Glazed Chocolate Cake Doughnuts

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This is a recipe for after Thanksgiving, when the food has been eaten, the dishes have been cleared, and the thanks has been given. Since the holiday is so near, I imagine the majority of you have your menus set and adding a last minute recipe to the list would only send you on another trip to the supermarket. This is a recipe to encourage you to take a moment to relax, sip a hot beverage, and rest your feet over the long weekend.

You deserve a break before the season of family and giving sweeps in. 

Cake doughnuts are one of the ways I like to treat myself (as a bonus, it is also one of the cheapest, costing a whopping 89¢ per doughnut). Whenever I pass the bakery section of the store, I am drawn towards the doughnut case like a moth to the flame. Usually I am able to walk by after a moment of admiration, but sometimes the sprinkles and glaze are too much, and I find myself reaching into the case.

I appreciate that cake doughnuts stray towards the drier end of the spectrum because it makes them perfect to enjoy with a cup of coffee. Since this particular doughnut recipe is baked instead of fried, it has a similar texture to cake straight from the oven (i.e. light and moist). To remedy this, I let them sit out overnight which brought them to the texture I desired (though a few hours would also suffice). 

 

These Glazed Chocolate Cake Doughnuts are baked instead of fried, which makes them easy to make. The doughnuts are enriched with sour cream and spread with a light vanilla glaze. Serve with hot coffee or a glass of cold milk (or, if you are feeling particularly decadent, a mug of hot cocoa). Share with friends and family and enjoy the season.

One Year Ago: Pumpkin Streusel Muffins
Two Years Ago:Marbled Butternut Squash Bread, Chai Pear Scones, Hot Bourbon Apple Cider, and  Pumpkin Pie Espresso Bars
Three Years Ago:Caramel Apple Cider, Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats, Honey Cinnamon Roasted Chickpeas, and Caramel Apple Tart
Four Years Ago:Dried Cranberry Cocoa Rolls,  30 Second Sangria, Raspberry Vanilla Creme Brulee, and "Please, Sir, Can I Have Some More?" Cupcakes

Glazed Chocolate Cake Doughnuts

Yields 8 doughnuts

Chocolate Cake Doughnuts
3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
1 1/4 cup (160 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (20 grams) cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup (115 grams) sour cream
1/3 cup (78 ml) milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Grease a standard-size doughnut pan.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the egg, vanilla, melted butter, sour cream, and milk until thoroughly mixed. 

Transfer the batter to a pastry bag (or large kitchen bag with the corner snipped off). Fill the depressions in the prepared pan with the batter until 2/3 full. Alternatively, if appearance does not matter, you could spread the batter into the pan using an offset spatula, but this results in more unevenly shaped doughnuts. Bake the doughnuts for 15-18 minutes, or until puffed and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, before transfering to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Vanilla Glaze
1 cup (125 grams) powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 tablespoons milk

In a small bowl, stir together all ingredients until smooth. If the glaze is too thick, thin with a teaspoon or two of milk.

Spoon the glaze over the cooled doughnuts, allowing any excess to drip off. The glaze will take 10-15 minutes to set, depending on the thickness.

Pumpkin Spiced Doughnuts

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Pumpkin Spiced Doughnuts

Pumpkin Spiced Doughnuts

When I fall in love with books and songs, I fall hard and fast and deeply. Belonging and acceptance can be a feeling so rare at times. When I find something that I can identify with, I draw myself into its world, surrounding myself with pages of words and looping tracks. Books are devoured in days, the written words joining me during spare moments throughout the day, at the dinner table, and late into the dark night. A single song may be put on repeat for weeks, meaningful for far longer than the few minutes it plays.

I breathe it in, taking in the experience and the moment, and I take and I take and when there's nothing more for it to give, I share it with someone else, hoping they will find the voice and spirit in it as I had.

