Zeppole (Italian Doughnuts)

Ingredients

• 1 vanilla bean
• ½ cup sugar, plus 3 tablespoons
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1 stick butter
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 eggs
• Olive oil, for frying

Directions

Cut open the vanilla bean lengthwise. Using the back of a knife, scrape along the inside of the vanilla bean to collect the seeds. Scrape vanilla bean seeds into a small bowl. Add the ½ cup sugar and cinnamon and stir to combine. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan combine the butter, salt, 3 tablespoons of sugar, and water over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Take pan off the heat and stir in the flour. Return pan to the heat and stir continuously until mixture forms a ball, about 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the flour mixture to a medium bowl. Using an electric hand mixer on low speed, add eggs, 1 at a time, incorporating each egg completely before adding the next. Beat until smooth. If not frying immediately, cover with plastic wrap and reserve in the refrigerator.

Meanwhile, pour enough oil into a large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 375 degrees F.

Using a small ice-cream scooper or 2 small spoons, carefully drop about a tablespoon of the dough into the hot olive oil, frying in batches. Turn the zeppole once or twice, cooking until golden and puffed up, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Toss with cinnamon-sugar. Arrange on a platter and serve immediately.

• Source: Giada De Laurentiis
• Prep Time: 20min
• Cook Time: 30min
• Total Time: 50min
• Recipe Yields: 4 to 6 servings

Cake Ball Doughnuts

The beauty just keeps on coming… I’m not sure I can take it. Marie over at The Knead for Speed refused to settle for just any old cake ball. She decided to form the cake ball mixture into a doughnut. Plus she made her cake and frosting from scratch. Amazing! Now as much as a love these, I am not sure I have the patience for it. Luckily I received a delightful little cupcake pan that comes in the shape of doughnuts. LOVE! So I may have to cheat on this one and use my cupcake pan, but for those of you who are dying for Marie’s recipe… I shall pass it along, wish you luck and meet you at the candy coated decorating stage!

Ingredients

Vanilla Cake:

• 2 ½ cups (10 ounces) cake flour
• 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar, divided
• ½ cup Stevia or other sugar substitute
• ¼ cup Saco cultured buttermilk blend (or omit Saco and water, replacing with 1 cup regular buttermilk)
• 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup water
• ½ cup butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 6 egg yolks
• 3 egg whites
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 6 ounces fat-free or reduced fat cream cheese
• 3 Tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ¼ cup oblong rainbow sprinkles (optional)

Coating:

• 1 bag white candy melts
• Rainbow sprinkles

Directions

1. To begin preparing cake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9″x13″ pan.
2. Whisk together flour, 1 cup sugar, Stevia, Saco cultured buttermilk (if using), baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together melted butter, water (or regular buttermilk), oil, vanilla, and egg yolks.
3. Beat egg whites with an electric mixer until foamy. Gradually add ¼ cup sugar, continuing to beat until stiff peaks form. Transfer to bowl and set aside.
4. Add flour mixture to now-empty mixing bowl. Add butter mixture while mixer is at low-speed, mixing until fully incorporated. Using rubber spatula, gently fold in egg whites. Gently fold in sprinkles if desired. (Actually, the word on the street is that it might be better to add the sprinkles when you mix the cooked cake and frosting together.)
5. Pour batter into greased pan. Bake 22-26 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cake cool completely (I put mine in the refrigerator to speed up the process).
6. To make frosting, cream butter with electric mixer. Add cream cheese and vanilla, beating until incorporated. Add confectioners’ sugar and beat several minutes or until fluffy.
7. Slice cake into 6 large pieces. Crumble into a large bowl by splitting each sixth in half and rubbing the two halves together. Continue process until cake is completely crumbled.
8. Add 1-½ cups cream cheese frosting to cake crumbs and work it in with clean hands. If necessary, add additional frosting to achieve a moist mush that holds together.
9. Grab a piece of mush and gradually form into a thick rope. Gently curl rope around into doughnut shape, recompacting and reshaping mush as necessary. Meld together rope ends and place finished doughnut onto large baking sheet.
10. Repeat step 9 with remaining mush. Place cake ball doughnuts in refrigerator to set for at least 2 hours, or until ready to decorate.
11. Microwave candy melts in a microwave-safe bowl at 50% power in 30 second intervals. Stir after each interval.
12. Carefully place cake ball doughnut, bottom side up, into melted candy. Very gently flip over doughnut to coat opposite side. Remove doughnut with a spoon and place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Decorate with rainbow sprinkles.
13. As candy cools around doughnut, take a toothpick and run it around edges of doughnut. This makes excess candy easy to trim off doughnut once cooled.
14. Repeat steps 12-13 with remaining doughnuts.
15. Eat Delowcious Doughnut!

Note: Be sure to check out all of Marie’s fun ideas at theknead4speed.com!