Deep Fried Doughnut Cupcakes

These cupcakes combined the fried goodness of a doughnut with the cake-y softness and taste of a cupcake! Fill them with your favorite filling and trim however you please.

The cupcake on the inside of the "doughnut" is just your average yellow cake.  The recipe I used is from thecupcakerecipe.com, it makes 12 cupcakes.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a standard (12-cup) muffin tin (you won't need cupcake papers to line it). In a small bowl, whisk together the 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt; set aside. In a liquid-measuring cup, mix 1/2 cup milk and 1 tsp vanilla; set aside.

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter and 3/4 cup sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the 2 eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. With mixer on low speed, add half of dry ingredients, followed by milk-vanilla mixture, then remaining dry ingredients. 

Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups (I like to use a 1/4 cup measuring cup).
Bake for 15 minutes (you want it to be not completely finished, deep frying will do that).
Let sit in the tin for about 5 minutes and then allow to cool.

I filled my cupcakes with a store bought raspberry jam.  I have found that the best way to fill the cupcakes for deep frying is to poke a hole in the top with a pinky (clean hands of course!), wiggle it around to make a hollow space inside.  Then put enough jelly to fill the cupcakes in a piping bag (plastic bags with a clipped tip work too) and use a metal piping tip to fill them to the top. 

Before you start making the fry batter I would suggest heating up a home deep frier (if you don't have a deep frier 3 inches in of oil in a pot). You'll want to get the oil temperature to 375° F for frying.  

While that's heating up time's time to start the fry batter. The recipe I used is adapted from a recipe on cooks.com and it is as follows:

1 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
1 c. milk
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

All you have to do is mix all of the ingredients together and it's done!

Once the oil is to 375° F you are ready to get frying! Batter the cupcakes one at a time and place them in the hot oil until golden. 
If you want the cupcake to be sugar coated like some in the first photo I should, you will want to roll the cupcake in sugar while it's still warm (DON'T do it right out of the oil, you might burn yourself!)

I found the chocolate frosting recipe on food.com on a page called "Krispy Kreme Doughnut Copycat". They also have a recipe for making a glaze for glazed doughnuts, but I chose not to do any.

I cut their recipe in half and still had extra

1/3 cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
4 -6 tablespoons hot water
4 ounces milk chocolate chips or 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat butter and chocolate over low heat until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat. Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Stir in water 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency.

When I frosted them I tried to spread it on with a knife, I would now suggest dipping the top of the cupcake in it to get a nicer looking product.

Your cupcakes are finished!! Time to eat up and enjoy!