CHOCOLATE FUDGE CAKE DONUTS: National Donut Day!

The first Friday in June is National Doughnut Day celebrating the doughnut, an edible, ring shaped piece of dough which is deep-fried and sweetened. This holiday event began in 1938 as a Chicago Salvation Army fundraiser for much needed funds during the depression. The day also recognized special women known as "Doughnut Lassies" who made and served doughnuts to homesick WWI soldiers in France, since doughnuts were thought to be the quintessential American food. Here's a song from a 1918 songbook celebrating doughnuts in WWI.

“A doughnut’s just a doughnut, boys, ’til you are “over there,”
And day and night you’re in a trench away in France somewhere;
You get a fresh-made doughnut, seems it comes from heaven above,
That doughnut, boys, reminds you of a slice of mother’s love.”

Read more.

The history of donuts, like so many foods, is debatable. Some believe that Dutch settlers brought doughnut making techniques from Holland. Hostess Donuts were first launched in the 1930's at a time in our history were looking for inexpensive ways to treat themselves. America's favorite doughnut is glazed, followed by chocolate, powdered sugar and plain.

There are 10 billion donuts made every year.

Chocolate Fudge Cake Donuts

I love this recipe from King Arthur Flour. It always works, and it's easy since you can bake these. The donuts come out moist, dense, and dark.  Icing is optional, but if you're a true chocoholic, you'll want to ice these donuts and add chocolate sprinkles. That makes it quadruple chocolate! 

Ingredients
2/3 cup Dutch-process cocoa
1 3/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon espresso powder, optional  (but I think it enhances the flavor)
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips
 2 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
 2 teaspoons vinegar, white or cider
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) melted butter or 1/3 cup vegetable oil

Chocolate icing, optional
1 cup chocolate chips
4 tablespoons milk or half & half

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease the wells of two standard doughnut pans. If you don't have two pans, simply bake the batter in two batches.
In large mixing bowl, whisk together cocoa, flour, sugar, baking powder, espresso powder, baking soda, salt, and chocolate chips. Set aside.
In large measuring cup or medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla, and vinegar. You may notice some curdling of the milk; that's OK. Add wet ingredients, along with  melted butter or vegetable oil, to dry ingredients, stirring to blend; there's no need to beat batter, just make sure everything is well-combined.
Spoon batter into prepared pan(s), filling between 3/4 and full.
Bake doughnuts for 12 to 15 minutes, or until  toothpick inserted into center of one comes out clean.
Remove doughnuts from oven, and after 30 seconds or so, loosen their edges, turn pan upside down over rack, and gently let doughnuts fall onto the rack.
For sugar-coated doughnuts, immediately shake doughnuts in 1 tablespoon granulated sugar; add 1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder to sugar for an additional touch of chocolate.
If you want to ice doughnuts rather than shake in sugar, allow to cool completely before icing.

To make icing: 
Combine chocolate chips and milk or half & half in microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup. Heat until half & half is steaming and starting to bubble. Remove from microwave, and stir until chips have melted and icing is smooth.
Dip top of each doughnut in the icing; or spread icing on doughnuts.

WINE AND DONUT PAIRINGS: National Donut Day

Today is National Donut Day, and, yes, you'd be right if you said you already celebrated National Doughnut Day on the first Friday in June. There are actually two days. Today's holiday is a second more or less official Donut Day depending on your sources. According to food holiday historian John Bryan Hopkins, who cataloged several fringe holidays for his site Foodimentary beginning in 2006, mentions of the November Doughnut Day could be found as early as the 1930s in copies of Ladies' Home Journal. Hopkins speculated that the November 5 date is close enough to Veterans Day on November 11 that a retail outlet likely introduced the date to acknowledge their service.

But donuts are good any day, and to celebrate today's holiday I have a guest post from Julissa Arangure-Garcia on pairing donuts with sweet and savory wines!  This post originally appeared on the Shari's Berries blog and shared from Julissa with a new introduction.

JULISSA ARANGURE-GARCIA:

Let’s be honest, wine was made to be paired with desserts. From wine and chocolate pairings to baking with wine (pinot noir chocolate cake anyone?), wine and desserts are a dynamic duo. Get creative at your next party or event and try pairing the sweet notes of a glass of wine with some sugary delicious donut flavors.

Shari’s Berries has the ultimate wine and donut pairings to help you create mouth-watering combinations. The guide also includes an overview of what flavor notes you’ll taste and what personality the combo is best for. Take a look and find which donut and wine pairing was made for you!

