Top Pot Blueberry Cake Doughnuts // Donuts Recipe

Hello long lost blog world! This summer has been filled with traveling, beaching, pool time, parks, and really little time for cooking or blogging. I must admit we’ve eaten way too many sandwiches, leftovers, or easy peasy meals. Nothing too fancy here! We’ve been soaking up summer but I have missed trying out new recipes and posting here. When we are busy during the summer with swim lessons and tball and park or pool dates I tend to stick with easy meals or my tried and true recipes (salmon, indian masala, cafe rio pork salads, BLTs, parmesan chicken to name a few), but there is something so fun about testing out new dishes. I miss it. Trying to get back into the swing of that now that fall is almost here!

Last year a good friend sent me the Top Pot Doughnut cookbook for my birthday. What a gift! It makes you salivate just turning the pages. Trust me. Two weekends ago I made these blueberry donuts for my family. And they were delicious. We love cake donuts and the blueberry flavor made them taste like they could be healthy (they weren’t) and very fresh. The only change I made to the recipe was substituting fresh blueberries for jam in the glaze. There were these thick chunks of blueberries in the glaze that tasted like little bursts of flavor. I’d recommend this if you have enough but if not I’m sure their recipe is great too.

Ingredients, Top Pot blueberry cake doughnuts:

• 2 3/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 2/3 c. sugar
• 2 tbsp. vegetable shortening
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2/3 c. whole milk
• 3/4 c. fresh blueberries
• canola oil for frying

Directions:

1. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg together into a medium bowl, and set aside.
2. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the sugar and shortening/vegetable lard for 1 minute on low speed, until sandy. Add the egg and egg yolk, then mix 1 more minute on medium speed, scraping the sides of the bowl with a spatula if necessary, until the mixture is light and thick.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in three separate additions, alternating with the milk, mixing until just combined on low speed each time. Mix in the blueberries. The dough will be very sticky, like very wet cookie/biscuit dough.
4. Transfer the dough to a clean bowl and refrigerate, covered directly with plastic wrap/cling film, for 1 hour (or up to 24 hours).
5. Using a candy thermometer to measure the temperature, heat oil (at least 2 in/5 cm deep) in a deep fryer, large pot, or high-sided frying pan over medium heat to 370°F/185°C. (See the frying tips.) Gently roll out the chilled dough on a counter or cutting board floured with about 1/4 cup/30 g cake/softwheat flour to 1/2 in/12mm thick, or about 8 in/20 cm in diameter, flouring the top of the dough and the rolling pin with another 2 tbsp flour, or as necessary to prevent sticking— this is a soft, wet dough. Cut into as many doughnuts and holes as possible, dipping the cutter into flour before each cut. Fold and gently reroll the dough to make extra holes (working with floured hands makes the dough less sticky), and cut again. (Note: Because this is such a soft dough, you may find it easier to cut the doughnuts just a few at a time, right before you add them to the oil, instead of cutting them all out
   ahead of time. Transferring them is easiest with a flat metal spatula.)
6. Shake any excess flour off the doughnuts before carefully adding them to the hot oil a few at a time, taking care not to crowd them. Once the doughnuts float, fry for about 60 seconds per side, or until deep golden brown on both sides. (You’ll know they’re ready to turn the first time when you see the golden brown color creeping up from the bottom of the doughnut.) Drain on paper towels/absorbent paper.
7. While the doughnuts are still quite hot, dip one side into the blueberry glaze. Let dry on cooling racks, glazed side up, for about 15 minutes.

Ingredients, blueberry glaze:

• 3 1/2 c. confectioner's sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 c. fresh blueberries slightly mashed

Place all ingredients except blueberries in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Whisk until creamy and incorporated. Then slowly add blueberries, allowing them to slightly crush with the mixer. Stop mixing before they become pureed. Drizzle over warm doughnuts on cooling rack.