CHOCOLATE CARAMEL CAKE DOUGHNUTS

Have you ever made a homemade doughnut???

Growing up, my family had a tradition to make doughnuts twice a year for a very special occasion. I always looked forward to this event because all the men would go out for the night and all the women and kids would get together in the kitchen and make doughnuts. We made these light and fluffy doughnuts comparable to Krispy Kreme… Except homemade!!

Now you know why I looked forward to this night so much.

We would have a big assembly line. The kids would all help with rolling out and cutting the doughnuts and then an adult would fry them. After they cooled, we would take turns coating them with a glaze, cinnamon and sugar or powdered sugar.

As I started my own family and our educational pursuits took us away from our family, we have been trying to figure out how we will continue the tradition. We haven’t had the motivation to make the doughnuts on our own… until now…

I was experimenting in the kitchen and imagining the most delicious doughnut possible.

Chocolate Cake doughnuts are my favorite. They are moist, sweet, crunchy and super satisfying.

I put Caramel on everything… Waffles, pancakes, ice cream sandwiches, cake, brownies, carrots…

Yeah… pretty much everything, so why not dunk a doughnut in it?

Coconut Pecan Frosting. I’m on a coconut kick right now. I am putting it in pretty much everything (even my salads). And pecans are definitely my favorite nuts.

After the doughnuts have been fried and glazed. I just took a spoonful of frosting and spread it all over that doughnut. The more the better…

If something has chocolate… and caramel… I am a whole lot more motivated to put time and effort into making it. Which can sometimes be dangerous for the scale. I do try to balance out all the sweet treats with healthy eats, too, though!

I’m not usually a fan of frying things.. but doughnuts are definitely worth the extra calories. Maybe I will find a delicious recipe for baked cake doughnuts sometime soon. But for now, I’ll stick to frying!

Plus, its fun to put on that apron and pull out the tongs.

Chocolate Caramel Cake Doughnuts

Ingredients
2 cups cake flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp shortening
2 large egg yolks
1 cup sour cream
canola oil for frying

For the Caramel:
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cube butter
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 cup powdered sugar

For the Coconut Pecan Frosting:
1 12 oz can evaporated milk
4 egg yolks
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 sticks butter
3 cups shredded coconut
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups pecans

Instructions:
1. Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl (flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, nutmeg). Mix sugar and shortening for a minute on low speed. Add the egg yolks and mix for another minute. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the sour cream. Mix until just combined. The dough should be sticky, like cookie dough.

2. Transfer the dough to a clean bowl and refrigerate for an hour or so.

3. Heat oil to 325. Roll out the dough to the desired thickness (1/4-1/2 inch). Cut into as many as possible. You can determine the shape and size. Add a few doughnuts to the oil. Once they float, fry them for 15 seconds, then gently flip. Fry for 45-60 seconds and flip again and fry for another 45 seconds. Transfer to a rack with paper towels and let them cool.

4. Make the caramel. Combine sweetened condensed milk, brown sugar, butter and light corn syrup in the microwave. Heat for a minute, then stir. Repeat until the ingredients are mixed thoroughly.

6. After caramel is mixed, let the mixture cool. Add powdered sugar and whisk until mixed well. You can then dip the doughnuts in the caramel and place them on a rack to cool!

7. Make the Coconut Pecan Frosting. Using a whisk, mix egg yolks, milk and vanilla in a large saucepan. Add butter and sugar and continue to cook for 15 minutes or until it turns golden brown. It should be thick. Make sure not to cook it for too long or it will be hard to spread. Stir constantly

8. Remove creamy mixture from heat and add coconuts and pecans. Let cool. Then spread over your doughnuts!

There is definitely a thrill that comes with popping the doughnuts into the oil! There are also a lot of good memories associated with frying doughnuts. MMMmmm. I hope you enjoyed this stop on the mini homemade doughnut blog hop! Thanks for reading!

Make sure you check out the other 9 fabulous donut recipes participating in the hop today. Just click on the picture or title below to grab the recipe.