Recipe: Cream Cheese or Quark Doughnuts

Earlier in the month we celebrated a family birthday. The thing I don't usually enjoy about parties is that the women usually spend the majority of the time in the kitchen, so you either miss the party or are too worn out from the before prep to enjoy yourself.
However, this time we kept the menu simple but divine and it turned out to be a really lovely, enjoyable day perfectly finished off with a movie by the fire in the evening and another plate of goodies.


My contribution to the table was a huge stack of cream cheese doughnuts. They are fast to make as they aren't yeasted so you can whip them up at a moments notice if required - perfect for weekend treats. These deep-fried balls of decadence are the best doughnut I have ever tasted. They are crispy on the outside and so light and fluffy on the inside.
You seriously have to try them.

I use homemade cream cheese in mine, which has more of a texture of an extra creamy quark. Making your own cream cheese is so dead easy it's definitely worth it. You only need full fat milk, extra cream and the specified cheese starter. The time needed (overnight) is completely hands-off and the results are unbelievable. I use the recipe from this excellent book.
If you aren't using traditional type cream cheese, use a full fat quark. Solid cream cheese such as Philadelphia won't work for this recipe.

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This makes a large batch, perfect if you're feeding a bunch of friends or just want to indulge. They go great with a hot milky coffee the next day cold from the fridge so don't worry if you have leftovers.

Cream Cheese Doughnuts

Ingredients:

2 eggs

40gm rapadura or sugar

20gm butter, melted

500gms traditional style cream cheese or full fat quark

266gms spelt flour or unbleached white flour

67gms cornflour (cornstarch)

1tsp bi-carb soda

2tsp cream o' tartar

Oil, for deep frying

Rapadura and cinnamon, for dusting

Method:

1. Whisk eggs and rapadura together until frothy. Add cheese and melted butter in turns and mix together well.

2. Mix dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. Add to cheese mixture and use a spatula or wooden spoon to combine. 

3. Heat oil in a wok or deep pot for a few minutes. To test if the oil is hot enough, drop a cube of bread into it. The bread should be golden and crispy in about 30 seconds. 

4. Drop small amounts of mixture into the oil, being careful not to overcrowd the pot. Keep in mind that these will puff whilst cooking so don't make them too large or they won't cook through. Doughnuts are cooked when deep golden on both sides, about 5-7 minutes. 

5. Transfer balls to a wire rack to drain, then coat in rapadura and cinnamon mixture.

Repeat with remaining mixture and serve warm. 

Enjoy! x