Cherry Filled Spiced Doughnuts with Cherry Glaze

Cross section of a cherry filled spiced doughnut with cherry glaze on a piece of parchment paper.

Cherry Filled Spiced Doughnuts with Cherry Glaze

A holiday twist on a classic, filled German Berliner, these Cherry Filled Spiced Doughnuts have warm holiday spices in the dough, a Red Tart Cherry filling and a delicious cherry glaze! The star of these doughnuts are the Red Tart Cherries from Oregon Fruit that make it possible to have delicious cherries year round!

Prep Time40

Cook Time16

Proofing time1 30

Total Time2 26

Course: Afternoon Kaffee, Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American, German

Keyword: cherries, Doughnuts

Servings:

Calories: 398kcal

Equipment

Stand Mixer

Ingredients

Red Tart Cherry Filling

70 grams granulated sugar
28 grams corn starch
2 tablespoons lemon juice
50 milliliters cherry juice
2 cans Oregon Fruit Red Tart Cherries drained, liquid reserved

Spiced Dough

500 grams ap flour
50 grams granulated sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
15 grams instant yeast
250 milliliters milk luke warm
1 egg room temperature
1 egg yolk room temperature
60 grams butter soft
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frying

1 liter vegetable oil

Glaze

400 grams powdered sugar
7 tablespoons cherry juice more if needed

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Instructions

Red Tart Cherry Filling

Drain the two cans of Red Tart Cherries but reserve the liquid.
In a sauce pot, whisk the cornstarch and sugar together.
Pour in the lemon juice and whisk again.
Add in the 50 milliliters of cherry juice and whisk again.
Pour the drained cherries into the pot and use a rubber spatula to stir together.
Place over medium (to medium-high) heat and cook, stirring constantly, until it starts to bubble and has thickened. Once bubbling, turn the heat to just medium and cook for another 5 minutes - this will ensure the cornstarch is fully cooked through.
Pour into a separate bowl and set aside to cool fully.

Spiced Dough

Start by warming the milk until it is just warm to the touch - it should not exceed 100º F.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add in the flour, spices, yeast, and sugar. Then whisk it together by hand.
Add in the warmed milk, egg and egg yolk, butter, and vanilla extract. Knead the mixture with the dough hook on the stand mixer for 20 minutes on low speed until it is smooth and the bowl is clean.
Remove the dough and shape it into a ball.
Lightly grease the mixing bowl that you were just using and place the ball of dough back in. Then cover the bowl with a towel or plastic and place somewhere warm for 30-45 min. The dough should double in size.

Shape the Doughnuts

Start heating up the oil to 350º F in a large heavy bottomed pot.
After the dough has grown, divide it into 12 equal portions.
As you go, shape each portion into a ball by first flattening it slightly into a disk and then tucking all the edges of the disk under.
Shape your hand into a claw over the ball of dough with the smooth side face up. Roll the ball around in your hand on a clean work surface to create tension on the dough and seal the seam on the bottom of the ball.
Place each roll onto a well-floured baking sheet. Cover with plastic to prevent them from forming a skin or drying out.
Leave the rolls to rest for 30 minutes somewhere warm to proof. They should double in size and become puffy.

Fry the Doughnuts

Place a wire rack on a baking sheet and lay 2 layers of paper towel on top of the rack.
Once the doughnuts have grown, use a slotted spoon or a spider to carefully lower the proofed dough into the hot oil. Don't fry more than 3 at a time to avoid lowering the temperature more than 10 degrees.
Fry them on each side for 2 minutes. Use the spoon to carefully flip them over by pressing down on one side. Then fry for another 2 minutes.
Once 4 minutes are up use the slotted spoon to remove the berliner from the oil.
Place the fried doughnuts onto the paper towel lined rack to drain off any excess oil. Allow the oil to reheat to 350º F if necessary, before adding in another batch of berliner.

Make the Glaze and fill the Doughnuts

In a medium mixing bowl, add in the powdered sugar and reserved cherry juice. Whisk together to create a thick glaze - it should be almost peanut butter thickness.
Use a small knife to poke a hole in the side of each doughnut. Fill a piping bag with the cooled cherry filling and pipe it into each doughnut until no more will fit.
Pour the glaze over the top and enjoy immediately!

Notes

These are definitely best eaten immediately but you can make the cherry filling up to two days in advance and the doughnuts can be shaped and placed in the fridge the night before. However, they really need to come to room temperature before frying!

The thickness of the glaze can be changed depending on your preference. If you want a thicker icing, add more powdered sugar, or if you want a paper-thin glaze, add more liquid. I recommend testing it on one first because it will thin out once poured onto the doughnuts.

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