Doughnut Pan Surprise Cake Recipes

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the bottom and sides of two 2-by-9-inch round cake pans with shortening. Line with parchment cut to neatly cover the bottom and sides of the pans.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle, sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the eggs, buttermilk, espresso, vegetable oil and vanilla; mix on medium speed. Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans.
• Bake for 20 minutes. Rotate the pans and continue baking until an inserted skewer comes out clean, another 15 minutes. Cool on a rack, unmold and return to the rack to cool completely.
• For the buttercream icing: With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the egg whites and powdered sugar for 5 minutes. Add the butter and vanilla and beat for 10 minutes, until fluffy. (Makes 3 pounds.)
• For the caramel icing/crumble: Mix the sugar, buttermilk, shortening, butter and baking soda in a 3- or 4-quart cast-iron Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook to the softball stage (235 to 245 degrees F on a candy thermometer), swirling the pan to keep the ingredients moving.
• Remove from the heat and beat with a wooden spoon until creamy and spreadable. Spread on a silicone mat and set aside. When cool, break into a crumble.
• To create the striped filling: Put one-third of the vanilla buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a 1/3-inch tip. Put an equivalent amount of raspberry jam into a second piping bag, also fitted with a 1/3-inch tip.
• When the cakes are completely cool, pipe a dollop of buttercream into the center of one of the layers. Pipe concentric circles around the first dollop, working outward and alternating between circles of raspberry jam and buttercream¿this will be your bottom layer.
• Lightly place the remaining cake layer on top of the 'piped' bottom layer. Use the remaining buttercream to ice the entire cake.
• Add the crumbled caramel by patting small handfuls onto the top of the iced cake.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease a doughnut pan.
• In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt. Stir in milk, eggs, vanilla and shortening. Beat together until well blended.
• Fill each doughnut cup approximately 3/4 full. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until doughnuts spring back when touched. Allow to cool slightly before removing from pan.
• To make glaze, blend confectioners' sugar, hot water and almond extract in a small bowl. Dip doughnuts in the glaze when serving.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a 10- or 12-cup Bundt pan, taking care to get into all the grooves of the pan.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream 1 cup/225 grams room-temperature butter and 1 1/2 cups/300 grams sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and mix until well incorporated, scraping the mixing bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and mix to combine.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda and salt to combine. Add half of the flour mixture to the mixer and mix on low speed until incorporated. With the mixer running, add the buttermilk in a slow, steady stream and mix until combined. Add the remaining flour and mix until fully incorporated. Scrape the bowl well to be sure the batter is well combined.
• Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan and spread evenly. Tap the pan heavily on the counter a few times to help even out the batter and remove air pockets. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean, 45 to 55 minutes.
• Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 to 20 minutes, then flip the pan onto a cooling rack set inside a baking sheet. Tap the pan heavily onto the rack. The cake should easily release. If it doesn't, use a small offset spatula to gently run around the edges of the pan to help release, then tap it again onto the rack.
• In a small bowl, mix the remaining 2/3 cup/135 grams sugar with the cinnamon to combine. Brush the warm cake all over with melted butter, then spoon cinnamon sugar over the cake. Brush any bare areas with the melted butter and reuse any cinnamon sugar that falls onto the baking sheet below the rack, using your hands to gently press it into the surface of the cake to help it stick. The idea is to get the cake fully coated all over with cinnamon sugar. Let the cake cool completely before serving.