Buttermilk Cake Doughnuts

Cake doughnuts always remind me of my childhood.  I wasn't allowed to eat them that often, but when I was, they always satisfied.  These are simple, old fashioned cake doughnuts, scented with freshly ground nutmeg.  They are so delicious and surprisingly simple to make. No yeast, no rising. Just a basic dough cut into shapes and fried until golden. Sprinkle warm doughnuts with powdered sugar, dredge them in cinnamon sugar, dunk them into a freshly mixed glaze or, as I did, roll them in homemade vanilla bean sugar.  However you finish them, these doughnuts are the perfect weekend breakfast treat.  Pile a few of these tender doughnuts on a plate, grab your mug of hot coffee and curl up with the newspaper.  Even as an adult, these doughnuts will leave you childishly happy.

Buttermilk Cake Doughnuts

adapted from this recipe

makes about 14 doughnuts (less if you fry the holes)

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg, freshly grated

3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

2 eggs, at room temperature

1/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick), melted and slightly cooled

canola oil for frying

tools:  candy or deep fry thermometer

Take two sheet pans and line one pan with a thick layer of paper toweling and the other pan with parchment paper.  Set pans aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients including the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, kosher salt and nutmeg, until combined.  In a medium bowl, whisk the wet ingredients including the buttermilk, eggs, sour cream, vanilla and slightly cooled melted butter, until combined.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and gently fold the two together using a rubber spatula.  Just fold until the mixture just becomes a sticky dough.  Be sure not to over mix the dough or your doughnuts will be tough.

Sprinkle a clean work surface with flour.  Turn the dough out onto the floured surface and sprinkle the dough with a bit more flour.  Roll or pat the dough out until it is 1/2 inch thick.  Using a small 2 3/4 inch doughnut cutter (or using two different sized round cutters to create doughnut shapes) dip the cutter in flour and cut the doughnuts. Place cut doughnuts on the parchment lined baking sheet. Continue re-rolling any left-over dough and cutting out doughnuts until you run out of dough. You can either keep the doughnut holes and fry them, or re-roll them out with the scraps to make more whole doughnuts.  Transfer the baking sheet to the refrigerator while you prepare the oil for frying.

In a large dutch oven or similar pot, pour approximately 1 1/2 inches of canola oil. Attach your candy or deep fry thermometer to the side of the pot and turn the heat to medium high.  Once the oil has reached 365 degrees F, the doughnuts are ready to be fried.

Carefully and gently, place three doughnuts into the oil.  Once they have turned golden brown on one side, using tongs or a wire basket, turn the doughnuts and allow them to cook on the other side.  This will likely take approximately 1-2 minutes per side.  Be sure to keep an eye on the oil temperature and adjust your heat to keep the oil at approximately 365 degrees.  Once the doughnuts are done, lift the doughnuts from the oil, allow the excess oil to drip back into the pot and transfer the doughnuts to the baking sheet lined with paper towel.  Repeat until all of the doughnuts are fried.  

Once the doughnuts have all been fried, roll them in a medium bowl filled with the sugar combination of your choice or dunk them in a simple cake glaze.  If desired, allow finished doughnuts on a wire rack to cool.  

Note:  Many may enjoy these cake doughnuts freshly-fried and slightly warm, but I actually think they are infinitely more delicious after they've sat for a few hours, even overnight.  

Mound your sticky doughnut dough onto a floured work surface.

Rolled to 1/2 inch thickness, the dough is ready to be cut.

Cut doughnuts and transfer them to your parchment lined sheet.

Ready to take a dip in some hot oil.

Using a candy or deep-fry thermometer ensures that the oil is at the optimum temperature for frying.  

Bubbling oil turns these little cakes golden brown.

Be sure to allow the excess oil to drip from the doughnuts.

Immediately place the freshly fried doughnuts on your paper towel lined sheet.

Use any flavored or unflavored sugar you like.  I like using homemade vanilla sugar (explained in this post).  Be sure to sift out any large pieces of vanilla bean pod before rolling your doughnuts.

Allow doughnuts to cool on a wire rack.

Stack 'em up, grab your coffee and enjoy.

What could be better than these sugary rings of sweet dough?