So I’m currently happy that the Crème Brûlée Doughnuts made it to Parenting.com (…sorta explains why  Tumblr kept recommending Parenting blogs to me). Check out other yummy doughnut recipes they have over there!

Lemon-Meringue Doughnuts

Making Lemon Meringue Doughnuts

I’m channelling my inner MacGyver in this post by using a straw in place of a long piping tip; I know an asymmetrically filled doughnuts is hardly a life-or-death situation, but one can’t argue that it can make you pretty perturbed.

Stepping further into the makeshift topic - the doughnut recipe in this post requires cake flour and so naturally I also included a cheat to turn all-purpose flour into cake-flour, and that is:

For every cup of all-purpose flour you use, take away 2 tablespoons of flour.

Then substitute 2 tablespoons of cornflour into the all-purpose flour.

And sieve multiple times (minimum 3 times).

Voila! Cake flour!

LEMON-MERINGUE DOUGHNUTS consists of:

RAISED DOUGHNUTS (recipe by Lara Ferroni. Makes 12 small doughnuts)

[ 2 teaspoons active dry yeast + 1/2 cup whole milk, heated to 110F + 1 to 1 1/4 cup bread flour  + 1/4 cup whole wheat or all-purpose flour + 1 large egg + 1 tablespoon sugar + 1/4 teaspoon salt + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature + 1 liter safflower oil ]

In a medium bowl, dissolve 1 teaspoon of the yeast into 1/4 cup of the milk. 

Add 1/4 cup of the flour and stir to create a smooth paste. Cover and let rest in a warm spot for 30 minutes.

Combine the remaining milk and yeast in a mixing bowl. Add the yeast-flour mixture along with the vanilla and egg. 

Using the paddle attachment, mix at low speed until smooth. Add all of the wheat or all-purpose flour plus 1/4 cup of the bread flour. 

Add in the the sugar and salt and turn up the speed, mix until the dough starts to come together. Add the butter and continue to mix, adding the cake flour about 1/8 cup at a time, until the dough starts to form into a ball. 

Then, with a dough hook if you are using a mixer or with your hands, knead in the remaining flour a little at a time until the dough is somewhat smooth and only a little sticky. 

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm place for 30 minutes. Gently punch down the dough, recover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (and up to 12 hours). 

This will help stiffen the dough a little and make it easier to roll and cut out.

Line a baking sheet with a lightly floured non-terry dish towel. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/2 inch thick. 

With a doughnut or cookie cutter, cut out 2-inch-diameter rounds 

Place the doughnuts on the cloth lined baking sheet at least 1 inch apart and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit in a warm spot to proof until they almost double in size, about 30 to 40 minutes.

While you wait, make the lemon curd filling:

LEMON CURD FILLING: 

[ 1/2 cup lemon juice + 2 teaspoons lemon zest + 1/2 cup sugar + 2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk + 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces ]

Place the zest, juice, sugar, salt, and eggs in a metal bowl. Whisk away. Add in the butter, clamp on an instant-read thermometer, and set the bowl over a tiny pot of simmering water. 

Don’t ever stop whisking gently or you’ll end up with a layer of scrambled eggs on the edge of your bowl. 

Keep cooking and stirring until it’s thick, and the thermometer reads 160°F, 5-10 minutes. 

Place a fine-mesh sieve over another metal bowl and press the curd through it with a rubber spatula. 

Cover the surface of the curd with plastic wrap, cool completely, and refrigerate until ready to use.

When the doughnuts are almost done proofing, heat a heavy-bottomed pot with at least 2 inches of oil until a deep-fat thermometer registers 365°F. 

With a metal spatula, carefully lift the proofed doughnuts and place them in the oil. 

Fry for 1 to 2 minutes per side, or until light golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on a wire rack over a paper towel.

Make sure the doughnuts cool completely before you fill them with the lemon-curd.

FILLING THE DOUGHNUTS:

Now for this post, you’re supposed to use a long tip so that you can reach the center of the doughnuts and fill it completely…

But since I didn’t have a long tip, there was a need to improvise - using a straw, to be exact.

Yeah…

Moving on.

Lightly hold the doughnut from the bottom, cradling the sides with your fingers, and gently insert the piping bag straw tip. If the doughnut isn’t hollow for some reason, you can clear a space with a chopstick, and then simply squeeze your piping bag, slowly withdrawing it as you fill.

