Pumpkin Donuts

I must be making up for the lack of pumpkin posts on my blog. This is my 2nd pumpkin recipe post on my blog within a month! Aren't y'all lucky!

 

But let's get down to business...these donuts were THE BOMB! What? You don't use the phrase "the bomb" when you are doing business? Hmmm...ok... These donuts were incredibly pleasing. No...that's not the right way to describe them either. Look, if you make them your taste buds will bow down to you in thanks. There. That's about right.

 

I had read all of the comments on this recipe in preparation before I started making the dough. Everyone said that the dough was ridiculously sticky, therefore I was prepared for a mess. So prepared that I used gloves! 

Isnt' that a lovely mess?

 

I conquered that lovely mess and managed to cut out donut shapes.

The dough was sticky but I wasn't scared. I had my eye on the prize.

Frying donuts. It's the best thing to do to donuts (besides eating them).

 

If you want some easy to make (not yeast!), "fall is in the air" spiced-sugar donuts, you should definitely try this recipe.

Pumpkin Donuts (recipe found on Epicurious)

Ingredients for the Donuts

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour (Erika's Extras: you'll need more while rolling out the dough)

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1 large egg

2 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon buttermilk

1 cup canned pure pumpkin

Canola oil (for deep-frying) (Erika's Extras: I used vegetable oil)

 

Ingredients for the Powdered Sugar Glaze

2 cups powdered sugar

Whipping cream (Erika's Extras: I used half & half)

 

Ingredients for the Spiced Sugar

1 cup sugar

4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

 

Instructions for donuts
Whisk first 8 ingredients (everything up to the sugar) in a medium bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until blended (mixture will be grainy). Beat in egg, then yolks and vanilla. Gradually beat in buttermilk; beat in pumpkin in 4 additions. Using a rubber spatula, fold in dry ingredients in 4 additions, blending gently after each addition. Cover with plastic; chill 3 hours. (Erika's Extras: I put mine in the freezer for ~15 minutes. This worked fine)          

Press out 1/3 of dough on floured surface to 1/2- to 2/3-inch thickness. Using 2 1/2-inch-diameter round cutter, cut out dough rounds. Arrange on sheets. Repeat with remaining dough in 2 more batches. Gather dough scraps. Press out dough and cut out more dough rounds until all dough is used.

Using 1-inch-diameter round cutter, cut out center of each dough round to make doughnuts and doughnut holes. (Erika's Extras: I made about 3 dough rounds and donut holes at a time and then repeated the process.)          

Line 2 baking sheets with several layers of paper towels. Pour oil into large deep skillet to depth of 1 1/2 inches. Attach deep-fry thermometer and heat oil to 365°F to 370°F. Fry doughnut holes in 2 batches until golden brown, turning occasionally, about 2 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Fry doughnuts, 3 or 4 at a time, until golden brown, adjusting heat to maintain temperature, about 1 minute per side. Using slotted spoon, transfer doughnuts to paper towels to drain. Cool completely. (Erika's Extras: Really keep your eye on the temperature of the oil. It drops quickly when you put in a lot of the dough.)          

 

Instructions for powdered sugar glaze
Whisk powdered sugar and 4 tablespoons whipping cream to blend. Whisk in additional cream, 1 teaspoon at a time, to form medium thick glaze. Can be made up to 3 hours ahead. Add donut holes to bowl of spiced sugar and toss to coat. Dip donuts on 1 side in the Powdered Sugar Glaze. Arrange doughnuts, glazed side up, on racks or plates.           

Ingredients for spiced sugar
Whisk all ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Dip plain donuts or glazed donuts in the sugar.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pumpkin-Doughnuts-with-Powdered-Sugar-Glaze-and-Spiced-Sugar-Doughnut-Holes-230926#ixzz2hjLfMk8W

 

Bake well and prosper!

Blackberry Buttermilk Cake

I love my birthday. (Well, I USUALLY do... my 13th bday wasn't so hot. My "friends" read my diary while I was in another room with some of my real friends. I'm not bitter any more. I promise. I've had many wonderful birthdays since then.) But there are people out there who don't like their birthdays. They don't like the whole pomp and circumstance that comes with turning a year older. Are you one of these people?

 

My newest coworker is. She's not a big fan of the celebrations involved with her birthday. I told her that we HAD to celebrate because it's an excuse to eat dessert at work. Priorities first, right?

 

Little did she know that I would be making her a cake from scratch.

I showed her the cake with little ceremony and we promptly enjoyed it. It was a big hit. I even snapped a photo on my iPhone before devouring my slice. 

Did you also know that there are people in this world that don't like dessert? Well, a different coworker isn't a dessert fan and guess what! He tried a piece and *gasp* LIKED it!

 

Three cheers for this great summer cake! One that isn't too heavy and isn't too light. One that's just right in consistency with the lovely tart/sweetness of blackberries.

Blackberry Buttermilk Cake (adapted from One Perfect Bite)

Ingredients:4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups blackberries, plus more for serving

 

Directions:1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan or spring form board.

2) In a small bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, beat butter with 2/3 cup of sugar at medium-high speed until fluffy, 3 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. At low speed, beat in buttermilk and dry ingredients in 3 alternating batches, ending with dry ingredients. Do not over beat. Gently fold batter just until blended, then scrape into prepared baking pan and smooth the top.
3) Place 1 1/4 cups of blackberries over batter and lightly press them in. Sprinkle remaining 1-1/2 tablespoons of sugar over cake. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.
4) Transfer cake to a rack to cool for 10 minutes, then turn cake out of pan. Turn cake right side up and let cool completely. Serve the buttermilk cake with more blackberries and whipped cream if desired.

Bake well and prosper!

 

Buttermilk Bacon Pralines

I made these delicious treats almost two months ago for a picnic I had in Central Park. It was a "going away for the summer" gathering I had. I brought my fancy camera and started snapping photos before people ate them all and then realized I forgot to put my camera card back in my camera! So, I tried to grab some photos via my iPhone, but I started eating these instead of concentrating on the pictures.

(iPhone Photo from Picnic)

Thankfully, I saved a couple at my house and took more photos later.

Fun thing about the picnic is that one of my friends is the sister of the gal who writes the blog I got this recipe from. How fun is that?

And a fun thing about this recipe is that it was my first time using a candy thermometer. Super fun!

(Hmmmm...how many times can I use the word fun in this post? Fun fun fun!)

Buttermilk Bacon Pralines (from Framed Cooks)

Ingredients

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

4 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup chopped pecans

1/2 teaspoon orange zest (Erika's Extras: I used a little more orange zest and it was strong, but yummy!)

4 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

Directions

1. In a heavy deep saucepan, combine the sugars, the buttermilk, corn syrup, baking soda and salt. Cook slowly over medium heat for about 20 minutes, until the mixture reaches 235 on a candy thermometer.2. Remove from heat and add butter, vanilla, pecans, orange zest and bacon and beat with a wooden spoon until creamy. Be very careful - this stuff is HOT.3. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a silicone mat or buttered parchment paper. Let stand for 30 minutes or until cool and firm.

Bake well and prosper!