Although I last made these before Christmas, with Autumn starting today, it seemed perfect to post about cake donuts. This recipe is one that my Mom used when we were growing up.
Before I post this recipe, please know this is from an old cookbook. These are not low cal donuts. Hang on, are there low cal donuts? If so, please let me know!
To start, you’ll mix up your dough.
1. Beat 2 whole eggs well.
2. Beat in 1 cup of sugar and 2 tablespoons soft shortening.
3. Stir in 3/4 cup buttermilk.
4. Add the following ingredients together (before putting them into the mixture):
- 3 1/2 cups sifted flour (shhh…I didn’t sift it)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
4. Stir in the #3 ingredients into your egg, sugar, shortening, buttermilk mix.
5. Chill dough for two hours.
Okay, so now you have the dough, let’s get started on making the donuts.
Flour the kitchen surface of your choice. They say a cloth, I did wax paper. Either way — flour it.
Roll out the dough to about 1/3″ thick. Then cut out the donuts with a donut cutter that has been floured.
While you’re cutting your dough, make sure to start heating oil for frying. It should be about 370 – 380 degrees when you are actually frying the donuts. This is much more easily done in something where you can set the heat. We ruined one thermometer (the one in the picture) and then had a difficult time with another. This is because we were having a hard time controlling the heat.
Next time I make these, I will definitely be using something where I can set the heat. But, that’s just because I enjoyed the hole whole process of making it, but got a big headache with the actual frying because I worried so much about the heat.
Using a special donut cutter, you can make donuts and donut holes at the same time. Personally, we liked the donut holes best. I don’t know why — we just did.
Me admitting this apparently shocked the donuts.
Once the oil has reached the correct temperature, start setting the donuts into the oil using a spatula or something that allows you to place the donuts in and not worry about being splattered by hot oil. Or, you know, to get drops of it on a black shirt that you really like, like I did.
Only put in as many donuts as you can easily get in to flip the donuts.
Turn the donuts as they rise to the surface and start to brown a bit. You’re going to fry them for about 3 minutes to brown them completely on both sides. This is why oil temperature is important. If it is too hot, the donuts will brown before they properly cook inside. If it is too cool, they’ll take longer to fry and soak up too much oil.
When the donuts are done, take them out of the oil and place on a plate with paper towel (or the like) to soak up excess oil.
Hello my little sweeties.
The recipe says this makes 24 donuts that are 3″ in size. Ours were slightly smaller, so they made even more. When I make them again, it will definitely be before some kind of event or to send in to Eric’s work, because there were just so many.
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons soft shortening
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 3½ cups sifted flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- Your choice of ingredient to coat donuts with: sugar, cinnamon sugar, powdered sugar, a glaze
- Beat two whole eggs well.
- Beat in sugar and shortening.
- Stir in buttermilk.
- Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a separate bowl. Blend well.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and blend well.
- Chill dough for two hours.
- Flour the kitchen surface of your choice.
- Roll dough to about ⅓" thick.
- Cut out donuts with a donut cutter, especially one that will cut the donut and a donut hole at the same time, because those donut holes are delicious.
- While you're cutting the donuts, be sure to start prepping your heating oil for frying the donuts. It should be between 370 - 380 degrees.
- Set donuts gently into the hot oil. Only put in as many as you can while allowing you to still have room to flip them.
- Turn the donuts as they rise to the surface and start to brown a bit. (You're going to cook the donuts for around three minutes total, as long as your oil is hot enough, but not too hot.)
- When your donuts are done, remove them from the oil and place them on a plate with a paper towel (or the like) on it to soak up some of the excess oil.
- While still warm, cover the donuts in the glaze or sugar of your choice, or just eat them plain.
Join 14,000+ Other Awesome People
Subscribe to the Real Life at Home weekly newsletter to get our latest content, exclusive free printables, learning activities, and ideas for celebrating with your family all year
I am going to try this recipe, it is exactly what I’m looking for. There is an abundance of raised donut recipes out there, but cake donuts, like you have with apple cider on a cool fall day…not so many.
I have never made donuts before, nor deep fried for that matter.
Any pointers would be great! I know my way around the kitchen, but just never deep fried. My daughter was just diagnosed with nut allergies, so no more store bought donuts for us.
Yours look absolutely perfect!
Buy yourself a bottle of the original blue Dawn and squirt it on the grease stains.Guaranteed to remove any grease stain.