Making these was a mistake. An epic mistake.
While crafting this recipe and all its components, I did a lot of testing and tasting. I don't think I've ever eaten so much of something while developing a recipe. I'm usually pretty good about moderating my nibbling but these donuts... and that cursed rum cream--it just kept making its way into my mouth and I'm paying for it now with a serious sugar coma.
These donuts have been on my to-do list of recipes to develop for a while now. I've long wanted to make a batch of donuts that were filled with some kind of spin on spiced rum or hot buttered rum. So this is what I came up with: A bite sized donut rolled in cinnamon, nutmeg and clove spiced sugars, filled with a rum and spice flavored whip cream-lightened pastry cream.
The result, something as easy to eat en masse as a profiterole and twice as bad for you. I'm pretty sure I've already burned my calorie allowance for the next three days.
(Note: I've recently revised this recipe for a possible magazine piece. I've changed some of the measurements from weight to volume to make it simpler for the non-kitchen scale wielding baker and I've even improved on the rum cream filling)
Not so Humble Spiced Donuts:
yields over 100 mini donuts
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
4 1/2 tsp. (2 envelopes) active dry yeast
1/3 cup warm water (95 degrees F to 100 degrees F)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
4 ½ to 5 cups (638 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
Vegetable oil, for frying
Place the milk in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Scald the milk by just barely bringing it to a simmer. Remove from heat and add the shortening; mix until completely melted, then set aside to cool.
In a small bowl, mix the yeast with the warm water and let stand for 5 minutes.
Once the shortening mixture has cooled to lukewarm temperature (under 100 degrees F), pour it into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the yeast mixture and mix on medium-low speed until blended. Add the eggs, sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg; mix for two minutes until well blended. Reduce speed to low and gradually add 4 ½ cups of the flour. Mix until blended, then increase speed to medium and continue beating until mixture comes together into a dough. Switch out the paddle for the dough hook and beat at medium speed for 5-10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. The dough will still look sticky and won’t come away from the sides of the bowl, but it shouldn’t be spoonable like batter. If it is, add a little more flour until it looks more like a workable dough.
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 1 hour, or until doubled in size. Alternatively, you can refrigerate the dough overnight or up to 2 days. Just give it a little more time to rise.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough 1 centimeter thick (a little more than ¼ inch). Cover with a clean, lint-free towel or a sheet of plastic wrap sprayed with nonstick spray and let rise until doubled in height, about 1 hour. Using a 1½-inch biscuit cutter, cut circles from the dough and set aside for frying.
Line 2 baking sheets with paper towels to hold the fried donuts. In a deep fryer or large pot, heat at least 3 inches of vegetable oil to 345 degrees F to 350 degrees F. Working in batches, add the doughnuts and fry for a few seconds. When they begin to color, turn them over and fry on the other side until golden brown, about 1 minute. Turn over again to finish cooking the first side, about 1 minute more. Remove from the oil with a wire skimmer and transfer to the prepared pans. Let donuts cool completely before glazing.
Spiced Sugar
3/4 cup turbinado or natural sugar (available at most supermarkets)
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Set aside until donuts are glazed.
Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
4 to 5 teaspoons water
In a small bowl, mix together the powdered sugar and water until smooth. The glaze should be runny, not stiff.
Place several donuts in a large mixing bowl and drizzle with a little glaze; toss until fairly well coated. Roll the glazed donuts in the spiced sugar and set aside. Repeat until all the donuts are glazed and sugared. They are now ready to be filled.
Not So Humble Rum Cream:
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 vanilla bean
1 1/2 cups whole milk
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp Myers's dark rum
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. rum extract
In a small bowl, mix together the flour, cornstarch, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg; set aside. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise, scrape out the seeds and place them in a medium mixing bowl; set aside. Place the pod in a medium saucepan, add the milk and set over medium heat; bring to a simmer.
While waiting for the milk to warm, whisk the egg yolks and sugar in the bowl with the vanilla bean seeds. Add the flour mixture and whisk until combined. Once the milk begins to simmer, remove from heat and whisk about 1 cup of it into the egg mixture. Pour this mixture back into the saucepan, whisking constantly, and set over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring, until thickened.
Remove from heat and add the rum. Pass the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours.
Whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks. Add the chilled pastry cream and rum extract; beat until smooth and fluffy.
To fill the donuts, fit a pastry bag with a round decorating tip, then fill the bag with the rum cream. Alternatively, fill a squeeze bottle. Insert a small knife into the side of each donut and twist to make a small opening. Pipe in the rum cream until it just starts to come out of the opening.
Serve immediately, or keep refrigerated and serve the same day.
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