Cake Doughnuts

Ingredients

• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 beaten eggs
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup margarine or butter, melted
• Shortening or cooking oil for deep-fat frying
• Chocolate Glaze (see recipe, page 89) or sugar (optional)

Instructions

1. In a mixing bowl stir together 2 1/4 cups of the flour, the baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. In a large mixing bowl combine eggs, sugar, and vanilla; beat with an electric mixer till thick. Combine milk and melted margarine or butter. Add flour mixture and milk mixture alternately to egg mixture, beating just till blended after each addition. Stir in remaining 1 cup flour. Cover dough; chill about 2 hours.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut with a floured 2 1/2-inch doughnut cutter. Reroll as necessary.
3. Fry two or three doughnuts at a time in deep hot fat (375°) about 1 minute on each side or till golden, turning once with a slotted spoon. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining doughnuts and doughnut holes.
4. If desired, drizzle warm doughnuts with Chocolate Glaze, dip tops into glaze, or shake warm doughnuts in a bag with sugar.
5. Chocolate Doughnuts: Prepare as above, except omit cinnamon and nutmeg, increase sugar to 1 cup, reduce milk to 1/2 cup, reduce margarine or butter to 2 tablespoons, and melt 2 squares (2 ounces) unsweetened chocolate with margarine or butter.
6. Buttermilk Doughnuts: Prepare as above, except reduce baking powder to 1/2 teaspoon, add 1 teaspoon baking soda to flour mixture, and substitute buttermilk or sour milk for the milk.