sugar (1/2 cup/100g)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 ounce unsalted butter (2 tablespoons/30g), melted

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 large egg yolks

4 ounces plain, unsweetened nonfat Greek yogurt (1/2 cup/110g), at room

temperature

6 1/2 ounces low-protein, all-purpose flour (scant 1 1/4 cup/185g)

Refined coconut oil, enough to reach a 2-inch depth; about 32 ounces (1L) in an 8-inch pot (I couldn’t find refined coconut oil, so I used peanut oil)

4 ounces powdered sugar (1 cup/115g)

Whisk the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.

In a large bowl, stir the melted butter, vanilla, egg yolks, and yogurt (or sour cream) together. Add the flour mixture and stir to form a soft dough.

Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead the dough until it is easy to handle, add as much flour as necessary to the dough during this process.

Roll the dough to about 1/2-inch thick and use a pastry brush to brush off excess flour. Use a doughnut cutter to cut as many doughnuts and holes as possible. Gather the scraps and cut another round of doughnuts and holes.

Melt the coconut oil in a microwave then pour into an 8-10-inch stainless steel pot to a depth of at least 2-inches. Heat the oil to 365ºF over medium heat. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and put the powdered sugar in a fine mesh sieve.

Fry the doughnuts, being careful to not crowd the pan, for about 45 seconds on each side or until deep golden and cooked through. Transfer the doughnuts to the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle generously with powdered sugar. Enjoy warm if possible! Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for about a day.

A Very Simple Chocolate Cake

We are hitting the point in our New York tenure when it feels like everyone is starting to migrate to greener pastures, literally. They are leaving for new jobs, and new cities, because their visas ran out before new ones could be processed, for a change of pace, or more space to raise their babies alongside backyard summer tomatoes and chickens. We went to two going away parties last weekend, and I’m sure there will be more to come as more babies are born and circumstances change. While I am not quite ready to write my own “why I’m leaving NY” thinkpiece (which has become it’s own subgenre of internet writing) I read them often and nod in agreement. This city is too competitive, too expensive, too dirty, there is not enough space, and on and on…Sometimes it feels like everything is just a little bit, or a lot harder than it needs to be to live here. I understand when people decide to call it quits. 

I made this cake a couple of weeks ago for some friends who were packing up to head out of town for good, and packing up an old life to start a new one is an occasion that requires at least a little chocolate cake. I am always on the hunt for treats that can easily survive a trip on the subway, and this cake is perfect for just that because you can frost it in the pan, shower the top with enough sprinkles to make it look festive, slap a plastic wrap or aluminum foil lid on, and you are ready to go. Better yet, bake it in a cute pan and it would make a perfect housewarming gift for some friends settling in to a new place.

A Very Simple Chocolate Cake

adapted very slightly from Smitten Kitchen’s The ‘I Want Chocolate Cake’

This is a simple cake, a weeknight cake. Something that you could throw together in a fit of chocolate desire after dinner. 

Cake

6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup (145 grams) firmly packed dark or light brown sugar

2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

2 tablespoons strong coffee (or 2 tablespoons water mixed with 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3/4 cup (170g) sour cream

1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour

1/2 cup (40 grams) cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Frosting

2 ounces (55 grams) unsweetened (or bittersweet) chocolate, melted and cooled

1 1/2 cups (180 grams) powdered sugar

1/2 cup (115 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 tablespoons milk, plus more if necessary

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

fat pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper. Butter and flour the paper and exposed pan.

Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together.

In a large bowl beat the butter and sugars together until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and coffee then add in the sour cream.

Fold in the dry ingredients until just combined, then use a spatula to spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the cake until puffy and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes.

Set the cake on a rack to cool.  While the cake is cooling, make the frosting.

Add all of the frosting ingredients to a large bowl and beat until smooth and fluffy, add a bit more milk if necessary. Alternately, Deb makes the frosting in a food processor.

Spread the frosting evenly over the cooled cake and decorate with a shit-ton of sprinkles. Enjoy immediately! This cake keeps for a couple of days, covered at room temperature.