I make these doughnuts every year, and have been making them for decades. I usually post pictures of them every year, but realized that I never posted pictures from last year. Since I make these on Christmas Eve Day, you will have a preview of what they will look like. Once I make these tomorrow, I will post pictures of my 2021 doughnuts. I thought I had taken more pictures than just these two, but I'm not able to find them.
See recipe here
Classic Cake Doughnuts
This is for a single batch and makes about 30 doughnuts
oil for deep frying (I use canola oil)
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Stir well to combine. Stir in the remaining ingredients, except the oil for frying, just until the ingredients are moistened. If desired, refrigerate the dough for easier handling, about 20 - 30 minutes, or so.
Fill a large heavy-duty saucepan, dutch oven or electric skillet, 2/3 full with oil. Use a candy thermometer to regulate the temperature and heat to and maintain 375 degrees. I use a deep fryer and follow manufacturers directions for frying.
Remove a portion of the dough from the bowl, and keep the rest chilled (half of the dough would be a good amount) and on a floured surface, knead the dough for 1-2 minutes, or until it no longer sticky. Roll out to a 1/2 " thickness, ensuring that the surface is floured underneath.
Use a doughnut cutter and cut the doughnuts out. Ideally, you will also have a small cutter for just the doughnut holes, too. Shake off excess flour, as you don't want too much flour adhering to the dough, as the flour will end up in the hot oil and will just burn. Slip the doughnuts into the hot oil and fry 1 1/2 minutes on each side for a total of 3 minutes, until they are deep golden brown. You want to turn the large doughnuts over halfway through the cooking time, but the doughnut holes, you will probably want to turn over frequently throughout the cooking time for even browning.
Carefully remove the doughnuts from the hot oil with a slotted spoon that has a long handle. Drain on paper towels. I like to line a large roasting pan with a paper grocery bag, then place several layers of paper towels on top of that to absorb any excess oil.
Allow the doughnuts to cool and then store in covered containers. These will keep for a few days.
If sugaring or frosting the doughnuts, please see my notes below on Toppings and Frosting.
Notes on Rolling and Cutting the Dough
I like to roll out the dough and have everything cut out, placing the doughnuts on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. I then cover them with waxed paper and chill them until ready to fry them. This speeds up the process considerably. If it's cold enough outside, I have the trays outside, then bring in one tray at a time, allowing the doughnuts to warm up a few minutes before frying them. This is not necessary, and totally up to you. It is just something that I have found over the years that has saved me time when making such huge quantities of doughnuts (such as when quadrupling the recipe!) ... yes, you read that right. I given them away as gifts.
Notes on the Toppings:
Granulated Sugar
If you are going to roll the doughnuts in granulated sugar, you will want to do that while they are still very warm, so the sugar will adhere to the doughnuts.
Powdered Sugar
If you want to roll the doughnuts in powdered sugar, allow them to cool completely. I would even suggest waiting until the second day so they can dry out some and the powdered sugar will not absorb any of the oil from the doughnuts. But powdered sugar is very good on these doughnuts, especially when warmed up in the microwave.
Frosting or Glaze
If you plan to glaze or frost the doughnuts, allow them to cool, first.
Sprinkles
I repeat this in several sections, but if you are going to use sprinkles on the doughnuts, do so immediately after glazing or frosting them so that the sprinkles adhere to the doughnuts.
FROSTING RECIPES
This is the chocolate glaze that I've been using for years. It is Alton Brown's recipe from Food Network. It is excellent, and although it involves a few steps, don't let that deter you. This is just the way I do it, only to make it easier for me to dip the doughnuts from a larger bowl.
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup whole milk
1 tbsp light corn syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups powdered sugar
In a saucepan, combine the butter, milk, corn syrup, and vanilla over medium heat until the butter has melted. Decrease the heat and add the chocolate, whisking until the chocolate has melted. Turn off the heat. Add the powdered sugar and whisk until very smooth. Either place the saucepan over a larger saucepan (if it fits snugly) that has WARM water in it OR transfer chocolate to a large bowl (this is what I do, so I have room for dipping) and place the bowl over a saucepan that has WARM water in it.
