Make tender, moist and rich doughnuts at home
We think if you’re going to have a doughnut for breakfast, it should be tender, moist, and richly chocolaty. Fortunately, cake doughnuts are easy to make at home. To supercharge the flavor, we used a generous amount of intense unsweetened cocoa powder. Sour cream was the ticket to textural perfection: The acidic ingredient tenderized our dough by shortening the gluten chains (which create structure but also toughness), and we liked the richness and tang it added. The moist dough was now quite sticky, but a quick 30 minutes in the fridge made it much easier to cut out doughnuts. Use a Dutch oven that holds 6 quarts or more. If you don’t have a 3-inch doughnut cutter, use a 3-inch round biscuit cutter and stamp out the holes with a 1½-inch biscuit cutter.
Chocolate Cake Doughnuts
Doughnuts
2¼ cups (11¼ ounces) all-purpose flour
1 cup (3 ounces) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda ¾ teaspoon table salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1½ cups sour cream
3 quarts peanut or vegetable oil for frying
Glaze
3 cups (12 ounces) confectioners’ sugar
½ cup whole milk
¼ cup (¾ ounce) unsweetened cocoa powder
Doughnuts: Whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and
salt together in bowl; set aside. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and beat until combined. Add sour cream and beat until smooth. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in 3 additions, scraping down bowl as needed. Stir batter once or twice with rubber spatula to ensure no dry streaks remain. Transfer batter to lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Transfer batter to floured counter and roll with heavily floured rolling pin into 10-inch round, about ½ inch thick. Using heavily floured 3-inch doughnut cutter, stamp out dough rings and holes, reflouring cutter between cuts. Gather scraps and gently press into disk; repeat rolling and stamping process until all dough is used. Transfer doughnuts and holes to lightly floured rimmed baking sheet, cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Set wire rack in second rimmed baking sheet and line with triple layer of paper towels. Add oil to large Dutch oven until it measures about 2 inches deep and heat over medium-high heat to 375 degrees. Carefully place 3 doughnuts and 3 doughnut holes into hot oil and fry until golden brown, about 45 seconds per side for holes and 60 seconds per side for doughnuts. Adjust burner, if necessary, to maintain oil temperature between 350 and 375 degrees. Using slotted spoon or wire skimmer, transfer doughnuts to prepared rack. Return oil to 375 degrees and repeat with remaining doughnuts and holes in 3 batches; let cool slightly.
Glaze: Whisk sugar, milk, and cocoa in bowl until combined.
Once doughnuts are cool enough to handle, remove paper towels from rack. Dip both sides of each doughnut and doughnut hole into glaze, shaking off any excess, and return to wire rack. Let sit until glaze has set, about 10 minutes. Serve. Makes 12 doughnuts and 12 doughnut holes.