Wine and Donut Pairing Guide

National Donut Day: Retro Ads & Chocolate Doughnut Recipe

Today is National Doughnut Day aka Donut Day. I do appreciate a good donut, so in honor of the holiday, I'm posting several Retro Ads from the 40s, 50s and 60s for Donuts! Scroll down for a Crisco Sugar Donut recipe from the Crisco Cookbook and a great Chocolate Doughnut Recipe.

CHOCOLATE CAKE DONUTS

Ingredients
1/2 cups white sugar
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 egg white
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 quart vegetable oil for frying

Directions
All ingredients should be room temperature (70 degrees F).
Beat sugar and eggs together until creamy and lemon colored.
Melt butter and chocolate together in small saucepan over low heat.
Beat into sugar and egg mixture.
In separate bowl combine vanilla and buttermilk. Stir into sugar mixture.
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl. Stir into liquid mixture.
Chill dough slightly to make easier to handle. Roll out half dough on lightly floured board to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut into doughnuts. Allow the cut doughnuts to dry for 10 minutes.
Heat 2 inches of oil to 370 degrees F in large skillet. Dough should be at room temperature before frying. Dip metal pancake turner into hot oil each time before using to move or turn a doughnut. Transfer doughnuts to skillet, one every 15 seconds.
Fry each doughnut about 90 seconds per side. Remove doughnuts and drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining dough.

To make icing:
Beat sugar, egg white, and vanilla together until smooth.
Drizzle onto the doughnuts after they have cooled.

National Doughnut Day: History & Recipe

National Doughnut (Donut) Day is the first Friday in June. This year it falls on Friday, June 7. That's an extra wait for many who like to kick off the month with free donuts. Doughnut Day was created by The Salvation Army in 1938 to honor the women who served doughnuts to soldiers during World War I.

Many American doughnut shops offer free doughnuts on National Doughnut Day. In 2009, both independent doughnut shops and large national franchises offered free doughnuts in the United States. National Doughnut Day started as a fund raiser for Chicago's The Salvation Army. Their goal was to help the needy during the Great Depression, and to honor The Salvation Army "Lassies" of World War I, who served doughnuts to soldiers.

National Doughnut Day celebrates the doughnut, an edible, ring shaped piece of dough which is deep-fried and sweetened. This holiday event began in 1938 as a Chicago Salvation Army fundraiser for much needed funds during the depression. The day also recognized special women known as "Doughnut Lassies" who made and served doughnuts to homesick WWI soldiers in France, since doughnuts were thought to be the quintessential American food. Here's a song from a 1918 songbook celebrating doughnuts in WWI.

A doughnut’s just a doughnut, boys, ’til you are “over there,”
And day and night you’re in a trench away in France somewhere;
You get a fresh-made doughnut, seems it comes from heaven above,
That doughnut, boys, reminds you of a slice of mother’s love.”

Doughnuts are popular in many countries and prepared in various forms as a sweet snack that can be homemade or purchased in bakeries, supermarkets, food stalls, and franchised specialty outlets. They are usually deep-fried from flour dough, and shaped in rings or flattened spheres that sometimes contain fillings. Other types of batters can also be used, and various toppings and flavorings are used for different types.

For a wonderful entry on Doughnut Day, you'll want to go to: Months of Edible Celebrations website. Not only is there a great discussion of the history, but Months of Edible Celebrations includes  a recipe from Entenmann's Big Book of Baking for Chocolate Cake Donuts, as well as information about The Donut Book by Sally Levitt Steinberg, granddaughter of Adolph Levitt, the inventor of the first doughnut machine (1920). As Louise says in her entry, "Sally brings the doughnut to life." You've got to read this.

And, there are a lot of free doughnuts today!

Krispie Kreme is giving out one free doughnut of any kind, no purchase necessary. (at participating stores)

LaMar's Donuts in Colorado and the Midwest is offering one free doughnut per customer (at participating stores)

Dunkin' Donuts: Buy any beverage and they'll throw in a complimentary doughnut (while supplies last)  Dunkin' is also introducing a new sandwich on June 7: the Glazed Donut Breakfast Sandwich.. Bacon & Fried eggs between a split glazed doughnut that they say is 360 calories. Really??!!

Tim Horton's has a coupon on their Facebook page for a free doughnut with any purchase in U.S. lcoations. Like Tim Horton's and print coupon.

