Anything that’s happened since COVID feels like it was two years ago, so I can’t believe today marks 4 years since I officially finished all of Ina Garten’s 1,300+ recipes – completing her Boston Cream Pie live with her on Zoom! One of the best days ever. Now that I’ve hit 40, I’m skipping my birthday and using this as my new milestone to celebrate each year.
To mark the occasion, I like to make a Boston Cream Pie-inspired dessert. And what 4-year-old wouldn’t want Matt Adlard’s epic Boston Cream Pie Donuts!
These start with a yeasted dough with hints of vanilla and lemon, fried until puffed and golden. Cutting individual parchment squares for the dough to prove on was tedious … but I was SO grateful for this genius tip. It makes it incredibly easy to drop them into the oil without deflating the dough!
Once cooled, you fill them with brown sugar crème pâtissière (I may have overfilled a few, veering toward a 90 percent cream-to-donut ratio but no one complained).
To finish, you top them with a dark chocolate glaze and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt, because flaky sea salt makes everything better.
These were absolutely phenomenal and perfectly balanced – plush, light donuts with a not-too-sweet filling and a bitter, salty finish that brought everything into harmony.
Happy Ina-versary! xoxoxo
Book: Bake It Better, page 173
Rating: 5/5
How Easy Is That – Skill Level: Hard
Store-Bought Is Fine: dark chocolate
Recipe here.
