Difficult Days: Sugar Coated Cake Doughnuts

Maybe you've noticed things have been quiet around here.  I wish I could tell you that I jetted off to Jamaica for a two week stint of sunbathing and drinking.  That would have been nice.  And a helluva lot better than the truth.  The thing is, my handsome man ended our relationship in the early hours of this brand new year.  It came without a great deal of warning, so you can imagine how majorly my little world has been thrown off its axis.  Life is still very raw, very sad, but somehow I'm carrying on through these difficult days.   He was a huge part of my life, and I was convinced that the right man had finally come along.  Turns out some of the best things simply are not meant to be.  Life can be quite beautiful, but it can also be incredibly unfair, dumping terrible circumstances on those who deserve it the least.  The hard part now is picking my heart off the floor and trying to fill the hole the handsome man leaves behind.

Before my life went to crap this horrible event, I had grand plans for my first post of 2013 - it was to be full of highlights of 2012, but just the thought of skimming through the posts, where I wrote so much about him and us, reminded me of him.  So scrap that idea.  The truth is I haven't cooked much at all.  Eating and sleeping, two things I tend to do very well, have been rather tricky lately.  My appetite has improved a little and I'm hoping to get back in the kitchen soon, for it really is where I feel my best.  Sleeping is more hit and miss.  If only I could wake up and it was all a nightmare.  I look forward to the days when my first thought upon waking won't be he's gone.

I can't thank my friends enough for all of their support - I'd be an even bigger mess if it wasn't for them.  Somehow hearing it will get better is incredibly soothing.  My mom has been especially awesome.  A couple of days after it happened she lured me out of the house with the promise of making doughnuts - and she makes the best doughnuts.  Yes, I'm going to eat my feelings and I'm okay with that.  Her recipe comes from this old cookbook, which has been around for longer than I.  It's full of really great, old timey recipes.  Love books like this.

Making doughnuts is a fairly simple and quick process.  These are non-yeasted cake doughnuts, so there is no rising involved - baking powder is the secret ingredient.  You can have a fresh doughnut in under an hour!  The dough is soft and supple and yields a tremendously delicious cake doughnut. I grew up on these!

My mom rolled the dough out and cut it into doughnut shapes.  I should note that I did absolutely nothing while these were being made - just snapped away on my iPhone.  Being brokenhearted even gets you out of doing the dishes.

Heat oil in a deep fryer, or if you don't have one of those, a large roasting pan with high sides will do.  Oil should be around 370*F.  Carefully fry them until golden on both sides - it doesn't take long.  Have a paper towel lined cookie sheet nearby to drop the finished doughnuts on.

The lady in the green apron is amazing.

While the doughnuts are still warm, toss them in a little granulated sugar.  Mom doesn't like adding cinnamon to the sugar, but you could if you wanted to.  You can also dust them with icing sugar instead, but mom is old school and just goes for the granulated.  Crispy and sugary on the outside, but oh so tender and cakey in the middle - turns out a doughnut is just what I needed.  We ate these with a cup of tea and watched bad daytime TV.  Distraction is good.

So there is my tale of woe and I hope I haven't bummed you out.  I don't like writing about sad things, nor do I enjoy being so sad but I deliberated on how and what I should write for my first post break-up post.  I could have thrown a detox salad your way and kept my mouth shut.  Or I could have told you the truth and I'm glad I did.  Heartbreak, unfortunately, is universal.  Maybe you've done the ugly cry in the farmer's market too, or drove by the place where you had your first date and wanted to scratch your eyes out.  This is no picnic but each day does get better, and I know over time the pain will go away.  But like the song says - the hardest part of love is letting go.  A cheesy lyric full of truth.

Sugar Coated Cake Doughnuts  

2 eggs
1 cup white sugar
1/3 cup whipping cream
2/3 cup 2 % milk
1 cup all purpose flour, plus more to make soft dough, about 3 -3 1/2  cups TOTAL flour. 
3 heaping tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp nutmeg
1.5 L canola oil for deep frying. You want enough oil to come halfway up the sides of your pan. No higher!
granulated sugar, for coating

In a large bowl, beat eggs slightly and add sugar.  Beat in the cream and milk.  In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg.  Add the dry to the wet and stir together.  Add enough additional flour to make a soft dough.  Pat out softly onto a lightly floured work surface and roll until about 1/2 inch thick.  Cut into doughnut shapes.  In a large roasting pan with high sides, pour in the oil and heat to 370*F, or until you drop a piece of dough in and it turns golden.  Fry the doughnuts, a few at a time until golden on both sides.  Hot oil, so be careful!  Place on a paper towel lined bake sheet.  When all of the doughnuts are fried, toss the ones you want to eat in granulated sugar.  If you are freezing some, do so without the sugar coating.  They freeze really well - just thaw and toss in sugar.  Makes about 2 dozen doughnuts.  Recipe easily doubled. Adapted from The Heritage Collection of Home Tested Recipes, by Chatelaine, 1968.