This is based upon a recipe found here at this website Chocolate, Chocolate, and More for Chocolate Cake Donuts with Vanilla Glaze. What I did differently was to add some corn syrup so the frosting would harden and not be sticky. I also used clear vanilla extract, so it would remain very white, and not change color from the regular vanilla extract, but you can use whatever you have on hand. it will not affect the taste either way.
2 tbsp whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp light corn syrup
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
In a large bowl, sift the powdered sugar to remove any lumps. Stir the vanilla, milk and corn syrup into the powdered sugar to create a thick glaze. Add any additional powdered sugar, if necessary, if you need it any thicker. Dip the tops of the doughnuts into the frosting or spoon the frosting over the doughnuts over a wire rack with paper towels underneath to catch the drips. Allow the doughnuts to dry and harden.
If you are adding sprinkles to your frosted doughnuts, do so immediately before the frosting sets up and dries.
Additional Notes on Preparing and Frosting the Doughnuts:
For the Chocolate Glaze:
You don't want to use boiling water, just very warm water. And, you don't want to the water to touch the bottom of the saucepan or bowl. The idea is to just keep the chocolate glaze warm and liquidy enough while you are dipping the doughnuts in it. Just dip the tops of the doughnuts, and gently shake the excess chocolate off. Place on a wire rack with paper towels underneath to catch the drips and allow the chocolate to harden before serving or storing.
You want to work quickly so that the chocolate doesn't cool and that you have difficulty getting it to adhere to the doughnut. If you find that it is cooling off too quickly, you could empty that water and add some warmer water, but that is not a guarantee that it will work real well.
For the Vanilla Frosting:
When using the Vanilla Frosting, you don't have to worry about using a bowl over warm water, since it is just a regular frosting and not an actual glaze.
When using Sprinkles:
If you are adding sprinkles, do so immediately before the glaze or frosting sets up and dries.
Plain Doughnut Glaze
Another Alton Brown recipe from the Food Network. This actually gets better as it sets up and dries. It gets a little crunchy, which is something I like.
1/4 cup whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract ( I used clear vanilla to help maintain a white color, but you can use whatever you have on hand)
2 cups powdered sugar
Combine milk and vanilla in a medium saucepan and heat over low heat until warm. (SEE NOTE #1 directly below this paragraph) Slowly stir powdered sugar into milk mixture until well combined. Remove from heat and set over a bowl of warm water. (SEE NOTE #2. directly below this paragraph) Dip doughnuts in glaze one at a time, and set on a rack with paper towels underneath to catch the drips and allow to harden before serving or storing.
Notes on the Plain Doughnut Glaze
NOTE #1) I start off cooking this in a saucepan, combining the milk, vanilla, then finally adding the powdered sugar. I transfer that mixture to a large bowl and place it over a saucepan of WARM water, ensuring that it fits snugly over the saucepan. This way, I have plenty of room to dip the tops of the doughnuts and I am not cramped for space as I would be if I were dipping them from a small(er) saucepan.
NOTE # 2) Do NOT allow the water from underneath the bowl to become too hot. This will break down and melt the powdered sugar, causing it to become more of a clear glaze, rather than an opaque glaze, which is what you want. Also, you do not want the water to touch the bottom of the bowl. You don't need that much, just enough to keep the glaze warm and liquidy.
Another recipe I got from a co worker when I was in my 20s. I made this often to bring to gatherings, and it always was a hit. You can make this with frozen Italian bread dough that has been thawed, or do a quick version of it and use a couple of tubes of Pillsbury biscuits. My prefered method was to use the frozen bread dough. There aren't necessarily measured ingredients to this recipe. Just add whatever amount you would like to.