Entenmann's Bakery is donating $1 to the Salvation Army for each person who "likes" the Entemann's Facebook page (up to $30,000). And right now, in celebration of the day, Entenmann's is rewarding lucky winners with 'Free Donuts for a Year' in a sweepstakes on their Facebook Page.
 

Look for other free donuts and celebrations in your town!

Here's the original  SALVATION ARMY LASSIES’ DOUGHNUT RECIPE . Not sure about the lard, but it's the original recipe, after all, so historical.


SALVATION ARMY LASSIES' DOUGHNUT RECIPE
Yield: 4 doz. doughnuts

Ingredients
5 cups flour
2 cups sugar
5 tsp baking powder
1 ‘saltspoon’ salt
2 eggs
1 3/4 cup milk
1 Tub lard (!!)

DIRECTIONS
Combine all ingredients (except for lard) to make dough.
Thoroughly knead dough, roll smooth, and cut into rings that are less than 1/4 inch thick. (When finding items to cut out doughnut circles, be creative! Salvation Army doughnut girls used whatever they could find, from baking powder cans to coffee percolator tubes.)
Drop the rings into the lard, making sure the fat is hot enough to brown the doughnuts gradually.
Turn the doughnuts slowly several times.
When browned, remove doughnuts and allow excess fat to drip off.
Dust with powdered sugar. Let cool and enjoy.

National Doughnut Day

Happy Doughnut Day. The first Friday in June is always National Doughnut Day (or Donut Day, depending on how you spell it!) Make it Chocolate!

The first Friday in June is National Doughnut Day celebrating the doughnut, an edible, ring shaped piece of dough which is deep-fried and sweetened. This holiday event began in 1938 as a Chicago Salvation Army fundraiser for much needed funds during the depression. The day also recognized special women known as "Doughnut Lassies" who made and served doughnuts to homesick WWI soldiers in France, since doughnuts were thought to be the quintessential American food. Here's a song from a 1918 songbook celebrating doughnuts in WWI.

A doughnut’s just a doughnut, boys, ’til you are “over there,”
And day and night you’re in a trench away in France somewhere;
You get a fresh-made doughnut, seems it comes from heaven above,
That doughnut, boys, reminds you of a slice of mother’s love.”

Read more.

The history of donuts, like so many foods, is debatable. Some believe that Dutch settlers brought doughnut making techniques from Holland. Hostess Donuts were first launched in the 1930's at a time in our history were looking for inexpensive ways to treat themselves. America's favorite doughnut is glazed, followed by chocolate, powdered sugar and plain.
There are 10 billion donuts made every year.

For a wonderful entry on Doughnut Day, you'll want to go to: Months of Edible Celebrations website. Not only is there a great discussion of the history, but Months of Edible Celebrations includes  a recipe from Entenmann's Big Book of Baking for Chocolate Cake Donuts, as well as information about The Donut Book by Sally Levitt Steinberg, granddaughter of Adolph Levitt, the inventor of the first doughnut machine (1920). As Louise says in her entry, "Sally brings the doughnut to life." You've got to read this.

And, there are a lot of free doughnuts today!

Krispie Kreme's Facebook page says that anyone can stop into a store for one free doughnut of any kind, no purchase necessary. (at participating stores)

LaMar's Donuts in Colorado and the Midwest is offering one free doughnut per customer. (at participating stores)

Dunkin' Donuts: Buy any beverage and they'll throw in a complimentary doughnut (while supplies last)


Tim Horton's has a coupon on their Facebook page for a free doughnut with any purchase in U.S. lcoations. Like Tim Horton's and print coupon.

Look for other free donuts and celebrations in your town!

Here's the original  SALVATION ARMY LASSIES’ DOUGHNUT RECIPE . Not sure about the lard, but it's the original recipe, after all, so historical.


SALVATION ARMY LASSIES' DOUGHNUT RECIPE
Yield: 4 doz. doughnuts

Ingredients
5 C flour
2 C sugar
5 tsp. baking powder
1 ‘saltspoon’ salt
2 eggs 1 3/4 C milk
1 Tub lard

DIRECTIONS
Combine all ingredients (except for lard) to make dough.
Thoroughly knead dough, roll smooth, and cut into rings that are less than 1/4 inch thick. (When finding items to cut out doughnut circles, be creative! Salvation Army doughnut girls used whatever they could find, from baking powder cans to coffee percolator tubes.)
Drop the rings into the lard, making sure the fat is hot enough to brown the doughnuts gradually.
Turn the doughnuts slowly several times.
When browned, remove doughnuts and allow excess fat to drip off.
Dust with powdered sugar. Let cool and enjoy.