Mini Doughnuts and a Marshmallow Cake

On Saturday was my best friend’s bachelorettes party which I had to bake the sweet things for. I made mini doughnuts for the first time ever and I think they came out a treat. They’re like giant cinnamon flavoured popcorn that you can just plough through without even thinking, well at least I would of if there wasn’t 12 other girls at this party. I’m seriously considering making myself a batch the next time Shane is on tour and rolling my face around in them till they ain’t no more.

But anyway enough crazy talk, this is how they turned out and the recipe is below. I slightly adapted it from this one (If you are my friend, you won’t look at her pictures, they are way better than mine).

Doughnuts –

2 cups flour
Half a cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt (I used slightly less)
1 tbsp butter, melted (unsalted)
2 eggs
Half a cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
Half a tsp nutmeg
Half a tsp cinnamon

Glaze-

1 cup powdered sugar (I used a bit more)
2 tbsp hot water.

How to make –

Preheat oven to 170 degrees
Spray the doughnut pan with non-stick spray
Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together.
Add butter, eggs, milk, vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon.
Beat until well blended.
Fill your doughnut pan 2/3 fill (I used a piping bag to do this, they came out just right)
Bake for 8 minutes.

How to make the glaze –
Mix sugar and water together till smooth.
Dip the tops of the doughnuts into the glaze and then sprinkle some hundreds and thousands on top of them.
Let them dry.
Then eat them like there is no tomorrow.

I also made this pink almond and chocolate marshmellow cake and some fudge cupcakes. I love it when a baking plan comes together, but not so much when it slaps you in the face like a soggy piece of bread.

Almond sponge cake

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggs separated
• 1 3/4 cups sifted cake flour
• 2 tsps baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup room temperature butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/8 tsp cream of tartar

 Instructions:

1. Separate the eggs, placing the whites into one container and the yolks into another. Let come to room temperature.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 8in (I used 9in) pans. Normally I use PAM, but this recipe really calls for the butter and flour method. Just trust me on this one.
3. Put sifted flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl and set aside.
4. Using an electric mixer ( I love that this recipe calls for an electric mixer as I do not even own a KitchenAid Mixer), beat the butter until soft and creamy, about 1 minute. Add 3/4 cup of sugar (reserving the rest) and beat for an additional 2 minutes. Now add egg yolks, one at a time, until completely incorporated. Add vanilla and almond extract until combined, about 30 seconds.
5. Now you are going to add your flour mixture and milk. Starting with the flour, add 1/3 of the mixture and mix until incorporated. Now add 1/2 milk mixture, mix until combined. Add half the remaining flour, combine. Now add the rest of your milk and combine. Add remaining 1/3 of your flour mixture, and go ahead and mix until combined. This whole process should take less then 2 minutes, as you do not want to over beat the batter.
6. In a separate clean bowl with clean whisk attachment, whip eggs whites until foamy then add the cream of tartar. (I did this on medium speed) Beat until soft peaks occur, and then gradually add in your remaining sugar. You will want stiff peaks, which took me about 3 minutes. Now, take your rubber spatula and fold your eggs whites into your cake batter. Make sure they are fully incorporated, but do not over stir the batter, as you do not want to eggs to deflate.
7. Put batter into prepared pans and bake for 20-25 minutes.
8. Cakes are done when an inserted tooth pick comes out clean or with very few crumbs. At this point I place the cakes directly into the freezer and leave them there for at least an hour.

Chocolate Cake recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 2 cups sugar
• pinch of salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 tsp bicarb of soda
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup oil
• 125 grams butter, softened

Instructions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 180°

2. Mix all these ingredients together super well in a mixer. Separate the mixture into 2 prepared cake tins (I just use grease proof paper at the bottom and Spray and Cook around the sides). Bake for ± 35-40 mins, until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

3. Let the cake cool in the tins a bit before tipping out. Allow to cool completely before assembling.

Marshmallow Icing

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 large egg whites
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. In a double broiler (or a stove top safe glass bowl over the top of a pot of boiling water) combine sugar, water, egg whites, and cream of tartar with electric mixer and whisk attachment until combined, about 30 seconds. Place bowl on top of pan of boiling water (water should only be about 1-2 inches deep) and beat with electric whisk attachment for seven minutes until soft peaks occur. Remove from heat and add vanilla extract. Beat for 2 to 3 minutes or more until frosting is spreading consistency.