Whenever I think of the fall, I think of apple picking in New England and drinking hot cider and shit. It’s hilarious because I never actually would go apple picking because I could just go into my dining hall and steal a fuckload of apples anyways, so why travel miles and miles to do it when I can just swipe in, steal them there, and leave? Destroying a beautiful fall tradition aside, cider doughnuts are still a festivity I would often partake in, because I would go to the Boston Public Market and buy them there. Yes, I would not waste time commuting from Boston University to wherever those apple orchards were to go apple picking, but I would waste time going to the Public Market, which was like a lifetime and a half away, to buy doughnuts. That is indicative of my fat-ass tendencies, obviously.

For these doughnut creams, I made a brown butter-cider cake, mascarpone-cider mousse, cider mirror glaze, and misugaru-cider lace crumble. The lace crumble was originally going to be doughnut shaped shortbreads, but I should have realized that when you use misugaru instead of normal flour, you can never really get what you actually want. Unless you use xanthan gum. Then maybe. But in my case, I did not, so I did not. Anywhoo, other than doing the biggest culinary no-no of saying what something was SUPPOSED TO BE, this is what I wound up with, this is what I served to my coworkers, friends, and family, and this is what you can be serving to yours as well.

For the cake:
1 egg white
4 tablespoons unsalted butter; browned
1/2 cup cider
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup misugaru
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
a pinch of salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
a pinch of cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg

Whip egg white, vinegar, baking soda, salt, and part of the sugar until stiff. Then combine ingredients. Pour into a 12 slot silicone doughnut mold and bake at 350 degrees F for 13-15 minutes. Cool completely before unmolding.

For the mousse:
3 egg yolks
8 oz mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup heavy cream, whipped stiff
1 cup cider
1 packet gelatin powder + 1/4 cup cider
a pinch of salt

Bloom gelatin in cider. Place into the remaining cider and reduce until the liquid is about 1/4 a cup. Pour into egg yolks and whip. In another bowl, cream the mascarpone. Fold all of the ingredients together and pour into a silicone doughnut mold. Press the cooled doughnuts into the molds and freeze solid.

For the glaze:
1 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup cider
2 packets gelatin powder + 1/3 cup cider
a pinch of salt
a pinch of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg

Bloom gelatin in cider. Bake white chocolate chips on a sheet tray at 350 degrees F for 8 minutes. Cool completely before removing from the tray. Melt bloomed gelatin into more cider and salt and then puree in the white chocolate. Pour through a strainer to remove lumps. Heat to 90 degrees when it is time to glaze.

For the lace crumble:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup misugaru powder
1 tablespoon cider
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
a pinch of salt

Combine ingredients and press between two baking sheets. Weigh down and bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes. Cool completely before breaking apart.

To assemble:
Glaze the frozen doughnuts with the mirror glaze then garnish with the crumble to finish. Allow the doughnuts to come to temperature before serving.