Are you a cake donut person, or do you prefer fluffy yeast donuts? It’s a tough decision (one that probably requires LOTS of taste testing) but cake donuts win by a landslide for me! There is something about the combo of a crispy exterior and dense, cakey middle that I just love – especially this time of year. To curb my craving, I decided to try my hand at making spice cake donuts at home, and guess what? It was easy!
Here’s what you’ll need:
Donuts
- 2 ½ cups flour
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- 1 cup milk
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 quarts oil for frying
- A candy thermometer
Toppings
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 cup Diamond of California® Chopped Pecans
Step one: Make your batter
Start by combining the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger in a large mixing bowl. Create a well in the center of the ingredients and add the milk, egg, butter and vanilla. Use a wooden spoon to mix until combined. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Step two: Heat the oil
While the dough chills, pour the oil in a large cast iron pot or Dutch oven. Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pot and heat on high until the thermometer reads 370 degrees.
Step three: Roll the dough
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to about 1-inch thick. Use a three or four-inch round cookie cutter to cut out the doughnuts. Cut the centers with a 1-inch round cookie cutter or the large side of a piping tip.
Step four: Fry time!
Working in batches, use a large slotted spoon or a frying spider to gently lower the donuts into the oil. Depending on the size of your pot, you should only fry 2-4 donuts at a time.
*Baker’s tip: Once the donuts are frying, the oil has a tendency to change temperatures drastically. If there are too many donuts in the pot then the temperature may be too low. This will cause the dough to soak up too much oil as it fries, leading to greasy donuts. Remember to keep an eye on the thermometer and adjust the heat as needed.
Step five: Cool down
Transfer the cooked donuts to a wire rack set on top of a paper towel lined sheet pan. Allow them to cool completely.
Step six: Glaze
The last step is to glaze and top your spice cake donuts. Make the glaze by combining the powdered sugar, cinnamon and milk. Dip the top of each donut into the glaze to coat them sprinkle the chopped, toasted pecans on top. Allow the glaze to dry before serving.