Pumpkin Spiced Doughnuts Pumpkin Spiced Doughnuts

And I ran back to that hollow again
The moon was just a sliver back then
And I ached for my heart like some tin man
When it came oh it beat and it boiled and it rang

The Stable Song by Gregory Alan Isakov is one of the few songs that speaks to me in a way so many others cannot. When it plays, I find myself stopping whatever I am doing and listening. Listening with ears-wide, mind-open abandon. A hundred listens later, I still get the chills, still find the words speaking to me. Each time the guitar tells a slightly different story, the chords evolving with my life and its changes.

Yesterday it was about loss, tomorrow it is about self discovery.

Pumpkin Spiced Doughnuts Pumpkin Spiced Doughnuts

With my eyes shut tight, I imagine myself in the mountains on a warm summer night, the smell of green, of life in the air, the feeling of peace and sadness and emotion, and it somehow all fits together. The chords on the guitar allow me to live outside myself for a moment, live another life before my eyes open and I'm brought back to my kitchen table and my computer and an empty coffee mug and a distinct awareness of feeling drained but in a way I would never change.

I never want that moment to end.

Pumpkin Spiced Doughnuts

Pumpkin Spiced Doughnuts are moist and spiced with the scents of autumn. Pumpkin is baked into a cake doughnut, adding a bright flavor to match its bright color. The doughnuts and glaze complement each other well, providing the right amount of sweetness when paired together. A cup of coffee in one hand and a doughnut in the other is the best way I've found to enjoy these.

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Vanilla Bean Malt Cake

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Vanilla Bean Malt Cake

Vanilla Bean Malt Cake

Deep down, there's a part of me that believes that I belong in the city. Though I grew up in a city of sixty thousand, I spent most of my youth daydreaming of faraway places. Tropical islands, foreign countries, and big city lights were what I saw (and still see) when I closed my eyes. There was something about the tall buildings, the bustle of both cars and people, and the glowing of the city that I saw on television that drew me in.

Eventually I moved to one such city and fell in love—in love with the culture, the people, and the feeling of belonging. However, as all things go, the day came where I had to say goodbye. I packed my bags and left, my heart breaking in two.

Vanilla Bean Malt Cake Vanilla Bean Malt Cake

As the years have passed since then, the chaos of the city, both wonderful and maddening, is something I have sorely missed. I made a promise to myself that I would return to the city again one day. When I began applying for jobs last spring, I sent applications far and wide. While I couldn't have predicted where I would end up, the reality surprised everyone, including myself. Instead of moving to my big city, I moved to a small town, population 3000.

I now reside in the heart of lakes country. Life moves slowly and conversation circles around whether the fish are biting and when hunting season begins. It is a very different life from the one I had in the big city, but it is neither better nor worse. There is one thing to be certain, however—it will take some getting used to.

Vanilla Bean Malt Cake Vanilla Bean Malt Cake

Three stoplights fill the roads, allowing cars to traverse the small town in just a few short minutes. My restaurant options have decreased by ten fold, exchanging chains for mom and pop diners. I have to drive over an hour away to find dairy-free butter, a staple in my kitchen. Some days this place feels smotheringly small, so different and unfamiliar from what I am accustomed, and others it feels like a wide open space, peaceful and inviting.

The other evening I opened my window to allow the night breeze in. While the blinds occasionally rustled, it took me awhile to realize the gravity of what was taking place. There was silence outside the window. No cars on the highway or on the nearby streets, no airplanes overhead or sirens in the distance. It was so quiet I double checked to make sure the window was even open at all. In that moment, I wondered if this small town might just grow on me after all.

Vanilla Bean Malt Cake Vanilla Bean Malt Cake

Vanilla Bean Malt Cake is a dessert for all weather, warm or cold. The cake has a heavy flavor of malt and vanilla bean, though the crumb itself is light and moist. A light vanilla malt glaze tops the cake, coating the top and soaking into the bottom. I shared this cake with my new coworkers, a small gift of butter and sugar, and it disappeared both quickly and quietly. Light enough for warm fall weather and bold enough for a chilled evening, this cake will find a place on your table during all seasons.

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