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Peach season has arrived! And today we’re talking about peach shortcakes….made with doughnuts. I thought it was such a fun twist on a dessert that’s usually made with strawberries and biscuits, and it was such a great way to break in my brand new Auto-Drain Deep Fryer from Paderno. Now I have to say that I’m no stranger to deep-frying things, mostly doughnuts, and I’ve always used a pot on the stove or an electric frying pan. Not anymore! My life has actually been changed by this deep-fryer. It cools and drains the oil into a storage container itself, has a clever breakaway safety cord to reduce the risk of an accident, and the oil basin is removable and dishwasher safe for easy cleanup...which takes care of all the things I used to hate about deep-frying! Seriously amazing.

These doughnuts are yeast-based, so there is some waiting time with them (I know, I know...having patience is tough!), but they are so worth it. Once they are done frying, you want to roll them in cinnamon sugar right away so that it sticks, and then let them cool completely before attempting to cut them. I even used my Paderno Variable Speed Immersion Blender to whip the cream, and it literally took seconds. I always find whipping smaller amounts of cream tricky with a hand mixer, so the immersion blender worked perfectly.I then peeled and sliced up the most amazing peaches, put everything together, and voila! The perfect late summer dessert.

peaches & cream doughnut shortcakes

recipe: Kelsey Siemens
Yields: 10-12 servings

recipe: Kelsey Siemens

Yields: about 12 doughnuts - will vary with size

ingredients

For the doughnuts:

¼ cup hot water (not boiling)

2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

½ cup milk

3 tablespoons shortening

¼ cup granulated sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 egg

2 ½ - 3 cups (300-360 grams) all-purpose flour

Oil - for frying, I recommend canola oil

For cinnamon-sugar mixture:

½ cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

For the shortcakes:

1 cup whipping cream

1 tablespoon powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

3-4 large peaches

directions

To make the doughnuts:

First, activate the yeast. Stir together the hot water, yeast, and sugar. Let rise for 5 minutes. If the mixture does not become frothy and increase in size, discard and try again.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the milk, shortening, remaining sugar, salt, and egg. Stir in the activated yeast.

Switch to using a dough hook (you could also use a wooden spoon and then switch to kneading by hand if you don’t have a dough hook or stand mixer). Add in 2 ¼ cups of flour right away, and mix on low.

Slowly add more flour by the tablespoon until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, but is still slightly sticky to the touch. If using a stand mixer, mix on low for 8 minutes. If not, knead by hand for 8-10 minutes.

Place the dough into a greased bowl, cover with a clean dishtowel, and let rise until doubled, about an hour.

Make the cinnamon-sugar mixture:

Mix together the cinnamon and sugar mixture in a small bowl, and set aside.

Remove the dough from the bowl, and roll out to about ½ inch thick, the shape doesn’t matter. Use a round cookie cutter to cut out doughnuts, I used one with a 2.5-inch diameter. Gather the scraps, knead together, roll out again, and cut out more doughnuts.

Place the doughnuts onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet and cover with a dish towel and let rise until doubled again. While the doughnuts are rising, start heating your oil to 375 degrees. The Paderno Auto-Drain Deep Fryer has markings that show where the oil line should be, so fill accordingly, if using a pot or electric frying pan, make sure the oil is several inches deep so that the doughnuts won’t hit the bottom. I usually use canola oil to fry in, since it has such a high smoke point.

Note: Always ensure that your deep fryer is completely secure, and safely placed in an area where children and pets cannot reach it, and it won’t be knocked into by accident. You should never leave a deep fryer unattended.

Line a cooling rack with paper towel, and set it right next to the deep fryer. Once the deep fryer has reached temperature and the doughnuts have risen, start frying! I usually do about 3 doughnuts at a time. You don’t want to crowd them too much or cause too much of a temperature drop, so use caution. Cook each doughnut for 30 seconds, flip, cook for 30 seconds, and repeat.

Total cook time should be 2 minutes.
If it takes your doughnuts longer than that to cook, your temperature is likely too low and your doughnuts will start absorbing too much oil, which we don’t want! If your doughnuts get too dark and crispy, your temperature may be too high, so reduce it a little and try again. You want a deep golden colour to the doughnuts, and when you cut into them, they should be cooked through. I always recommend doing a test doughnut to start!

Remove the cooked doughnuts and place onto the cooling rack with paper towel, allow to cool slightly and then immediately roll them in cinnamon sugar. Allow to cool completely before cutting into.

Repeat with all remaining doughnuts.

To assemble the shortcakes:

First, prepare the peaches by peeling and cutting them. Then whip the cream. I used my Paderno Variable Immersion Blender, and it did the job in seconds. Mix in the powdered sugar and vanilla to taste. Cut each doughnut in half. Pile high with whipped cream and sliced peaches. Serve immediately.

Cooking Tips:

The easiest way to peel your peaches is to place them into boiling water for 30 seconds

or so, remove and place them into an ice bath (to stop them from cooking), and the skin will simply slide off!

If you can’t eat all the doughnuts that day, place them into the freezer (without any filling) immediately for a later date!