After that’s done, all that’s left to do is to make some Italian meringue to go on top of the doughnuts:

ITALIAN MERINGUE:

[ 2 egg whites + 1 tablespoon of sugar + 1/2 cup of sugar + 1/8 cup of water ]

Get the egg whites ready to go, but don’t start beating just yet.

In a heavy sauce pan, dissolve 1/2 cup of sugar completely in 1/8 cup of water. When the sugar is completely dissolved, crank up the heat and wait for it to boil.

Start up your stand mixer and beat the egg whites. While the sugar syrup is climbing in temperature, add 1 tablespoon of sugar to the egg whites and continue to beat until soft peaks form. 

Slowly pour the sugar mixture into the egg whites while it is rapidly beating. Mix on medium-high speed for 5-7 minutes, or until the bowl has come to room temperature.

Spread the meringue on top of the doughnuts (forming any and all peaks, as you wish).

Stick it under the broiler until the meringue just browns. Or, alternatively, be really cool and use a blowtorch.

LEMON-MERINGUE DOUGHNUTS:

RAISED DOUGHNUTS (makes 12 Smallish Filled Doughnuts)

[ 2 teaspoons active dry yeast + 1/2 cup whole milk, heated to 110F + 1 to 1 1/4 cup bread flour  + 1/4 cup whole wheat or all-purpose flour + 1 large egg + 1 tablespoon sugar + 1/4 teaspoon salt + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature + 1 liter safflower oil ]

1. In a medium bowl, dissolve 1 teaspoon of the yeast into 1/4 cup of the milk. 
2. Add 1/4 cup of the flour and stir to create a smooth paste. Cover and let rest in a warm spot for 30 minutes.
3. Combine the remaining milk and yeast in a mixing bowl. Add the yeast-flour mixture along with the vanilla and egg. 
4. Using the paddle attachment, mix at low speed until smooth. Add all of the wheat or all-purpose flour plus 1/4 cup of the bread flour. 
5. Add in the the sugar and salt and turn up the speed, mix until the dough starts to come together. Add the butter and continue to mix, adding the cake flour about 1/8 cup at a time, until the dough starts to form into a ball. 
6. Then, with a dough hook if you are using a mixer or with your hands, knead in the remaining flour a little at a time until the dough is somewhat smooth and only a little sticky. 
7. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm place for 30 minutes. Gently punch down the dough, recover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (and up to 12 hours). 
8. This will help stiffen the dough a little and make it easier to roll and cut out.
9. Line a baking sheet with a lightly floured non-terry dish towel. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/2 inch thick. 
10. With a doughnut or cookie cutter, cut out 2-inch-diameter rounds 
11. Place the doughnuts on the cloth lined baking sheet at least 1 inch apart and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit in a warm spot to proof until they almost double in size, about 30 to 40 minutes.

While you wait, make the lemon curd filling:

LEMON CURD FILLING: 

[ 1/2 cup lemon juice + 2 teaspoons lemon zest + 1/2 cup sugar + 2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk + 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces ]

1. Place the zest, juice, sugar, salt, and eggs in a metal bowl. Whisk away. Add in the butter, clamp on an instant-read thermometer, and set the bowl over a tiny pot of simmering water. 
2. Don’t ever stop whisking gently or you’ll end up with a layer of scrambled eggs on the edge of your bowl. 
3. Keep cooking and stirring until it’s thick, and the thermometer reads 160°F, 5-10 minutes. 
4. Place a fine-mesh sieve over another metal bowl and press the curd through it with a rubber spatula. 
5. Cover the surface of the curd with plastic wrap, cool completely, and refrigerate until ready to use.

When the doughnuts are almost done proofing, heat a heavy-bottomed pot with at least 2 inches of oil until a deep-fat thermometer registers 365°F. 

With a metal spatula, carefully lift the proofed doughnuts and place them in the oil. 

Fry for 1 to 2 minutes per side, or until light golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on a wire rack over a paper towel.

Make sure the doughnuts cool completely before you fill them with the lemon-curd.

