I like. . . cream donuts

When I was in the 2nd grade in Moresby, my school had an assembly every week. Each week a class would do a performance of some kind--a play, songs, poetry etc. When it was time for 2J (my class with Mrs Crawford) to perform, one segment of our show included reciting poems that are sort of like haikus, but not really. They followed a rhythm of 2, 3, 3, 3. Each "poem" began with the line, "I like" and we would each list things we liked, as long as they fell into the correct syllabic rhythm. Ever the food obsessed, my poem (and perhaps one of the only poems I've ever written) was as follows:

I like--
cream dough-nuts
fresh but-ter
and hot toast

Accompanying this was the annoying sound of our clapping to keep the beat. I remember telling my mother about the poem and she was like, "Why, why must everything be about food?" Not exact words, but general sentiment. Truthfully I hated cream doughnuts that they sold at school in the tuck shop. I did not especially care for toast and having had fresh butter on dosas in India, I actually hated it. Clearly this was the assignment I phoned it in for, and maybe that is why I remember it so vividly.

Now the donuts that I really like were the ones with chocolate frosting. This might just be nostalgia and memory but only months before I had tasted what was probably my first donut. It was at Sydney's Taronga Zoo and was a chocolate glazed concoction with hundreds and thousands sprinkled on it (that would be sprinkles for my North American friends).That had become the benchmark for donuts for me at the age of (insert single digit number here). In PNG, donuts were not easy to come by and so when I was on my baking kick, I taught myself to make donuts.

I was never a big fan of the cream doughnuts at school, but I liked my donuts. When I moved to the US, I was enamored by all the donut places. When I moved to Massachusetts, I was amazed by the ubiquity of donuts. Now in Ohio, I see Krispy Kremes and think about going in; only once did we go, and of course the red sign was on. Tim Hortons persuades me less. But still, there is something about the donut that still feels like a treat to me. But they always feel so unredeemingly unhealthy. There is nothing really healthy in any way about the donut.

So imagine my delight when I found a recipe in Veganomicon for jelly donut CUPCAKES. This seemed like a gift from somewhere to imagine a healthy (okay only sort of) alternative to the evil donut. I made a batch yesterday and they turned out pretty good. Here is the recipe with my modifications:


Jelly Donut Cupcakes

1 cup milk (soy, rice, dairy---whichever you prefer)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsps cornstarch
1 1/2 cups all purpose (plain) flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp fresh grated nutmeg.
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp good vanilla extract
raspberry jam, strawberry jam

Preheat oven to 350F. Pour milk, vinegar and cornstarch into a cup and set aside.
Mix dry ingredients together and make a well for wet ingredients.
Make sure the milk mixture is well combined and add to flour along with oil, sugar and vanilla. Stir only till well combined. Do not overbeat!
Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full of batter. Place heaping tsp of jam on center of each cupcake. The jam will sink in, you don't need to press it in.
Bake 21-23 mins until tops are firm. The jam inside will make a toothpick test useless.
Cool and then store someplace cool and dry uncovered. if you can wait up to 24 hours or overnight that will dry the cake out and make it a little more donut like. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar and voila--you have jelly cupcake donuts!