The recipe is one that has been passed down from my grandmother, so is my daughter's great grandmother's. I love using old family recipes. The often don't rely on modern convenience ingredients, and that is wonderful. The old world taste is still all there too, many times lacking the massive quantities of sugar in modern recipes. I don't know how old this recipe is, since I never ask Grammy. She may have just gotten it from one of the cookbooks of her day, wonderful as they were. Here is the recipe with a change I have made - I added 1/2 tsp of baking powder to make the cake donut a little lighter.
¼ C butter ¼ tsp salt
1¼ C sugar 1½ tsp vanilla
2 eggs, beaten well 1½ squares chocolate, melted
1 C sour milk (Note 10) (or use ½ C cocoa) We use cocoa
4 C all purpose flour 1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
Glaze (below) optional
Coconut (optional)
Cream butter and add sugar gradually while beating constantly. Then add eggs, chocolate, sour milk. Mix thoroughly.
Add flour mixed and sifted with baking soda, powder and salt.
Add vanilla and enough flour to handle mixture. Roll on floured surface to ¾ inch thick. Shape into doughnuts using doughnut cutter or making into twists, wreaths, whatever shape you desire.
Fry in hot oil, about 375°. (Cast iron Dutch oven is good for this). It takes about 6 minutes to fry the doughnuts. We actually roll them a little thinner too, probably 1/2 inch at most.
If desired you can glaze while still warm. Also, you can make chocolate coconut doughnuts by glazing, and before glaze sets rolling in coconut.
Glaze:
Mix 3 cups powdered sugar and ½ cup boiling water until smooth.
I hope the pictures are okay. I'm trying to remember to take pictures and add them, but am not a very good photographer, or very artistic. Bear with me :-)
