Cinnamon-Sugar Buttermilk Cake Doughnuts
Inspired by techniques from America's Test Kitchen and King Arthur Baking.
Old-fashioned buttermilk cake doughnuts with nutmeg, fried until crackled and tossed warm in cinnamon sugar.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Start the dry mix. Combine 120 g of the flour with the sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate, nutmeg and salt. Holding back most of the flour lets you beat the batter smooth without overworking the final dough.
- 2
Whisk the wet mix. In a jug, whisk the buttermilk, cooled melted butter, eggs and yolk until evenly combined.
- 3
Bring the dough together. Beat the wet ingredients into the dry on medium speed for 30 seconds until smooth. Add the remaining 360 g flour on low speed and stop the moment it is combined; the dough will be soft and tacky, somewhere between a batter and a cookie dough.
- 4
Heat the oil. Pour oil into the pan to about 4 cm deep, never above half full, and heat to 185 °C. Cake doughnuts need hotter oil than yeast ones so the outside sets quickly and cracks open attractively.
- 5
Roll and stamp. Tip the dough onto a well-floured surface and roll it 1.2 cm thick with a floured pin. Cut out rings, dipping the cutter in flour between cuts, then press the scraps together and cut again to make about 14 rings plus the holes.
- 6
Fry until cracked. Fry 4 at a time for about 60-75 seconds per side, keeping the oil between 180 and 185 °C, until deep golden and split around the edge; the holes need about 1 min in total. Test one first: a cocktail stick pushed into the thickest part should come out clean. Drain on the rack.
- 7
Coat in cinnamon sugar. Mix the sugar and cinnamon in the shallow bowl and toss each doughnut while still warm, so the coating clings to the slightly oily surface. Serve the same day.
Storage
Best on the day of frying. Store leftovers in a paper bag at room temperature for up to 1 day, then refresh in a 150 °C oven for 5 min and re-roll in cinnamon sugar.
Equipment
- stand mixer with paddle (or large bowl and wooden spoon)
- 8 cm doughnut cutter (or 8 cm and 2.5 cm round cutters)
- rolling pin
- baking tray lined with floured baking paper
- large heavy pan or casserole, at least 24 cm wide
- deep-frying or probe thermometer
- slotted spoon or spider
- wire rack over a tray lined with kitchen paper
- shallow bowl
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 344 kcal |
| Protein | 5.1 g |
| Carbohydrate | 48.8 g |
| of which sugars | 22.2 g |
| of which free sugars | 21.4 g |
| Fat | 14.5 g |
| of which saturates | 3.2 g |
| Fibre | 1.2 g |
| Salt | 0.78 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
1.5 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
