Cinnamon Cardamom Cake Donuts
I think that it’s pretty safe to say that all of us love donuts/doughnuts, right?
If you don’t then you may as well stop reading because this post (as well as next week’s) aren’t really for you. This is for all of us who love donuts/doughnuts.
Why did I give it two spellings? Is there a difference between donuts and doughnuts? I’m not sure if there’s an actual technical difference in the terms, but I do know how *I* personally distinguish the difference.
For me, it really just comes down to the method/ingredients. When I think of ‘Donuts’, I think about the method that does not include yeast. ‘Doughnuts’ do include the yeast in the dough. Don’t ask me why this is. Both donuts and doughnuts create ‘doughs’, but my mind just automatically associates the yeast with the ‘dough’, so there it is.
One big difference between donuts made without yeast and doughnuts that are made with yeast is the inner texture. The donuts made without yeast usually use baking powder/baking soda as their leavening and produce a denser, ‘cake-like’ texture. As a result, these are often called cake donuts. Donuts made with yeast have a lighter, airier texture.
A few weeks back, my niece was asking me if we could make doughnuts together. Because I like giving her what she wants and because it had been a while since I’d made doughnuts myself, I decided to make a day long project of it. She couldn’t decide which one she wanted, so we ended up making two different kinds–Cake Donuts AND Yeast Doughnuts. Cake Donuts will be today’s post. (Yeast Doughnuts will be next week’s, so stay tuned for that.)
Cake donuts are a tad bit easier than yeast doughnuts to make since you don’t have to worry about dealing with yeast and rising times. I already described the interior as dense and cakey, while the outside is rough and craggy–this is perfect for catching up whatever topping you choose to put on them, whether it’s icing or sugar. The dough itself for these is flavored with lemon and vanilla. The cinnamon sugar topping I flavored with both cinnamon and cardamom, just to give it an extra spicy note to complement the sweet. In short, these were great. The sugary topping gave a nice crunch to the soft inside and the flavors were spot on. I really wouldn’t change a thing.
Sharing at this week’s Fiesta Friday #235Fiesta Friday #235, co-hosted this week by Mara @ Put on Your Cake Pants and Hilda @ Along the Grapevine.
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Cinnamon Cardamom Cake Donuts
Recipe Courtesy of “Glazed, Filled, Sugared & Dipped” by Stephen Collucci
Ingredients
For Donuts
- 3 cups cake flour (all purpose flour will work as well)
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Zest of half a lemon
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For Cinnamon Cardamom Sugar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
In a medium size bowl, combine the buttermilk, melted butter, egg yolks and vanilla extract with a fork. Set aside.
In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and lemon zest. Add the beaten egg and mix on low for a few seconds. Add the buttermilk mixture and mix until just combined into a stiffish dough.
Place a piece of parchment paper on clean work surface and sprinkle it with flour. Flour your hands or a spatula and scrape out the dough onto the piece of parchment paper. Flour a second sheet of parchment paper and place it on top of the top. Use a rolling pin to flatten it out until it’s 3/8 to 1/2 inch thick. Place the dough on a baking sheet and refrigerate it for 45 minutes to an hour (it’s ready when it no longer sticks to the parchment paper when you peel it away).
Towards the end of the refrigeration, heat 1 1/2-2 inches of oil in a heavy bottomed pot to 350°. Prepare 2 sheet pans; one lined with paper towels and the other with a piece of foil on the bottom and a baking rack on top. In a shallow dish, combine all the ingredients for the cinnamon cardamom sugar together with a fork. Keep the dish near your frying station.
Peel off the top sheet of parchment paper and flip the dough over onto your clean work surface that you’ve dusted with flour. Peel off the second sheet of parchment paper and sprinkle the dough with more flour. Flour your cookie/donut cutter and cut the dough into 2 1/2-3 inch rounds.
Fry the donuts in batches (don’t crowd the pot, no more than 3 at a time) until golden brown, 1-2 minutes per side. Drain on the paper towel lined baking sheet. While the donuts are still warm (but not piping hot) toss them in the cinnamon cardamom sugar and place them on the baking rack lined sheet pan. Eat immediately, or store for up to 2 days.
Cake or yeast types, I like them all equally no matter how you spell it, especially if they are homemade. Yours look amazing and I look forward to your next recipe too. I do occasionally make them, but rarely since they are best super fresh, and two of us just can’t handle that many, but I still like to read the recipes. Thanks for bringing them to this week’s Fiesta. Have a lovely weekend.
Thank you Hilda! I hope your weekend is lovely as well 😉
Love Cardamom!! Anything with cardamom, but these look really enticing!
It’s so underrated as a spice, but I love finding ways to sneak it in to dishes all the time. Thanks 🙂
Oh goodness, these look irresistible! Your niece is lucky to have an aunt like you, who will make her homemade do(ugh)nuts. The cinnamon/cardamom combo sounds mouthwatering! Thanks for sharing these with us at Fiesta Friday 🙂
Aww, thank you 🙂
Love to taste it 🙂
I hope you can try to make them sometime, thanks!
nice shape for the donuts ! also, love the cinnamon esence
Thank you! I didn’t have a perfect circle cookie cutter, so I used a rectangle one I had instead and I actually like how it turned out too 🙂
true, its eye catching 🙂
Cardamom is a major flavour of Indian sweets, almost all of them in fact. Love it. Great looking donuts.
Thank you–I love cardamom, it’s such a great spice 🙂
I just made donuts over the weekend and now, I want some again! Yummy!!! Thanks for sharing, Jess. Happy Fiesta Friday! x
Thanks Jhuls 😉
Hi Jess! My husband is a cinnamon lover. He would love these!! Thanks for sharing!
No problem Debbie, I hope you get the chance to make these for your hubby and that he enjoys them. Thanks!
These look awful good, Jess, but I’ll take a yeast over cake anytime. Actually, I’d even rather have a Bismark! Maybe that should be your next donut! Please, please, please! lol!
I’ve actually never had a Bismark before–but they do look delicious, so I’m gonna have to look into trying them out. Thanks for the suggestion!
🙂
I just had to add to my reply, you poor deprived child! Go get yourself a bismark! Stat!!
Make that a custard filled one, not the cream or fruit kind!
Yum
Thank you!
Healthy cake👍🏻
I don’t know that I would call these “healthy”, but they are delicious. Thank you.
These are such a great idea! Thank you so much for taking the time to give us the steps to create these yummy treats, can’t wait to try!
Awesome, I hope that you like them. Thanks 🙂