Strawberries & Cream Filled Donuts

Maybe you are a mom.  Or have a mom.  Or know a mom.  I mean, any reason to make and eat these for Mother’s Day brunch or breakfast this weekend is completely legitimate. 

Moi?  I will not be having fresh donuts, or sleeping in because hello, nursing infant.  Instead, I’ll be making sure that little boys are at least acceptably clean, small tummies (and the adult ones too because hangry is real) are full, and shoes are on feed before we all shoo ourselves out the door to church.  And you know something?  I think it’ll still be a stellar morning.

But I have to admit, I wouldn’t mind donuts.  I mean, I don’t ever mind donuts.  My relationship with them is on a scale of “Oh, doesn’t that sound good!” to “GIVE ME FRIED BALLS OF SWEET DOUGH LEST I DIE” and I’m usually somewhere in the middle.  And I feel like one of Instagram’s greatest gifts to humanity is making us all lean towards the crazy obsessed end of the eat all the donuts spectrum.  Meaning, I’m usually more into them than not.  Throw some strawberries and cream in the middle, and it’s all over, because I freakin’ LOVE strawberries.  And who doesn’t love some pastry cream oozing out of their donuts?

So all of that to say?  If theere’s a mother in your life that you need to show some extra love to this weekend, you have found your answer.  Right here, right now.

Because doesn’t everyone speak the love language of donuts?

print recipe

Strawberries & Cream Filled Donuts

by Rebecca Neidhart May-1-2018

Light, raised donuts filled with strawberries and cream– what better way to enjoy a spring brunch?

Ingredients

• 1 batch yeasted or sourdough donuts, tossed in sugar (links provided below)
• 10-12 fresh, ripe strawberries, medium to large
• 2 Tbsp. white sugar
• 2 tsp. cornstarch
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• pinch of salt
• 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 2 large egg yolks
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Make donuts according to directions, leaving them whole without a hole in the centers. When you are removing them from the frying oil, place them immediately in a bowl of granulated sugar and toss quickly to coat them.For the cream filling: in a small saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups of the milk, 1/4 cup white sugar, and salt. In a small mixing bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup milk, 2 Tbsp. cornstarch, flour, and egg yolks. Whisk until smooth and thoroughly combined.Heat the milk, sugar, and salt over medium heat until simmering, then slowly whisk into the egg yolks a spoonful at a time, bringing them up to a similar temperature. Once it is all combined, return to the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a whisk or rubber spatula. Bring to mixture back to a simmer, and cook until thickened, about 3-4 minutes. It should be able to hold it’s shape for a few seconds before falling off of a spoon, and will continue the thicken as it cools. Once it is ready, remove from the heat, add the butter and vanilla, and place in a clean bowl. Place a piece of cling wrap directly on the cream to prevent a skin from forming, and refrigerate until completely chilled.While the cream is chilling, smash the strawberries in the bottom of a small pan. Combine the 2 Tbsp. white sugar and 2 tsp. cornstarch, then stir into the berries and allow to sit for 10 minutes. This will help the strawberries release their juices and not scorch. Cook over medium low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and the juices are no longer cloudy from the cornstarch.To prepare the donuts, insert something long and thin into one side (I like to use a metal kebab skewer), and gently move it back and forth to create a space inside the donuts.Place the cooled cream and strawberry mixture into separate pastry bags with round tips on them (you want a fairly large opening on the tip, approximately 1/4″. I used a Wilton number 14). Insert the tips into the slit you’ve created in each donut and squeeze the fillings in alternately. You should feel the donut getting heavier in your hand and slightly swelling as you fill it. Donuts are best served the day they are made and filled, but will keep in an airtight container overnight in the refrigerator.

Details

Prep time: 1 hour Cook time: Total time: 1 hour Yield: 10-12 donuts