How to Make Vanilla Cheese Donuts
Donuts are a classic American treat, and these vanilla cheese donuts are the perfect way to indulge your sweet tooth. They take less than 30 minutes to make and they taste far better than any donut you’ve ever had at your favorite bakery or doughnut shop!
The recipe starts with a simple yeasted donut dough. It is enriched with sugar, butter and eggs for tenderness and flavor. The resulting donuts are soft and fluffy, just like the ones you’d buy from your local donut shop.
In a large bowl, combine the flour with the salt and then add the milk, yeast, sugar and butter. Using a mixer, mix until well combined and smooth. Once the ingredients are fully incorporated, cover and allow to rise for two hours or until doubled in size.
Meanwhile, prepare the strawberry cream cheese filling. Beat the cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy, then add the egg one at a time. Once the eggs are incorporated, add the vanilla extract and stir until well combined.
Once the batter is ready, use a disposable pastry bag to pipe out the strawberry cream cheese mixture onto the crust of the donuts. You want the piping to be very fine so that it will be easy to create a smooth, even layer of filling in each donut.
Then, fry the donuts in flavour neutral oil at 180°C+/- 5°C. Fry them in batches of 2 to 3 at a time. It is important to turn them often while frying to ensure that they are cooked evenly.
When the donuts are done frying, let them cool down on a wire rack and then gently transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels. When they are slightly cooled, sprinkle them with icing sugar.
Traditionally, cheese donuts are filled with a sweet filling, such as vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. However, there are also savory versions of cheese donuts that can be made using a variety of different flavors of cream cheese. For example, these goat cheese donuts feature a lemony-citrusy filling that pairs perfectly with Laura Chenel Original Goat Cheese.
This easy, simple, and delicious recipe is sure to become your new favorite breakfast. And best of all, it can be prepared the night before to save you time in the morning!
1. The donut dough:
For a rich and tender donut, it’s important to choose whole milk. You can substitute low fat or nondairy milk as well, but you’ll lose a bit of the flavor and texture.
2. The glaze:
For the most tender donut, it’s important to use room temperature butter. You can also add a splash of water to help with the consistency, but it’s best to keep the amount of liquid to a minimum as this will make for a stiffer dough.
3. The strawberry cheesecake filling:
This recipe is best served the day it is made because of the soft and delicate filling that is a result of using whipped cream rather than a heavier cream cheese. The recipe also calls for a bit of confectioners’ sugar to add some sweetness, but it’s still light and airy.