FILLING THE DOUGHNUTS:

• Use a long tip so that you can reach the centre of the doughnuts.
• Lightly hold the doughnut from the bottom, cradling the sides with your fingers, and gently insert the piping bag tip. If the doughnut isn’t hollow for some reason, you can clear a space with a chopstick, and then simply squeeze your piping bag, slowly withdrawing it as you fill.

After that’s done, all that’s left to do is to make some Italian meringue to go on top of the doughnuts:

ITALIAN MERINGUE:

[ 2 egg whites + 1 tablespoon of sugar + 1/2 cup of sugar + 1/8 cup of water ]

1. Get the egg whites ready to go, but don’t start beating just yet.
2. In a heavy sauce pan, dissolve 1/2 cup of sugar completely in 1/8 cup of water. When the sugar is completely dissolved, crank up the heat and wait for it to boil.
3. Start up your stand mixer and beat the egg whites. While the sugar syrup is climbing in temperature, add 1 tablespoon of sugar to the egg whites and continue to beat until soft peaks form. 
4. Slowly pour the sugar mixture into the egg whites while it is rapidly beating. Mix on medium-high speed for 5-7 minutes, or until the bowl has come to room temperature.

Spread the meringue on top of the doughnuts (forming any and all peaks, as you wish).

Stick it under the broiler until the meringue just browns. Or, alternatively, be really cool and use a blowtorch.

Enjoy!

Making Coconut Tres Leches Doughnuts

“Tres leches” or “three milks” cake is a sinfully indulgent South American (don’t want to step on anybody’s toes by typing which country) dessert consisting of an airy sponge cake drenched in a mixture of 3 milks - evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and heavy cream. It is not for the faint hearted and should only be consumed once every full moon. Having said that, I swapped the evaporated milk with coconut milk in this recipe in attempt to healthify it (though I don’t think it worked), I mean, just because it says three milks doesn’t mean they have to be dairy.

I had intentionally wanted to make tres leches cupcakes but thought doughnuts would be more of a challenge. There are two ways to which I’d recommend getting the milks into the cake doughnuts - you either soak them in the milk syrup or you inject them with it. I went with the latter just because I have unused disposable syringes just lounging around in my room.

There was a skillslab once when we learnt a method for local anasthesia called “local infiltration” - in which you (first make a welt, but this is not the human skin, it’s a doughnut so skip this part) pierce the needle all the way through and then pull it out while you inject the anasthesia in. This way the fluid infiltrates all the layers. What’s that got to do with this doughnut, you ask? Well I used the same principle here because it allowed the outside of the doughnuts to stay crisp while the inside moist (I hate using that word) and delicious. If you can wait, leave it to soak up for overnight in the fridge for maximum internal moisture. A lucky strike of genius? I certainly would like to think so.

CAKE DOUGHNUT:

[ 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour + 1/2 cup sugar + 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt + 1/2 cup milk + 1 egg, beaten + 1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled + 2 teaspoons vanilla extract + oil for deep frying ]

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg, butter, and vanilla. Mix until well blended. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Heat oil in a deep heavy skillet or deep-fryer to 370 degrees F (185 degrees C).

On a floured board, roll chilled dough out to 1/2 inch thickness.

Use a 3 inch round cutter to cut out doughnuts. Use a smaller cutter to cut holes from center.

***If you do not have a small cutter, use the mouth of a bottle.

Fry doughnuts in hot oil until golden brown, turning once.

Remove from oil to drain on paper plates. Set aside.

MILK SYRUP:

[ 1/2 cup condensed milk + 1/2 cup coconut milk + 1/2 cup heavy cream ]

TOPPING:

[ Whipped cream + toasted shredded coconut ]

In a blender or in a bowl with a whisk, combine coconut milk, condensed milk, cream and process until smooth.

***Now, you can either:

Prick the doughnuts with a toothpick all over the surface, put them in a dish deep enough and then pour the milk syrup in and wait about 20-30 minutes for it to soak the syrup up.

OR

Get yourself a disposable syringe (and see if you can buy a big size needle for it - the lower the G (gauge) number the bigger the diameter) and  take up around 10ml of milk syrup and pierce the needle through until it reaches the most inner layer of the doughnut. Inject little by little while pulling the needle out so all the layers gets some moisture.

Do this all over the doughnuts.

You’d have to do this twice or thrice to ensure maximum milk-syrup concentration.

Spread the whipped cream on top and sprinkle the toasted coconut.

Enjoy!