Well, it might be time to admit that I am a bit obsessed with picking fruit in the summertime. Colorful jars of jam are stowed in my cupboards and numerous pounds (and varieties) of berries are tucked in my freezer. I am running out of space quickly and blueberries, marionberries, peaches, and pickles are still waiting for my attention. In the meantime, I will make doughnuts:
What you see above is a batch of organic cherry doughnuts. These were inspired by cherry doughnuts I used to enjoy when I lived in Cleveland’s Little Italy neighborhood many years ago. I actually lived down the street from a teeny doughnut shop called Presti’s and they had amazing cherry doughnuts. I could smell them from my apartment! Those were the days… Well, actually, I can sometimes smell VooDoo Doughnuts from my neighborhood now, so I guess not much has changed!
Anyway, let’s get back to those cherry doughnuts! I adapted a plain cake doughnut recipe from the always entertaining Peas and Thank You blog. I have tampered with several vegan doughnut recipes and I think I finally settled on one that makes me happy. I have made these twice in one week since cherries far outnumber people in my kitchen.
*A few notes about this recipe: I made cherry juice using my juicer. If you don’t have a juicer, store bought cherry juice should work, just make sure it isn’t loaded with icky ingredients. Also, make sure to really chop those cherries for the doughnut batter! The tinier, the better (you could give a handful of cherries a whir in a food processor to save time). If you have a juicer, use the cherry pulp extracted from your juicer instead of chopping cherries.
Cherry Doughnuts
(recipe adapted from Peas & Thank You)
Ingredients for doughnuts:
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup oat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch cinnamon, optional
pinch nutmeg, optional
1/2 cup pure cherry juice
1/4 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk (I used almond milk)
1/2 cup unrefined sugar
2 Tablespoons melted coconut oil (any oil would work here, I just prefer coconut oil)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3-4 Tablespoons very finely chopped fresh cherries (use sweet cherries, like Bings)
Ingredients for cherry glaze:
1/2 cup organic powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy
1-2 Tablespoons pure cherry juice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 6-count doughnut pan with coconut oil.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
3. In a glass measuring cup, stir together cherry juice, non-dairy milk, sugar, coconut oil, and vanilla extract.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until no lumps remain. Gently fold in the chopped cherries.
5. Spoon batter evenly into doughnut pan.
6. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until doughnuts are golden on top. Remove pan from oven and allow doughnuts to cool in the pan for at least 5 minutes before inverting them onto a cooling rack.
7. While doughnuts are cooling, make the glaze: In a shallow bowl (one that is wide enough to dip doughnuts into) whisk together powdered sugar, cherry juice, and vanilla extract. Add the cherry juice 1 Tablespoon at a time until you reach a consistency you are happy with.
8. Once doughnuts are completely cooled, dip the top half of each doughnut in the glaze and allow them to dry before devouring!
Enjoy! I’ll be back soon with a post on homemade pickles!
I didn’t know you lived in Cleveland! I get a kick out of learning more about you with each post. Presti’s is still there along with all those great pizza places, restaurants, galleries and such. That smell must have been heavenly. Great outdoor pictures and those donuts look amazing! That last photo is pink perfection!
I don’t think I ever mentioned the Cleveland chapter of my life on the blog! I loved living in Little Italy, not just for the doughnuts, but because it had so much character and charm. I think the only pizza I ever had was from Mama Santos.
Mama Santos is still the number one pizza place ;)
I loved the atmosphere at Mama Santos, right down to the checkered tablecloths! Now I miss Little Italy :(
OMG! I’ll eat them all.
Hahaaa! You and Tim would have to fight over them! He keeps sneaking into the kitchen for bites of doughnut.
Oh my god, I love cherries! That looks so delicious! Can’t wait to try!! I’m new to blogging and love checking out everyone’s foodie blogs here on wordpress. Could you please check out http://shecooksandheeats.wordpress.com/ and provide some feedback on how to gain more exposure? Thanks
Oh, I miss being able to go to Presti’s; hey don’t make vegan doughnuts (the finks). Thanks for the recipe!
I loved Presti’s doughnuts! I actually lived near the tiny, original location that had crazy hours (10 PM to 6 AM or something similar).
These would not last long in my house. They look absolutely delicious!
They don’t last long in my house either – less than a day! But, I tell myself that they are much better for me than a donut shop donut, so it’s okay!
I think I may finally have to invest in a donut pan. These look amazing! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Do it! A donut pan is definitely a worthwhile investment! I am thinking about pineapple coconut donuts next… :)
How have I not seen this post yet? I can’t even describe how much I love it. The first photographs are just lovely, and the doughnuts look beyond delicious.
Oooh, those looks truly awesome!
Thanks, Fanny! They did not last very long because Tim loves doughnuts!
I’m super jealous of the abundance of cherries you have access to! They are super expensive here and I honestly cannot imagine doing anything with them besides eating them plain. I may test this recipe with frozen sweet cherries.