Yesterday, my Blackberry & Ginger Granita guest post was published on Souvlaki For The Soul. Today, I'd like you to all welcome Peter to my blog, with his beautiful (and pink!) Potato Doughnuts with a Rosewater Icing.
I remember the first time I stumbled upon Peter's blog, it actually wasn't one of his food posts, but a travel one, his Koh Samui post to be exact. I was awestruck by his travel photos until I discovered he was also an awesome food blogger/stylist/photogrpaher too, and that was it, blog-love at first sight.
Over to you Peter:
I've been wanting to present this creation for quite a while now but never found the right opportunity to post it. As soon as Mowie asked me to provide a guest post on his blog I knew this "celebration doughnut cake" would be perfect. It's sweet, it has flowers and is quite striking in appearance. A little like Mowie actually! Check out these stunning flowers Mowie shot recently. (Also I have to give credit where it's due. The idea for presenting this cake came form Heather's blog-thanks Heather!)
It's not really a cake in the traditional sense. More like a "grand presentation" for an intimate affair. I made the doughnuts using a dough enhanced with russet potatoes-the potatoes have a low moisture content and produce a soft texture. And the icing has one of my favorite flavours-rosewater. I know not everyone is a fan of rosewater-but if you are, you are going to love the floral flavors of the icing. The doughnuts were deep fried and in this instance I chose to use rice bran oil which is quite healthy, has a high smoke point and is free of those nasty trans fats. The final touch is to stack the doughnuts on top of each other on a cake dish and decorate with red roses. I hope you like my "celebration doughnut cake".
Recipe for Potato Doughnuts with a Rosewater Icing (printable version)
(Adapted from the SMH "Good Living" August 2009)
For the doughnuts:
1/2 a cup of milk
2 tsp of dry yeast
500 grams of russet potatoes-peeled and cut into even chunks
2 eggs
3 1/2 cups of plain flour
2 tbsp of sugar
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
juice and zest of one orange
2 litres of rice bran oil-for deep frying
For the icing:
3 tbsp of water
3 drops of rosewater
150 grams of pure icing sugar
Heat the milk in a saucepan over a low heat until warm. Add the yeast and let it sit for 15 mins.
Put the potatoes in a large pot , cover with water and allow to boil, cooking the potatoes until tender.
Drain the potatoes thoroughly and pass through a "mouli" or ricer and place in a large bowl.
Add the eggs, flour, sugar, oil, zest and juice to the potatoes and mix well to combine. Add the yeast mixture and proceed to knead well adding more flour if necessary to keep the dough from becoming too sticky.
Cover well and let the dough rise in a warm place for about one hour-it should have doubled in size.
Roll the dough out on a floured bench to approx. 2 cm thickness
Use an 8cm round cutter to cut the doughnut shapes. Cut a small hole in the centre of each doughnut using another smaller cutter, your thumb or even the back of a wooden spoon.
Place the doughnuts on a tray lined with baking paper and allow to rise for another 15 mins.
Heat the oil in a deep fryer or a large pot. Allow the temperature of the oil to get between 180-190 deg C (use a kitchen thermometer to be sure!)
Fry a few doughnuts at a time, making sure not to overcrowd the fryer and pot, for about 5 mins turning the doughnuts over halfway through.
Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a plate lined with paper towels.
Make the icing by mixing the water, rosewater and icing sugar in a shallow bowl. We're looking at a slurry that is not too thick or too thin. Adjust accordingly as you mix.
Dip the doughnuts in the icing and place on a separate tray. Allow the icing to set.
Assemble your "cake" by stacking the doughnuts on top of each other following a circular motion. Place flowers in appropriate gaps and serve!