*See my notes below on Variation of this Method for additional toppings
Longer Version
1. Roll out each dough of thawed Italian bread dough. Place one of the loaves onto a greased rimmed large cookie sheet.
2. Spread a thin layer of Italian tomatoes over the bread dough and sprinkle with Italian seasoning.
3. Sprinkle on shredded Mozzarella cheese and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
4. Top with pepperoni and Italian sausage, if using
5. Roll out the second loaf of thawed Italian bread dough and place on top of the the toppings. Cut a few slits into the top loaf to allow steam to escape.
6. Cover with a towel and allow to rise until doubled in size.
7. Bake 450 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, or until nicely browned and cooked all the way through and crust has browned on the bottom.
8. Cool a little while, then cut into small squares. Serve.
*Variation of this method:
I have notes where I wrote down that I made the following changes:
1. Roll out one loaf frozen bread dough that I rolled out, then cut in half.
2. Place one half into a greased 9x13" pan. I layered on Ragu pizza sauce, pepperoni, Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.
3. Place the other half on top of the pizza toppings, then I covered the top loaf with additional pizza sauce, and cheese.
4. At this point, I covered with foil and refrigerated for most of the day. The dough did rise, but then I placed on top of the stove in front of the vent and allowed to rise some more, for about 45 minutes.
5. I baked at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.
6. Instead of refrigerating, you could allow to rise until doubled, then bake.
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Quick Version
Directions
1. Combine each tube of biscuits that you will roll together to form 2 separate layers.
2. Place one layer on a greased, rimmed baking sheet.
3. Spread the bottom layer with the tomatoes, or pizza sauce and sprinkle with the seasoning.
4. Sprinkle with the cheeses and pepperoni and/or browned Italian sausage.
5. Top with the second layer of biscuit dough. Cut some slits into the top of the dough to allow steam to escape.
6. Bake 350 degrees, I'm guessing about 20 minutes, until everything has browned and cheese has melted and bottom crust has browned.
7. See my notes above Variation of this Method, regarding topping the top crust with additional sauce and cheeses.
This is not really a recipe that you see online or in cookbooks, anymore. It is something we made often when I was young, and have made for my own kids when they were little. It's a throwback to a very simple recipe that brings back a lot of memories.
Directions
1. Mix together the hamburger, onion, salt, pepper, and rice.
2. Form into meatballs and place in a greased 9x13" pan.
3. Pour the tomato juice over all and sprinkle some additional into the bottom of the pan.
4. Cover with foil and bake 400 degrees for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, or til cooked through.
5. Serve with a salad and hot, crusty bread.
Another old recipe I found in an old Pillsbury cookbook. It was very good.
Directions
I received this recipe from a friend when I was in my early 20s. It's a nice alternative to your regular meatball recipe and is great served with your favorite marinara sauce over hot pasta.
I made this soup often when I was in my late teens and early 20s. I haven't made it in decades, but I do remember it being a very good soup. It's a good base recipe that you can add additional seasonings, or additional water/beef broth to create more broth, whatever suits your tastes, as it is a pretty thick soup.
Brown the hamburger and onions, drain. Place in a Dutch oven or stock pot and add all the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 1-2 hours.
Another very old recipe I used to make when my kids were very little. It is a nice, and flavorful change to the traditional meatloaf.
This recipe came from my mom. It was one we made often, and one I made often when my kids were young. In recent years I've forgotten about the recipe, so I was glad to have come upon it again. It's a simple, but delicious recipe. We usually top this with salsa, instead of the Tangy Tomato Sauce.
I posted these back in 2008. My mom, sisters, and I have been making these for as long as I can remember. These are a favorite, and one we always make at Christmas-time. Along the way, we changed the frosting recipe to one that is thicker, from Martha Stewart. They can be topped with a slivered, or sliced almond ... we've never used whole almonds; but my own family prefers them without the addition of the almonds. The recipe doesn't make a lot, so you will want to at least double it.
