Strawberry heart and apple blossom mini doughnuts

So friday was my birthday! Already 25 years old... seems like yesterday that I was just turning 20! Should I bake myself a cake? No, my mom will probably get one for me... but I need something sweet on my birthday! So what if.... a favorite and an innovation were on the way of being created.


I L-O-V-E doughnuts! Specially the ones filled with strawberry jam and covered in powdered sugar. So I had to have them for my birthday and because I love them so much I made them heart shaped.

I also love the combination of apples with cinnamon. The idea blossomed in my head that maybe I can turn this combo into a doughnut. I added half an apple peeled and grated (well strained) to half of the dough, cut them with a flower cookie cutter and filled them with a cinnamon whipped cream.


These little beauties made my day! The strawberry ones are a classic, they never fail you but the apple blossoms, as I call them, were quite a discovery! The taste of apple isn't too overwhelming but the cinnamon in the whipped cream really sets it off and enhances it.

For the doughnuts
1 egg
300 gr flour
15 gr fresh active yeast
100 ml milk, warm
30 gr butter
30 gr sugar
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salf

oil to fry

Disolve the yeast in the warm milk. In the meanwhile, melt the butter and make a well with the flour. In the center, place all the other ingredients including the yeast milk. Combine the ingredients and knead the dough until you form an elastic ball of dough. Sprinkle some flour on it, place it in a bowl and cover it. Place in a draft-free room and let it proof for 2 hours.

Roll the dough to about 1 cm tick and cut out your doughnuts. They can be round or of any shape you want, as long as it's not too complex. This is not a good time to take out that dinosaur cookie cutter! Let the doughnuts proof again, covered, for another hour or so.

In medium saucepan over medium heat, heat oil until a deep-frying thermometer registers 370 degrees. I don't have a thermometer so I test the oil with a little piece of dough. Once dropped in the oil it should sizzle on the sides but not turn brown too quikly. Using a slotted spoon, carefully slip 3-4 doughnuts (depending on their size) into oil. Don't overcrows your saucepan! This will cause the oil temperature to drop and you won't be able to fry right!

Fry until golden, about 40 seconds on each side, and transfer to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet. Roll in sugar while warm or sprinkle with powedered sugar. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a #4 tip with favorite jam, whipped cream, butter cream... go crazy! Using a wooden skewer or toothpick, make a hole in the side of each doughnut. Fit the pastry tip into a hole, pipe about 2 teaspoons of filling into doughnuts.

(I used half of the dough to which I added half an apple, peeled, grated and very very very well strained to make the apple blossoms. You might need a bit more flour for these ones to counterbalance the moisture added by the apples.)

Cinnamon whipped cream
1 cup whipping cream
2 tbsp powdered sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Combine the whipping cream, the sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Whip until medium soft peaks form and fill your doughnuts!