It’s the time of year where the crunch in the leaves and the chill in the air leaves us craving all things pumpkin, maple, and spice! We love this recipe from The Sweet & Simple Kitchen and know you will too!
*Makes about 50 donut holes
Ingredients:
Sour Cream Cake Donuts:
• 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup mulled apple cider
Canola oil for frying
Mulled Apple Cider Glaze
• 3 1/2 cups icing sugar
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp corn syrup
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup mulled apple cider (store bought is fine)
To make the donuts:
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; make a well in the center and set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl using an electric mixer, cream together eggs, sugar, vanilla and orange zest until pale and thick. Slowly add in melted butter and beat until combined. In a liquid measuring cup mix together the sour cream and mulled apple cider. Add half of the sour cream mixture in and beat to combine; add the remaining sour cream and beat until smooth and completely combined.
Pour wet ingredients into the well of the dry ingredients and use a spatula to gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined.
Spoon dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap, and wrap up tight. Refrigerate the donut dough for at least one hour or over night.
When you are ready to cook your donuts, heat a heavy bottomed pot of about 2 inches of oil over medium heat to 350 degrees, no hotter and no lower.
While your oil is heating up, lightly flour a cool work surface and turn your donut dough out. Dust the top with flour and roll your dough to about 1/2 inch thickness. Using a 1 or 2 in round cookie cutter, cut your donut holes.
*Note: You will most likely have some scraps, I usually just cut these into more little donut holes rather than re-rolling them.
Once your oil is heated, gently place 5-10 donuts at a time into the oil to cook. Once your donuts float nicely to the top, allow them to cook for about 1 more minute before flipping and frying for an additional one minute on the other side. You can always look to see the colour before flipping to check that your donuts are a nice light golden brown before flipping them.
Once cooked, use a slotted spoon and allow the donus to drip off any excess oil into the pot. Place the cooked donuts onto a wire rack with some paper towel underneath to cool and drip off anymore excess oil. They will be extremely hot, so please take care not to burn yourself.
Allow to cool for a few minutes before dipping in the glaze.
To make the glaze:
Add your icing sugar, vanilla, maple syrup, corn syrup and mulled apple cider to a large mixing bowl. Whisk all ingredients together until smooth. If your glaze is too thick, add in your additional apple cider or water 1 tbsp at a time. You want the glaze to be a pour-able consistency but not too runny.
Once your donut holes have cooled for about 15 minutes, toss the donut holes into the bowl and use a spatula to toss them and evenly coat them all in the glaze. Pour the donuts out onto a wire rack (with parchment underneath for the excess glaze to drip off onto).
Allow the donut holes to sit for about 10 minutes so the glaze can set up a bit before serving…. if you can possibly wait that long that is!