Homemade fried yeast donuts featuring a warm strawberry cheesecake center and a graham cracker crumb coating.

Strawberry Cheesecake Donut Recipe from bakedbyrachel.com

I have a really bizarre mix of things to talk to you about today. They truly don’t belong in the same post at all… beach vacations and donuts. See? Totally polar opposites, but I’m going there.

This year is our 10 year anniversary… crazy and we’re hoping to go away for some us time. We got super scientific (or mathematic?) tonight, creating one of those pen and string compasses to create our travel zone, which unfortunately ruled out all of Europe unless I’m willing to spend a little longer on a plane. Trust me, it’s high on my list for places to visit, I’m just not sure if this trip will be the time for that but I will get there eventually.

I started to poke around at possible locations in the Caribbean, because being on the East coast that’s much easier to get to and in a much shorter time than say… Hawaii which is also on my list of someday maybes. What kills me is the layovers. Some of them had 3-4 hours between flights. I’m not sure I could handle that. I’m one for quick stops or no stops at all.

Of course what I really want to know from you is… what are your absolute favorite locations in the Caribbean? And I’ll even extend that out to Belize because that’s in there as an option. I need to do some major research. Help! Give me your input. Our honeymoon was in Aruba so that’s definitely on our list of considerations.

Strawberry Cheesecake Donut Recipe from bakedbyrachel.com

I imagine donuts will basically become non-existent in the coming months so I can comfortably lounge on a beach in 8 months time… so we’re going to go ahead and indulge this week in some super sinful and totally amazing fried donuts. I realize many of you may have kicked off New Year’s diets, so save the delicious recipes coming your way this week for down the road because you absolutely will want to indulge in these… if not now, soon.

When I agreed to take part in a week long celebration of donuts, I knew at least one of them had to be stuffed with something… whether it be cream, jelly or something else. It was just plain necessary. In the end, I dreamed up an over the top cheesecake donut. A soft pillow-y donut, filled with sweet strawberries and cream cheese, finished off with a coating of sweetened graham cracker crumbs. The ultimate cheesecake donut.

Stay tuned for even more donuts later in the week! You don’t want to miss these…


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Strawberry Cheesecake Donuts

Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Yield: 6 plus
Homemade fried yeast donuts featuring a warm strawberry cheesecake center and a graham cracker crumb coating.

Ingredients
 

Dough:

  • 3/4 C milk, heated to 115°F
  • 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
  • 1 tsp granulated sugar
  • 2 1/2 C all purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 C granulated sugar
  • 3 Tbsp shortening
  • 1 large egg

Filling:

  • 3 Tbsp cream cheese, softened
  • 1 C strawberries
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 Tbsp granulated sugar

Topping:

  • 1/2 C graham cracker crumbs
  • 1/2 Tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1/2 Tbsp butter, melted

Instructions
 

  • In a glass measuring cup, combine warm milk, yeast and 1 tsp sugar. Allow to yeast to proof for 5-10 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer add flour, salt, remaining sugar, shortening and egg. With mixer running on low, slowly add proofed yeast mixture. Mix, increasing speed as needed, until dough pulls together. Dough may be sticky. Lightly grease your hands and a large bowl with baking spray. Shape dough into a ball and transfer to prepared bowl. Cover and allow to rise in a warm location until doubled in size or roughly 45 minutes.
  • In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine strawberries with lemon juice and sugar. Cook until strawberries are softened, 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
  • In a small bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. When strawberry mixture has cooled to room temperature, combine with cream cheese.
  • Prepare a baking sheet with a lightly greased piece of parchment paper. Prepare a cooling rack with a sheet of parchment paper. Add topping ingredients to a small bowl, set aside.
  • Roll out dough on a lightly floured workspace to between 1/4 and 1/2-inch. Cut out circles with a large round cookie or biscuit cutter. Add a small spoonful of strawberry filling to one circle of dough, then top off with an additional circle of dough. Using a slightly smaller round cookie or biscuit cutter, press down to cut and reseal the edges. Transfer to prepared pan. Repeat process with remaining dough.
  • Heat 2-inches vegetable oil in a large stockpot to 325°F (use a thermometer for accuracy). Fry 2-3 donuts at a time for 3 minutes, flipping halfway through or until deep golden in color. Immediately coat in graham cracker crumbs. The heat and moisture from the donut will help them to stick. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet to cool completely. Repeat process with remaining donuts.

Notes

Recipe yields roughly 6-12 donuts.
An original recipe from Baked by Rachel
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most accurate data, use your preferred nutrition calculator with the actual ingredients you used to make this recipe.
Did you make this recipe?I'd love to see it! Snap a picture and tag @bakedbyrachel on Instagram!
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keywords: Donut

Donut Week - bakedbyrachel.com

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