Mini Doughnuts with orange sugar, citrus curd & marscapone

Photo: Supplied

Makes 26-28 / Preparation 40 minutes plus resting time / Cooking 15 minutes

These fabulous zesty, sugary morsels are deceptively simple to make but a sure-fire party hit.

Doughnuts

Ingredients

• 8g yeast
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup lukewarm milk
• 3¼ cups flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 80g butter, melted
• finely grated zest of 1 orange
• 1.25 litres high-smoke-point cooking oil such as sunflower

Method

Whisk the yeast and 2 tablespoons of the sugar into the milk and leave to sit for 8-10 minutes or until frothy on top. 
Put the flour and salt in the bowl of a mixer with a paddle attachment. In a separate jug, whisk the whole egg, yolk and 70g of the melted butter. 

Add the yeast mixture and egg mix to the flour and mix for 1 minute. Swap to the dough hook attachment and mix for 5-8 minutes or until the dough is smooth. 

Use the remaining butter to lightly grease a large bowl. Transfer the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and leave to rest for an hour or until almost doubled in size. 

Whiz the orange zest and 1 cup sugar together in a food processor and set aside.

Punch down the dough, then break off pieces and roll into 26-28 small balls. Place the balls well spaced on baking paper-lined trays and leave to sit for another 30 minutes. 

Heat the oil in a large, deep saucepan and cook the doughnuts for 2-3 minutes, turning once or twice during cooking, until golden. Drain on paper towels and roll in orange sugar then leave to cool for an hour before filling.

Citrus curd

Makes 1½ cups

Ingredients

• ¾ cup caster sugar
• 110g butter, chopped
• finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• finely grated zest of 1 orange
• ½ cup orange juice
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 3 free-range eggs
• 150g mascarpone to serve

Method

Have a 1½-cup-capacity sterilised jar at the ready. Heat the sugar, butter, zests and juices in the top of a double boiler, or in a heat-proof glass bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn't touch the water. 

Once the butter has melted, whisk the eggs into the bowl, keeping it over the heat.

Continue whisking for 2 minutes then swap to stirring with a wooden spoon and cook over the heat for 10-15 minutes or until the mixture has clearly thickened enough to coat the back of the spoon. Pour into the jar through a sieve and leave to cool.

Put 1 cup of curd in a bowl with the mascarpone and swirl together (don't whisk) with a spoon. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a pointed tip and poke into each doughnut, squirting the filling into the centre. 

Serve immediately.