All Doughnuts Are Not Created Equal

An early morning jaunt to Dainty Maid Bakery resulted in a chocolate-glazed custard doughnut, cake doughnut, maple-glazed cinnamon roll, and a plain yeast glazed doughnut.

The Custard. My brother wondered why the glaze only covered the very middle of the doughnut. Was it a map outlining where the custard was?

My favorite doughnut is a cake doughnut. Well made, it should be a bit crispy on the outside, and the crumb should be between dense and fluffy, but always moist. The flavor depends on who makes it, nutmeg, vanilla, whatever. This was vanilla. Also, I like it because it's not as sweet as a glazed doughnut, be it yeast or cake. This was a good doughnut.

News from the front via my brother: We've made our way around the perimeter, but we have yet to make contact with the custard!

Maple-glazed cinnamon roll. There was nothing great about this at all. The dough was not enriched, it wasn't even sweet, I'm pretty sure they used regular white bread dough, sprinkled the inside with cinnamon, then slathered frosting on at the end. Without the frosting, this would have been a mouthful of blegh.

We've made contact! The custard was pretty good. Not the best ever, but there have been worse. The dough parts, however, were flavorless.

A plain yeast glazed doughnut. I didn't taste this, but I'm sure it was exactly the same as the others: bready, flavorless, and lucky it had a thin layer of icing to add some taste.

So, fellow blog readers, if you are in the area of South Bend, IN, and want a doughnut, do not go to Dainty Maid Bakery.

Whole Wheat Potato Bread

My bread-of-the-moment appears to be Rustic Potato Bread. I wanted to make it soon after the first time so I could play around with the dough. I've gotten a better idea on how slack this dough should be (not as slack as I was making it), and I subbed one cup of the bread flour for high gluten whole wheat flour. It tasted great, with a pleasant nuttiness that didn't negatively affect the finished texture of the dough, and it paired well next with the potato, but it took away the buttery essence that the first bread had. I plan to make this often, alternating between the whole wheat and regular variations.

(EoP)

Plumalicious

The original plan was to make a plum tart, but a week went by and the plums were on their way out. Rude, I know. The next best dessert to a plum tart is a French Tart Cake. The recipe was from Joy of Cooking, and it's actually called "French Apple or Peach Cake". So obviously, I used plums.

Sliced plums sprinkled with sugar, orange juice, orange rind, and melted butter

This cake is very much like an upside-down pineapple cake. There is an option of finishing the baked cake with a meringue, but I opted out. Instead of using only two egg yolks since I wasn't making a meringue, I simply added the whole eggs to the cake batter.

French Plum Cake, recipe below

My favorite part of this cake is the topping. The plums break down and cook into a delicious preserve texture, very flavorful, the perfect level of sweetness, and a brilliant color. Another great thing about this recipe is how quick it is to assemble. If you ever want a quick dessert that's delicious, this fits the profile.

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French Plum Cake
From The Joy of Cooking
(Back to the top)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of sliced plums


• 2/3 cup sugar


• Grated rind of 1 orange, and 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice


• 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour


• 2 tablespoons melted butter


• 1 cup all-purpose flour


• 1/2 cup sugar


• 1 teaspoon baking powder


• 1/4 teaspoon salt


• 2 large eggs


• 1 tablespoon melted butter


• 1/4 cup milk


• Whipped cream


• Extra grated orange rind for finishing

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425°. Grease a 10-inch cast iron skillet and cover the bottom with the plums. Sprinkle with 2/3 cup sugar, the grated orange rind, and the juice, then with 1 1/2 tablespoons flour. Pour 2 tablespoons of melted butter over the surface.


2. Whisk together the remaining flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl beat together the eggs, remaining melted butter, and the milk. Whisk into the flour mixture with swift strokes until blended. Cover the fruit with the batter. Bake for about 30 minutes, then reverse it on a platter. Cool slightly, then serve with a large dollop of whipped cream sprinkled with grated orange rind.