Darcie Bakes //

Baking from scratch… because good things take time.

RBE // Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake Doughnuts.

I’m very fortunate and grateful to be able to say that I had a good childhood. In fact, one of my fondest childhood memories involves doughnuts. [Then again, any memory that involves doughnuts should be classified as a good one!]

chocdonescover
{Yes, we made a “D” doughnut. D is for Dani, Darcie, and Doughnuts!}

When I was a kid, nearly every Sunday before or after church, my parents would take us to this little local doughnut shop called Royal Donut. And every time we went there, I always consumed three doughnuts in one sitting (RIP Darcie’s childhood metabolism). Out of the three doughnuts I snarfed down, one of them had to be a double chocolate fried cake doughnut. Yes, every time I visited this doughnut shop (which was frequently), a double chocolate was a requirement.

clearglazedchocdone
{Doughnut with clear glaze.}

These fried chocolate cake doughnuts are reminiscent of my childhood. My favorite recipes are those that tend to have some kind of sentimental value. Whether the recipe is one that I actually did grow up making, or if the recipe reminds me of something I ate as a kid, there’s just something extra special about these kinds of recipes.

chocdonebiteMy roommate, her boyfriend, and I whipped up these doughnuts as an “RBE” (roommate baking endeavor) one Sunday a few months back. While I didn’t like them quite as much as I enjoy the old-fashioned sour cream doughnuts, this chocolate version is still pretty fantastic. They’re rich and cakey, and they fry up beautifully. The glaze is probably what makes them, as it seals in the moisture. We made a clear glaze to dip the entire doughnut in, plus I had to make a slightly thicker chocolate glaze to go on top of some doughnuts. The end result reminded me of my childhood, and I think that’s my favorite part about these doughnuts. I wish I could still inhale three doughnuts and not gain ten pounds, but alas. It’s still super neat that you can fry up a relatively small batch of doughnuts in your own kitchen – and let it take you back to your childhood.

doneholetrio
{Cute little doughnut holes!}
chocdonesaerialview
{An aerial view of our dones.}
chocdonestack
{Done stack.}

Isn’t it just beautiful how recipes and food can evoke so many pleasant memories? <3

doublechocsprinkles
{This is the doughnut that basically symbolizes my childhood: A fried chocolate cake doughnut with chocolate glaze + sprinkles.}

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Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake Doughnuts.

Yield: About fourteen doughnuts, plus doughnut holes.
Ingredients:
For the doughnuts:
– 2 cups (226 grams) cake flour [We used a cake flour substitute.]
– 1/2 cup (40 grams) cocoa powder
– 1 1/2 tsp.baking powder
– 1 tsp. fine salt
– 3/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
– 1/2 cup granulated sugar
– 3 TSBP. unsalted butter, at room temperature
– 2 large egg yolks
– 1 cup (full fat) sour cream
– Canola oil, for frying
– Equipment needed: deep-fry thermometer
For the clear glaze:
– 3 1/2 cups (350 grams) powdered sugar, sifted
– 1 1/2 tsp. light corn syrup
– 1/4 tsp. salt
– 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
– 1/3 cup hot water

For the chocolate glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
– 4 TBSP. unsweetened cocoa powder
– 3 TBSP. milk or water
– 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Instructions:

Make the doughnuts:
1. In a medium bowl, sift together the dry ingredients: cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together until a sandy consistency is achieved. Add the egg yolks, and mix until light and thick.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl in three editions, alternating with the sour cream, and ending with the dry mix. The dough will be pretty sticky.
4. Once the cohesive dough has formed, remove the dough from the mixer bowl and form a disc of dough on a sheet of plastic wrap. Wrap up the dough tightly, and chill for at least one hour, or until it’s a bit more firmed up.
5. When ready to make the doughnuts, roll out the chilled dough to about a 1/2 inch thickness. Use a doughnut cutter (or two different sized biscuit cutters) to cut out as many doughnuts as possible. Dip the cutters into the flour as necessary to prevent the dough from sticking. {Note: Don’t worry about imperfections; these things are not meant to look perfect.}
6. Pour two inches of canola (or vegetable) oil into a heavy-bottomed pot, and attach the thermometer to the pot. Heat the oil to 325 degrees F.
7. Fry the doughnuts a few at a time; be careful to not overcrowd the pot. You’ll need to fry each doughnut on each side for about two minutes. Allow the doughnuts drain on a paper bag to soak up the excess grease.

Make the glazes:
1. For both of the glazes, the process is basically the same: Mix all ingredients in a bowl with a whisk until smooth. Feel free to add a bit of corn syrup to the chocolate glaze for extra smoothness/shine.
2. As your doughnut are fried, immerse each doughnut into the glaze of choice.
3. Place the glazed doughnuts on a wire rack above a sheet pan to catch any excess glaze. Allow them sit for 20 minutes until glaze is set.
4. Doughnuts are best served the day they are made, but may be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature for a few days. Enjoy!

+ Old-fashioned chocolate doughnuts recipe from Handle the Heat.
+ Chocolate glaze recipe from Joy the Baker.

2 responses to “RBE // Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake Doughnuts.”

  1. Mickey Avatar

    Good job Darcie. I’m loving those green plates-makes the food pop

    1. Darcie Avatar
      Darcie

      Thanks, Mickey! I love those jadeite plates. 🙂

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