Cardamom Spiced Rhubarb Cream Donuts

In what feels like a final farewell to the rainy spring that would never quit (and lets be honest, I'm crossing all my fingers that these summery days we've finally gotten are for real), I'm giving one last nod to spring with these cardmom spiced rhubarb cream donuts and tbh it's a hell of a way to sign off.

I love rhubarb and when it shows up in the spring it's a sign that no, life isn't dead. Things do grow! This is great news! But sometimes once you make a rhubarb cocktail and maybe make a rhubarb pie, you might find yourself sort of wondering how else to extend this delicious tart springy fruit/vegetable. Might I suggest you fill a donut with it?

I don't love a jelly donut. As much as I love jam and jelly and make a fair share of it, the idea of biting into a donut and getting a full mouth full kinda grosses me out. Swap that jelly out for cream? Sign me up. Texture wins this war. I will eat a cheap grocery store long john filled with straight buttercream, or a fancy eclair filled with pastry cream. The idea of maybe a delicious raised donut sprinkled in sugar and cardamom and filled with a sweet and tart rhubarb cream seemed like nothing but a good idea.

The rhubarb cream was a little bit of a challenge. I wanted something not quite curdy, but more creamy. With good body and flavor but not too gelatinous. I remembered seeing Tartine Bakery's lemon cream recipe and used it as my inspiration for the rhubarb. I was a little quick to the filling-draw and it loosed up a bit but it firmed up in the fridge and not only was delicious in these donuts, but seeing as how it makes quite a bit-- it was perfect swirled into yogurt, or over a scone, or even on top of ice cream. Win-win!

The donuts themselves were pretty straightofward. I had never made a filled donut but it's pretty easy. I had a piping tip (a bismarck to be exact) which came in a variety pack a few years ago which made it super easy.

The donuts are best on the day they are made (as most donuts are), but I wont say I WASN'T eating one a couple of days later.

Cardamom Spiced Rhubarb Cream Donuts

Makes about a dozen donuts!

Ingredients

For the donuts:

3/4 C whole milk

2 1/4 tsp instant yeast

3.5 C AP Flour, plus more for rolling out if needed

1/4 C granulated sugar

1 tsp kosher salt

2 large eggs and 2 large yolks

6 Tbsp unsalted butter at room temp, cut into cubes

Vegetable oil, for frying

Assembly:

1/2 C granulated sugar

2 tsp ground cardamom

pinch of kosher salt

rhubarb cream (recipe below)

For the Rhubarb Cream

1 pound of rhubarb

4 C water

2 Tbsp lemon juice

3 large eggs

1 egg yolk

3/4 C granulated sugar

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 C unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons

Method

For the Rhubarb Cream

Note: You can do this all on the same day, but it is a bit of a project and helps to spread it out over two days. Be sure to let the curd come to room temp or cooler before piping into the donuts

First- let's juice the rhubarb!

Chop the rhubarb crosswise (one of the MOST satisfying things to chop IMO) into one inch chunks and add to medium saucepan with water. Bring to a boil over high heat and then cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Strain liquid (the rhubarb will practically disintegrate) through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl or measuring cup, pressing on the solids to get as much liquid out as possible. Set aside to let the remaining solids settle to the bottom.

Carefully pour the juice into a bottle or jar (a ball jar works well), leaving the yellow solids at the bottom of the measuring cup and set aside. Voila: beautiful pink rhubarb juice!

To make the cream: Combine 1/2 C rhubarb juice, lemon juice, eggs, yolk, sugar and salt in a stainless steel bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Whisk constantly until the mixture becomes thick and registers 180F on an instant read thermometer, about 10 minutes. If you dont trust your thermometer, cook until your whisk leaves a defined trail through the bottom of the curd.

Remove from the simmering pan and let cool, stirring occasionally to release some heat. Strain curd mixture through a fine mesh strainer to a blender (this might get messy, so feel free to use a middle man bowl. You want to get rid of any potential little cooked bits of eggs before finishing the cream). With the blender running on low, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of butter at a time, allowing it to fully incorporate before adding more.

Now the cream is ready to be used! Here we're piping into donuts, but you'll end up with about 8-10 ounces. It will keep in the fridge for at least 2 weeks.

For the Donuts

This is an enriched, yeasted dough which makes for a pretty delicious but time consuming donut. I've included steps to make these the night before you fry, but you can also make these in one day!

For the donuts: Bring the milk to a strong simmer on the stovetop and remove from heat. Add milk to a measuring cup and let cool to at least 130F. Sprinkle yeast over the top and stir to combine. Set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat flour, sugar, and kosher salt to combine. Add the (now cooler and bubbly from the yeast) milk mixture and eggs and yolks. Mix on low speed until combined, scraping sides if needed, and then swap in the dough hook. Knead the dough about 3 minutes. If the dough is looking really sticky, add up to 1/4 C. Always better to err on the side of less flour, so make sure you give it some time to incorporate before adding more. The dough will still be somewhat sticky, but cohesive.

Keeping the speed low, start adding the butter a piece at a time, allowing it to incorporate into the dough. This can be a little frustrating, and if you need to, stop the mixer and squish some of the butter in there. I babysit the dough at this stage, smushing butter into the dough with a spatula. Keep the dough hook moving at a low speed until things are looking smooth and gorgeous. You can tell it's done when it clears the sides of the bowl, there are no chunks or streaks of visible butter, and it's no longer sticky. This can take a little while (like 10 or so minutes) so be patient!

Once the butter is incorporated, transfer to a vegetable-spray greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap.

If you're making same-day donuts: Sit the bowl in a warm spot in the kitchen and allow to proof for 1.5 hours or until it's doubled in size. Chill in the fridge for 15 min (to make it easier to handle) then proceed with the steps.

If you're making overnight donuts: Cover the bowl in plastic wrap and stick in the fridge for a low and slow overnight proof.

Before getting into the dough, line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment and lightly spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.

Once the dough is doubled in size and ready to roll, plop onto a lightly floured board. Press and roll into a rough 9x13 rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Use a 3.5 inch round biscuit/cookie cutter to get 12 donuts out (I keep the scraps and fry them up for my kids!), transferring them to the prepared parchment lined sheets.

Lightly lay a sheet of plastic wrap on top of cut donuts and set in a warm area to rise for 90 min or until dough springs back slowly when dented with your knuckle.

Now it's FryTime:

In a heavy bottomed dutch oven, add 2 qts of vegetable oil and attach a deep fry or food thermometer to the side of the pot. While the oil is heating, line another baking sheet with paper towels, and in a medium bowl, combine 1/2 C granulated sugar and 2 tsp of ground cardamom. Set aside.

Once the oil hits 375F, it's time to fry the donuts. Carefully add 1-2 donuts to the oil and fry until golden brown-- usually 1-2 minutes flipping over about halfway through (I like to use chopsticks to flip the donuts over). Using a slotted spoon or a spider, remove the donuts from the oil and set on paper towel lined sheet tray. Wait for the oil to get back to 375 and repeat with remaining donuts, being sure to adjust heat as necessary to keep the oil at temperature.

Once the donuts are cool enough to handle, toss them gently in the sugar mixture.

Using the bismarck tip fitted pastry bag (or the handle of a wooden spoon works!) poke a hole and fill with rhubarb cream. Enjoy immediately!

ALL IMAGES AND TEXT © REBA TOLODAY / THE PROPER BINGE