Easter Doughnuts
These doughy delights feature the traditional flavours of Hot Cross Buns and are filled with a rich spiced custard.
How long will it take?
Approximately 4 hours, including proving time
What’s the serving size?
Makes 10 doughnuts
What do I need?
For the Doughnuts
- 250 mL full cream milk, lukewarm
- 1 x 7 g sachet dried yeast
- 3 ½ cups plain flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp caster sugar
- 4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp all spice
- 2 eggs
- 70 g unsalted butter, cubed
- 2 tbsp finely grated orange zest
- ½ cup raisins
- 1 litre sunflower oil for frying
For the Spiced Custard
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 ½ tbsp caster sugar, divided
- 275 mL full cream milk
- Seeds from half a vanilla pod
- 2 tbsp cornflour
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- Zest of ½ an orange, finely grated
- 70 mL cream
For the Icing
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 2 tbsp warm water
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- Candied orange, optional, to serve
How do I make it?
- Add warm milk to a bowl and sprinkle with yeast. Stir until the yeast dissolves, then set aside.
- Add plain flour, salt, caster sugar, cinnamon, and all spice to the bowl of an electric mixer and stir to combine. Pour milk and yeast mix into bowl and mix on medium speed. When just combined add eggs and mix for 10 minutes, or until the dough is glossy. Slowly add butter, beating well to ensure it is fully incorporated. Fold in orange zest and raisins and then cover bowl and set aside in a warm spot until it has doubled in size.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 2 minutes, then divide into 10 evenly sized balls. Place balls on 2 lightly greased baking trays, leaving room for them to expand. Loosely cover with a tea towel and set aside in a warm spot until they have doubled in size.
- Pour sunflower oil into a large, deep saucepan and heat over high heat until the oil reaches 180C. Cook doughnuts, in batches, until golden brown on both sides. Set aside on a wire rack to cool.
- Meanwhile, make the Spiced Custard by whisking egg yolks in a bowl with 1 tbsp caster sugar and cornflour until thick and pale.
- Heat milk in a saucepan with remaining 1 ½ tbsp caster sugar, vanilla seeds, cinnamon, all spice, and orange zest until just simmering. Pour half this mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Tip the egg yolk and milk mixture back into the saucepan and stir until the mixture thickens. Place mixture in the fridge to cool.
- Whip cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Set aside. In a separate bowl beat the chilled custard mixture until smooth, then fold into whipped cream.
- Poke a hole in each doughnut and pipe in Spiced Custard.
- Prepare icing by slowly adding water and lemon juice to icing sugar until the icing is thin enough to pour over the doughnuts. Drizzle doughnuts with icing, allow the icing to set and garnish with candied orange if desired.