(I have included the original recipe for the frosting below)
CookiesThis is a recipe from Martha Stewart that I made many years ago at Christmas time. They turned out very well and were delicious. The recipe can be found here.
These make about 2 dozen.
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa power, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, milk and vanilla, and beat until well combined.
4. Beat in the flour mixture on low speed until combined.
5. Using a tablespoon or a 1 3/4" ice-cream scoop, drop dough into ungreased cookie sheets about 2" apart. Bake 375 degrees until cookies begin to spread and become firm, about 10-12 minutes.
6. Remove baking sheets from oven and place a marshmallow, cut-side down, in the center of each cookie, pressing down slightly. Return to oven, and continue baking until marshmallows begin to melt, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting,
In a large bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Add the butter, milk, and vanilla and whisk until well combined and smooth.
Final Touches
Frost the cooled cookies and let sit to dry completely. Store in a covered container.
1. In a large bowl beat together the oil and sugar. Stir in the eggs, applesauce, and milk.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and salt. Stir into the applesauce mixture, blending well. Stir in 1/2 cup chopped nuts. If using raisins, add the entire amount.
3. Pour into a greased loaf pan.
4. Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and remaining 1/4 cup nuts and sprinkle over the batter in the pan.
5. Bake 350 degrees for 1 hour, or til done. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove loaf from pan and thoroughly on a wire rack. When cooled, wrap with plastic wrap.
I got this recipe from a lady I worked with over 40 years ago. It is excellent. There are MULTIPLE variations of Dump Cake online. This one looks to be very popular. Try it out.
Photo courtesy of Gonna Want Seconds
2. Pour the pineapple with juice evenly over the pie filling.
3. Sprinkle the dry cake mix over all.
4. Dot with the butter.
5. Bake 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Could possibly take up to 50-60 minutes to bake, depending on your oven. You want it golden brown and bubbly.
6. May top with whipped cream or ice cream, if desired.
This recipe is on the inside of the carton of Quaker Oats oatmeal. They are very good. You can make this with or without raisins, or can substitute dried cherries, dried cranberries or blueberries, ot even chocolate-covered raisins. You can find the recipe here on the Quaker Oats website.
Photo courtesy of Epicurious
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs and vanilla, beat well.
4. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; mix well.
5. Beat into the creamed butter mixture, and beat well.
6. Add the oatmeal and raisins, and mix well.
7. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
8. Bake 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool for 1 minute on the cookie sheet before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in a tightly-covered container.
Makes 4 dozen
This is another recipe that I used to make frequently when I was in my 20s and also when my kids were little. It is so good! You can use Rhodes Frozen White Bread Dough, either the white bread or the sweet bread dough. I don't measure the ingredients.
Directions
I found this recipe in a cooking magazine and first made these bars in 2006, and my family just loved them. They are a little different than other blondies I've made in that they do not have chocolate in them. The first time I made them, I added some chocolate chips to the top of the bars after they were baked, and spread them when melted. When I made them a second time, I did not add the chocolate and found we preferred them without the chocolate. I did not add the nuts. See my notes at the bottom of the recipe. You can find the recipe here.
Directions
1. Position the oven rack to the middle rung. Preheat to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat the butter and brown sugar, stirring frequently, until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Cook, stirring constantly for about 1 minute longer. The mixture will bubble, but should not boil. Set pan aside to cool for about 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, butter an 8x8" square pan and line the bottom with parchment paper, then butter the parchment paper.
4. Once the butter/sugar mixture has cooled for 10 minutes, stir in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Stir until well combined.
5. Add the flour, salt, and nuts if using.
6. Pour mixture into the prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-35 minutes, until the center is springy when touched (the top may still look a little doughy) and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs clinging to it.
7. Cool on a wire rack until bars are cool enough to handle. Run a paring knife around the edges and invert onto a flat surface and peel off the parchment paper. Flip the bars over again back onto the wire rack and leave to cool completely. Cut into squares with a sharp knife. Store in a covered container.
