Cake doughnuts

The annual Halloween doughnuts were, to me, especially lovely this year. The recipe comes from The Joy of Cooking. Apparently Mom's copy of The Joy (but not mine) has a variation with orange juice and zest that she has never made. That sounds delicious to me! This year, she added some orange powder, and for that or another reason, I found these exceptional. They did not taste at all orange-flavored, but had a nice complexity of flavor. I usually have orange oil on hand, but not orange powder, so I'm saying to add a bit of orange oil instead.

Cake Doughnuts

Whisk together in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed:
      4 c AP flour
      4 t baking powder
      3/4 t ground cinnamon or 1 t grated lemon zest (Mom uses cinnamon)
      3/4 t grated or ground nutmeg
      3/4 t salt
      "cake doughnut flavor" from King Arthur -- internet says this is no longer sold 

In a large bowl, beat well with an electric mixer:
      2 eggs

Add slowly and beat until thick and creamy:
      3/4 c plus 2 T sugar

On low speed, add and beat until blended:
      3/4 c buttermilk (or milk in a pinch)
      a small splash of orange oil 
      5 T butter, melted

Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and mix with a large spoon just until blended. The dough will be soft and sticky. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate at least 2 hours, or up to 24 hours (I think you can skip this in a pinch, but the dough will be harder to work with).

Roll the dough 1/2 inch thick (a little thicker is ok) on a lightly floured work surface. Cut out doughnuts with a well-floured cutter. Transfer cut donuts to a sheet of wax paper generously floured. Re-roll scraps.

Allow doughnuts to rest at room temperature 20 minutes to 1 hour before frying. This helps the dough to form a light crust so that it absorbs less oil.

Heat about 3 inches oil to 375 F. Never crowd the fryer. Each donut will take 11/2 - 2 minutes per side to cook, depending on the size.  They should be a deep golden brown.  It is a good idea to test the first doughnut.

Drain the doughnuts on paper bags. When they are cool enough, coat with:

cinnamon sugar