Old Fashioned Cake Doughnuts

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword cake-doughnuts-recipe, old-fashioned-cake-doughnuts

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 4

Total Time 14

Servings servings

Calories 414kcal

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup buttermilk or whole milk
3 Tbsp solid vegetable shortening melted
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
Glaze:
4 Tbsp salted butter melted
2 Tbsp milk plus additional as needed
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
3 cups powdered sugar
1 quart vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl use a whisk to sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and ground nutmeg.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, shortening, vanilla extract and egg until well combined.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined, being careful not to overmix. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky.
Turn the dough out onto a well floured surface and turn to coat with just enough flour that it's not tacky. Roll it out to 1/2-inch thickness.
Use a donut cutter or a 3-inch biscuit cutter to cut the dough into rounds. If using a biscuit cutter, use a 1-inch cutter for the centers. Gather any scraps, reroll and cut out more doughnuts until all of the dough is used.
Fry: On the stovetop, heat oil in a deep fryer or 6 quart Dutch oven or pot to 365°F-375°F. Carefully add the doughnuts to the hot oil frying 2-3 at a time to avoid overcrowding the pan. Don't walk away.
Fry the doughnuts in batches for 1 1/2 - 2 minutes on each side or until they are golden brown and cooked through. Remove the doughnuts from the oil using a stainless steel spider or slotted spoon and place them on a paper towel-lined sheet pan to drain excess oil.
Glaze: In a medium bowl whisk together butter, milk, vanilla and almond extract. Add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time. Whisk until smooth adding more milk as needed to thin.
Dip the warm doughnuts into the glaze placing them onto a sheet pan fitted with a wire rack without touching. Double dip for a heavier glaze, if desired. (Optionally, you can dust them with powdered sugar.)
Enjoy warm!

Notes

*Nutrition data calculated allowing 10% oil absorption. Nutritional data is provided as a courtesy and should always be considered an estimate.

Flour - You can use the same amount of cake flour, in place of all purpose flour.
Glaze Variations - While old fashioned cake doughnuts are delicious on their own dipped in a homemade glaze, they can also be coated with powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar and topped with melted chocolate icing or a maple glaze.
Sprinkles - You could decorate these cake donuts with sprinkles, nuts, mini chocolate chips, toffee bits or festive seasonal nonpareils.
Oil - It's important to use an oil for frying doughnuts that has a neutral flavor such as vegetable oil or canola oil. Olive oil isn't suitable for frying these cake doughnuts.
Monitor the Oil Temperature - It's important to monitor the temperature of the oil. If it drops too low, the donuts can absorb too much oil making them greasy. If the temperature is too high, they'll burn.
Flavoring - You could use lemon extract or add fresh grated citrus zest to the wet ingredients to change the flavor profile.
Donut Holes - Fry the centers and treat the kids to homemade donut holes just like you get at your favorite bakery!

Nutrition