Homemade Donuts

It doesn't matter whether you spell it donut or doughnut, or if they are round or square, or it they have holes or not because in this family we love then all. Other families go south in search of sun during spring break, we had a tradition for many years of going to New York City. We would usually catch the St. Patrick's day parade, check out a few museums and always, always make a visit or two to the Doughnut Plant on the Lower East Side.
I recently tried making baked cake donuts. They are nothing like the sugary/greasy melt in your mouth yeast variety that we all love, but we still thought they were delicious. (and maybe slightly more healthy) Really just like a cupcake with a hole!

 

I thought they turned out so well that of course I had to Instagram them.

  

                                                              Double Chocolate Donuts

1/2 cup butter at room temp.

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup boiling water

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

 1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a donut pan.

In a bowl of a mixer cream together the butter, sugars and then add eggs one at a time.

In another bowl add the cocoa to the boiling water to dissolve. Stir in the buttermilk.

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.

Mix the dry ingredients into the butter mixture alternating with the cocoa mixture,

mix thoroughly. Fill the pan and bake for 10-12 minutes. Makes approximately 12 donuts.

Glaze

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 cup chocolate chips

1 tbsp butter

1/2 cup powdered sugar

In a small pot over very low heat warm the cream, add the butter and chocolate chips. Stir constantly until melted. Whisk in the powdered sugar. Remove from heat.

Dip the top of each donut, shake off excess glaze and then set aside to harden.

I found that the easiest way to fill the pan was to fill one corner of a large freezer bag with the batter and then snip off the corner to make a make-shift piping bag.

Don't over fill the pan, about 1/3 up is good. On my first batch I over filled and this is what happened...

If you need an excuse for a road trip this summer, why not go on a doughnut tour!?

Here's a list of the top 101 donuts (unranked and organized geographically) compiled by Grub Street.

Also, have you seen that there is even a doughnut finding app? Go here to download Doughbot.

1. Dough, New York City
2. The Cinnamon Snail, New York City
3. Peter Pan Donut & Pastry Shop, New York City
4. Carpe Donut, New York City
5. Dough Loco , New York City
6. Leske's, New York City
7. Doughnut Plant, New York City
8. Beach Donut Shop, Clinton, CT
9. The Orangeside on Temple, New Haven, CT
10. Speedy Doughnuts, Norwalk, CT
11. Atkins Farms, Amherst, MA
12. Kane's, Saugus, MA
13. Union Square Donuts, Somerville, MA
14. Lyndell's Bakery, Somerville, MA
15. Allie's Donuts, North Kingstown, RI
16. The Holy Donut, Portland, ME
17. Willow Bake Shoppe, Rockland, ME
18. Congdon's, Wells, ME
19. Beiler's Donuts and Salads, Philadelphia, PA
20. Federal Donuts, Philadelphia, PA
21. Undrgrnd Donuts, Philadelphia, PA
22. Oram's Donut Shop, Beaver Falls, PA
23. Shore Good Doughnuts, Ship Bottom, NJ
24. Ob-Co's, Toms River, NJ
25. Uncle Dood's Donuts, Toms River, NJ
26. Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken, Washington, DC
27. Golden Brown Delicious, Washington, DC
28. Heller's Bakery, Washington, DC
29. Fractured Prune, Ocean City, MD
30. Donut King, Huntersville, NC
31. Glazed Gourmet Doughnuts, Charleston, SC
32. Sublime Doughnuts, Atlanta, GA
33. Dutch Monkey Doughnuts, Atlanta, GA
34. Gibson's Donuts, Memphis, TN
35. The Heavenly Donut Co, Birmingham, AL
36. DoughWorks, Nashville, TN
37. Fox's Donut Den, Nashville, TN
38. Monroe's, Jackson, MS
39. Sweet Cheeks Donut & Sammich Shop, Fulton, MS
40. Grampa's Bakery, Dania Beach, FL
41. Bennett's Fresh Roast, Fort Meyers, FL
42. The Dandee Donut Factory, Pampano Beach, FL
43. Upper Nine Doughnut Company, New Orleans, LA
44. Blue Dot Donuts, New Orleans, LA
45. Freret Street Po-boys & Donuts, New Orleans, LA
46. Nord's Bakery, Louisville, KY
47. Hi-Five Doughnuts, Louisville, KY
48. Polar Donuts, Oklahoma City, OK
49. Donut Stop, St. Louis, MO
50. World's Fair Donuts, St. Louis, MO
51. Strange Donuts, St. Louis, MO
52. Bonomini Bakery, Cincinnati, OH
53. Presti's Bakery, Cleveland, OH
54. Hotlman's, Loveland, OH
55. LaMar's, 27 shops across six states
56. Doughnut Vault, Chicago, IL
57. Firecakes, Chicago, IL
58. Do-Rite Donuts & Coffee, Chicago, IL
59. Dutch Girl Doughnuts, Detroit, MI
60. New Palace Bakery, Detroit, MI
61. Friske Orchards, Ellsworth, MI
62. Glam Doll, Minneapolis, MN
63. Bogart Doughnut Co, Minneapolis, MN
64. A Baker's Wife, Minneapolis, MN
65. YoYo Donuts, Minnetonka, MN
66. Top Pot, Seattle, WA
67. FROST Doughnuts, Mill Creek, WA
68. Blue Star Doughnuts, Portland, OR
69. Voodoo Doughnut, Portland, OR
70. Helen Bernhad Bakery, Portland, OR
71. Dream Fluff Donuts, Berkeley, CA
72. Doughnut Hut, Burbank, CA
73. Peterson's Donut Corner, Escondido, CA
74. The Donut Man, Glendora, CA
75. The Donut Wheel, Livermore, CA
76. Stan's Donuts, Los Angeles, CA
77. Donut Friend, Los Angeles, CA
78. Boon Fly Cafe, Napa, CA
79. Doughnut Dolly, Oakland, CA
80. Donut Savant, Oakland, CA
81. Swiss Donut, Palm Springs, CA
82. Marie's Donuts, Sacramento, CA
83. Doughbot, Sacramento, CA
84. Donut Bar, San Diego, CA
85. Bob's Donuts, San Franciso, CA
86. Dynamo Donut, San Francisco, CA
87. Heartbaker, San Francisco, CA
88. Maple Leaf Donuts, San Jose, CA
89. Ferrell's Donuts, Santa Cruz, CA
90. DK's Donuts, Tustin, CA
91. Scotty's Donuts, Visalia, CA
92. Pink Box Doughnuts, Las Vegas, NV
93. Ronald's Donuts, Las Vegas, NV
94. Rebel Donut, Albuquerque, NM
95. Vovomeena, Phoenix, AZ
96. Gourdough Specialty Doughnuts, Austin, TX
97. laV, Austin, TX
98. Mustang Donuts, Dallas, TX
99. Hypnotic Donuts, Dallas, TX
100. Original Donut Shop, San Antonio, TX
101. Leonard's Bakery, Honolulu, HI