The whole reason for the donut craziness this week is to prepare for my Father's Day visit to Fox 9 to make "Donuts for Dads." And in our house, if it involves Dad, then it involves chocolate... lots of chocolate. The other top three would be beer, coffee and spice.
So, I came up with some 'manly' flavor combinations using chocolate cake mix and some of my husband's favorite things.
What You Need:
For the Donuts:
Chocolate Cake Mix
3 eggs
1/2 cup Guinness
1/2 cup stong brewed coffee
1/2 cup milk
1/8-1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
Fresh cayenne pepper to slice for garnish
Pretzels for garnish
For the Chocolate Ganache Icing:
8 oz. heavy whipping cream
8 oz. chocolate chips
2 Tbsp. light corn syrup
*Note: Every cake mix is a little different. This one called for 1 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup oil, so I made my three liquids equal the same amount. Check your cake mix and adjust accordingly.
Bake the Donuts:
Beat one egg in each of three small mixing bowls.
Divide the cake mix evenly between the bowls. (This mix ended up being just over 1 cup in each bowl.)
Add 1/2 cup coffee to one, 1/2 cup Guinness to the second, and to the third add 1/2 cup milk and 1/8-1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper.
Mix each bowl of batter well with a wire whisk until the batter is smooth. (Be sure you keep track of which is which flavor!)
Spoon the batter into a zip-top baggie, being sure to label each.
Squeeze the batter into prepared donut pan or donut maker. (Click the link for more information on which donut pans and donut makers I use and recommend.)
Make the Icing:
Combine 1 cup of heavy cream and 2 Tbsp. corn syrup (optional) in a heatproof 2 cup measure, and microwave on high for 60-90 seconds, until bubbles just form around the edges of the liquid. Pour the hot cream over 8 oz. of chocolate.
Let that sit for about a minute.
Stir with a whisk or a fork. It will look weird and kind of separated at first. Keep mixing.
Eventually, it will turn into a dark, chocolatey soup.
You need to then refrigerate it for about 15-30 minutes, stirring often to check the thickness. You want the consistency, when you use it on the donuts, to be almost pudding-like. If it's too thin it will just run off of the donuts or soak in and get soggy.
When it is thick enough, dip the top half of the donuts in the chocolate icing.
It will smooth out as it sits.
Assemble/Garnish the Donuts:
These donuts were a lot of fun to put together. For the chili ones, I sliced a fresh hot pepper, and placed the pepper rings in the center of the donuts. I also dusted the tiniest bit of cayenne pepper on top.
For the mocha ones, I placed a couple of coffee beans on top, and dusted them with cocoa powder.
For the Guinness ones, I eventually landed on adding a pretzel to the center, which I wasn't sure about, but the Dad in this house said that made them fantastic. (Just keep in mind that the pretzels will get soggy within hours.)
Click the Links Below to See:
Homemade Healthy Donut Recipe
Easy Homemade Donut Recipe (using cake mix + flavors)
What's the best donut maker/ donut pan?
Homemade Donut Frosting Recipes
(Coming soon!) "Donuts for Dads" segment on the local news
And don't forget, if you shop at Amazon.com through my link, you support this blog and its contents. Thank you!
I really like your blog and always try to make cakes using your recipe. Thanks for this.
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