Happy Thirteenth Chocolate & Vanilla Mini Doughnut Cakes

Over the weekend the kiddo turned the ripe old age of thirteen. In my house that means you get a little extra. 

Extra pancakes with syrup. Extra fries with those two hot dogs (a thirteen year old needs to eat extra, you see...).  Extra hard work on the obligatory birthday spaghetti. 

It also means there is extra cake.

Not just any cake. Doughnut cake. Made from mini doughnuts.

Not just mini doughnuts, but chocolate and vanilla mini doughnuts, because there needs to be more than one flavor.

And not just doughnut cake, but doughnut cake with whipped cream, chocolate sprinkles and little round silver sugar ball sprinkles. With hazelnut chocolate drizzled on top. Because there needs to be more than one variety of sprinkles and hazelnut chocolate when you turn thirteen.

It's a rule. Or at least it should be.

A year from now, it won't be a thirteenth birthday we'll be celebrating, but I'm sure there will be extra then too.

Just because birthdays need extras, no matter what age.

Happy Thirteenth to my kiddo!

Eventually I'll have to change his nickname to something more manly to reflect this new stage in life, but not yet. Probably not until he's thirty. Maybe not even then.

Chocolate & Vanilla Mini Doughnut cakes

Serves: 4-5 with extra mini doughnuts left for breakfast. 
It's ok, they're baked.

vanilla doughnut batter

• 1 1/2 cups (123g) cake flour
• ½ cup (30g) ground hazelnuts
• ¾ cup (170g) white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 pinch coarse salt
• 1 cup (236ml) milk
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs

chocolate doughnut batter

• 1 cup (82.5g) cake flour
• ½ cup (40.5g) cocoa powder
• ½ cup (30g) ground hazelnuts
• ¾ cup (170g) white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 pinch coarse salt
• 1 cup (236ml) milk
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 eggs

• vegetable oil for oiling the doughnut mold

toppings

• whipped cream
• chocolate sprinkles
• silver sugar ball sprinkles
• hazelnut chocolate

Note: Both doughnut batters are prepared the same way

In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. In another bowl whisk together the wet ingredients until completely combined.

Pour wet ingredients into the dry and stir until fully incorporated.

If you're using a mini doughnut machine, lightly oil the doughnut mold and allow the machine to heat up according to directions (usually about 5 minutes) then spoon 1 tablespoon (or just enough so it doesn't overflow) of the batter into each doughnut hole. Allow to cook in the machine about 2-5 minutes depending on your machine. The vanilla doughnuts will be golden brown and the chocolate will have puffed up and be darker on the outside.

Remove the doughnuts carefully with the aid of a wooden chopstick or other utensil and repeat with the rest of the batter.

Once batter is gone, lightly oil the machine mold again if planning on making another batch.

If using a doughnut baking bold or mini muffin tin, lightly oil the mold and fill ¾ full with batter and bake at 350F (180C) for 10-15 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Assembly

In a small bowl, stir together whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles and place in the fridge until ready to use.

Place 3 mini doughnuts on each plate and top with 1 doughnut. Spoon whipped cream on top of each “cake” and drizzle hazelnut chocolate on top. 

Drop a few silver sugar ball sprinkles on top and serve.