Since I moved back to San Francisco over 6 months ago I’ve been sorting through a clutter of kitchen equipment and tools, scattered among seemingly endless boxes and crates in the garage. Being the pastry geek that I am, I’ve amassed a ridiculous collection of cake pans, tools, cutters, molds–you name it–so much so that I seriously don’t remember what I actually have. At one point last year, inspired by a weekend of binge-watching Marie Kondo’s series on Netflix, I even attempted to clean and purge all the broken, “what the hell was I thinking buying this” stuff out of my small apartment and mom’s garage. I discovered much that didn’t “bring me joy,” not to mention a lot of junk mom didn’t even remember saving…like cardboard boxes full of neatly folded plastic shopping bags buried in the back corner of the garage. Buh bye.

I confess, however, I did not part with much kitchen/baking equipment. I just couldn’t. What if I need it for something in the near future? Like that Hello Kitty cake pan I bought who knows when?

Well, I’m happy to report I did use that Hello Kitty cake pan recently…and the cake was fabulous, in all its Hello Kitty glory!

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Other odd pieces of kitchen paraphernalia I’ve purchased over the years rattle around in my kitchen drawers waiting for their moment to shine—like the cheap donut cutter I bought at Diaso, mecca for cute inexpensive home goods.

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If you’ve never been to one of these Japanese chain stores, be warned, you will invariably end up with way more kitchen tchotchkes than you need…which is why I try limit myself to may 1 or 2 trips a year.

Since the quarantine, I’ve used this marvelously handy donut cutter several times. If you don’t mind slightly more petite donuts–and God knows I personally need them to be smaller as I’ve eschewed wearing any pants without lycra completely–the donut cutter beats using 2 separate cutters any day.

While I’m a big fan of yeasted donuts, I’m also impatient when it comes to satisfying my donut cravings. When you want your donuts tout de suite (and you don’t want to drag your ass out the door) a yeast-raised donuts just ain’t gonna cut it. The alternative is cake donuts, which are characteristically somewhat denser owing to the use of chemical leavening agents (baking powder and/or baking soda) over yeast. That’s the trade-off.

I’ve been searching for a fluffier, lighter cake donut recipe that could, pardon the phrase, “rise to the occasion.” The Yogurt Donut recipe from Bon Appetit comes pretty close. Yeah, I know that Bon Appetit has been on many people’s boycott list ever since their (and really all of Conde Nast’s) unsavory and unjust racially-biased hiring practices (among other offenses) came to light last month. While I’ve stopped subscribing to their money making YouTube channel, I still use a few of my favorite BA-inspired recipes as a jumping off point for experimenting. As with the case with a lot of recipes we find online, their value to us really comes down to how we adapt them for our own use. In the case of the donut recipe, it needed adjustments to make the final product closer to what I wanted–a scrumptiously featherlight, melt-in-your-mouth donut made without yeast in under 30 mins.

The changes I made were minor but produced results that were 10 times better than the first time I made the donuts straight form the recipe. This time I added some baking soda, which working in tandem with the acidity of the yogurt gave the donuts more aeration and tenderness. I didn’t have whole milk Greek yogurt, only 2%, so I adjusted the butterfat content by bumping up the butter a little. if you do have whole milk Greek yogurt, by all means use it (maybe drop the butter down to 2 T.). Try not to work the dough too much when shaping and rolling it out. You don’t want to activate too much of the gluten. I found the addition of a little Meyer lemon zest to the dough to be a nice touch. My neighbor Krislyn generously gave me a small bag of the fruit from her tree so I’ve been adding zest and juice to everything. By the way, she inhaled the three sets of donut and holes I gave her, as did my friend Maria and her daughter, who probably finished them before they’d even pull out of my driveway. Happy donut frying!

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Meyer Lemon Yogurt Cake Donuts (adapted from Bon Appetit)

Yield: about 10-16 donuts & holes (depending on cutter size)

• 2 c. all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• scant 1 t. sea salt
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 c. plain Greek yogurt (2% or higher)
• 3 T. unsalted butter, melted, cooled to room temp.
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• 1 t. Meyer lemon zest (or regular lemon zest)

1. Whisk together flour, baking powder and soda, and salt in a large bowl. Create a well in the center.
2. In separate bowl or pitcher, whisk together remaining ingredients, then pour in center of flour well.
3. Use a rubber spatula to mix everything together to form a shaggy dough.
4. Tip the dough out on to a floured surface and give the mass a few turns to shape it into a uniform dough that you can roll out.
5. Roll out the dough to 1/2″ thick, then punch out 3″- 3 1/2″ rounds, punching out the center of each with a 1″ round cutter. Alternatively, use a well-floured donut cutter.
6. Fry 3-4 donuts at a time in 350F degree oil (at least 2″ deep) for about 2 mins. on each side. or until golden brown. *Fry holes for about 1 min+ on each side.
7. Transfer the fried donuts onto a rack set over a sheet pan to drain off excess oil.
8. Glaze donuts once they are cooled. Or toss them in sugar when still warm.

Meyer Lemon Glaze

• 2 T. Meyer lemon juice
• 1/2 t. Meyer lemon zest
• pinch of sea salt
• 1 1/4 c. powdered sugar
• 4 T. water*

1. Sift powdered sugar into a bowl, add see salt.
2. Whisk in lemon juice, zest and water. Add a teaspoon more water if glaze seems little too thick, but should be thick enough to adhere well to donut surface without completely running off.