It has been so long since I’ve had a Boston Cream donut! They have been and will forever be my favorite type of donut. I was honestly so afraid to “veganize” these donuts because I knew I would be disappointed if they didn’t taste like the real thing. These donuts are definitely labor-intensive, but so worth the effort! After trying one bite, I quote: “This is the happiest I have ever been and will ever be.” The New Englander in me was ecstatic when my boyfriend told me they are comparable to Dunkin Donuts’ Boston Cream. Give them a try and let me know what you think in the comments below!
Prep Time: 2 - 4 hrs
Cook Time: 30 mins
Level: Medium
Ingredients:
Donuts:
½ cup Soy milk (room temperature)
2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tbsp Ground Flaxseed
3 tbsp Warm Water
¼ cup Vegan Butter (melted)
6 tbsp Warm Water
1 ½ tsp Active Dry Yeast
3 cups All-Purpose Flour
¼ cup Sugar
½ tsp Salt
3-4 cups Vegetable Oil or other frying oil
Custard:
1 cup Soy Milk
2 tbsp Sugar
1 ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
2 tbsp Corn Starch
2 tbsp Water
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
Chocolate Icing:
1 ¾ cups Powdered Sugar
¼ cup Coco Powder
¼ cup Soy Milk
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
¼ tsp Salt
Directions:
Donuts:
- Add the yeast and 6 tbsp of warm water to a small cup. Set aside for ~5-10 minutes to activate.
- Create “buttermilk” by adding soy milk and apple cider vinegar to a small cup. Set aside for 5 minutes.
- Create a flax egg by adding 3 tbsp warm water and the ground flaxseed to a small cup. Set aside for 5 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Mix well.
- Add yeast, “buttermilk”, flax egg, and melted butter to the mixing bowls and combine well.
- Flour your hands and knead dough for ~10 minutes. The dough will be very soft and a bit sticky.
- Lightly spray the original mixing bowl with cooking oil. Place the dough back in the bowl to rise until doubled in size (1-2 hours). Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel. This is a great time to make your custard!
- Once dough has doubled in size, move it to a floured surface. Knead the dough to remove all the air bubbles and pockets.
- Cut the dough into 4 pieces. Divide each piece again by 3. (You should have 12 pieces of dough in total.)
- Roll each piece of dough into a small, smooth ball. Place dough balls on a floured counter or cutting board. Cover with a wet kitchen towel to rise until doubled in size (1-2 hours).
- Once donuts have doubled in size, heat 3-4 cups of vegetable oil in a 3-quart frying pan over medium-high heat on the stove top. The oil should be about ¼ inch deep. *Note: the oil gets hot pretty quickly (about 5 minutes). Cover the frying pan to ensure you don’t get burned by the hot oil!*
- While oil is heating, line a baking tray with paper towels. Place cooling trays on top of the lined baking sheet for the donuts to cool once fried.
- Test the temperature of oil by gently dropping one donut into the frying pan. If the donut immediately begins to sizzle, the oil is ready.
- Add the donuts into the pan until full. Make sure that the donuts are not touching and that you have room to flip them.
- Fry the donuts for ~3-5 minutes, flipping halfway through. The donuts are done when they have a dark golden color.
- Place cooked donuts on the cooling tray. Repeat until all the donuts are cooked.
- Allow donuts to cool completely before assembling.
Custard:
- Add soy milk, sugar, and vanilla extract to a small saucepan over low to medium heat.
- In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and water to create a slurry.
- Add cornstarch mixture and lemon juice to the saucepan.
- Bring to a low, gentle boil while stirring continuously.
- Once the custard has thickened, pull off the heat.
- Move the custard to the fridge to cool, while donuts are rising and fried.
Icing:
- Add all ingredients to a medium sized mixing bowl.
- Using a hand mixer on low speed, mix all ingredients until smooth.
Assembly:
- Using a chopstick or a skewer, poke a hole in the side of the donuts. Push the chopstick or skewer into the center of the donut, being careful not to break through the other side. *I like to wiggle the chopstick or skewer around to really open up the center of the donut. This will allow you to fill the donut with more custard!*
- Add custard to a frosting bag with a small, round icing tip.
- Insert the icing tip into the hole of the donut. If the icing tip does not fit into the hole, gently stretch the hole with the chopstick or skewer.
- Slowly squeeze the frosting bag to insert custard into the donut. Repeat with all the donuts.
- Once custard has been added to the donuts, gently dip the top of your donuts into the chocolate frosting. Repeat with all the donuts.
Enjoy!