1. Grease a 9x13" pan, OR line it with parchment paper with some overhang so the fudge and be lifted out of the pan for easier cutting and removal
2. In a medium-sized, heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, butter and evaporated milk. Heat to melt all, and bring to a rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly to prevent scorching.
3. Boil for exactly 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
4. Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate chips, stirring until melted.
5. Add the marshmallow creme and the vanilla, beating until melted and well blended.
6. Quickly pour into and spread in the prepared pan. Cool and cut into squares.
7. If using the parchment paper, after fudge has cooled, cut into even squares and store in a covered container.
This is a wonderful cake, with the most delicious, satiny frosting. I've also used this frosting on brownies. The recipe came from Land O Lakes and can be found here.
Another recipe that was my mom's that I often made in my teens, that is very good. This recipe is a little different from most of this type in that it uses vegetable oil instead of butter.
I got this recipe on the back of a package of Nestle milk chocolate chips. I would make these when my kids were young, and they were really very good. I posted the recipe here on the blog a few years ago, but thought I'd repost them again for nostalgia's sake. Original recipe can be found here.
5. Spread dough in an ungreased 9x13" pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned.
6. Immediately sprinkle the remaining 1 cup chocolate chips on top. Let stand about 5 minutes, and spread when melted. Let cool completely, then cut into bars.
I got this recipe from a friend at church MANY years ago. These bars were always a hit whenever I made them. I wrote on the recipe card "Very rich, but good!" There are numerous variations on this recipe, but I wanted to preserve this original recipe, then see how it compares to others like it.
This is sort of a labor-intensive recipe that is definitely worth the work. It is a nice alternative to making pie. It is delicious, especially with the icing that is drizzled over the top. This resembles a strudel, and would be good with added raisins or nuts tucked into the apple filling.
1. Combine the flour and salt. Add the cubed butter and mix well. Will resemble coarse crumbs.
2. In a glass measuring cup, add the egg yolk and enough milk to measure 2/3 cup of liquid. Ad to the flour mixture, mixing well to make a smooth dough. You may do this by hand, or use an electric mixer. Note the the dough will be somewhat wet, but as you roll it out, you will be adding a little flour, so it is all okay.
3. Divide dough evenly in half and roll half out onto a floured surface, adding a little bit of flour, as needed. Place the first half onto an ungreased jelly roll pan. Cover the remaining dough with a towel. Sprinkle the crushed corn flakes evenly over the dough.
4. Combine the apples, granulated sugar, and cinnamon together in a bowl. Spread on top of the corn flakes.
5. Roll out the other half of the dough onto a floured surface, adding a little additional flour, as needed. Place on top of the apples and seal the edges.
6. Beat the reserved egg white with a fork until frothy. Brush on top or the crust.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until bubbly and golden brown.
Icing
Another recipe for fudge sauce to pour over ice cream. This recipe is very similar to the Fronies Chocolate Syrup posted here, so you can know that it is very good. This is another very old recipe that was inside the box of the Nestle pre-melted envelopes of unsweetened chocolate. Remember these? They were discontinued long ago, but I wish they still sold them. They were so convenient to use.
Another recipe for chocolate sauce. You'll need a candy thermometer for this one.
I have no idea of the story behind the name of this recipe. I don't know if it is a brand name and this is a copycat version. All I know that it is another family favorite from many years ago. This is not quite as thick as the Fudge Sauce recipe previously posted, but it is smooth and delicious.
Photo courtesy of Butter Your Biscuit
My mom used to make this simple, yet delicious dessert. We never added sliced almonds to the top of it, but often would crush some extra of the chocolate wafers and sprinkle over on top. Make this ahead of time, because it needs time for the wafers to soften before serving. You can easily adjust the amounts of the ingredients, to make as much or as little of this dessert as you'd like.
