Chocolate Donut Cake

So my little baby girl is growing up!  I can't believe I'll have a middle schooler very soon.  Not that I haven't experienced middle school with our boys, but it's really exciting to see your child embrace their opportunities!

I had a fantastic meeting with, whom I consider, one of the best ever school guidance counselors in the world.  The woman is a saint and she is so special because the enthusiasm she has for her work just beams out of her room like sunshine after a rainy day!  Anyway, after telling me wonderful things about the options available in our area, I was really excited to get started on the process that lies ahead of us.  Applying to a middle school.

You're probably thinking, "Why in the heck do you have to apply to middle school?"  Well, my smarty pants of a kid is just that.  Incredibly smart, amazing grades, tests super high on benchmarks, and she is gifted!  So, she is being encouraged to take advantage of special programs our school system offers!  I'm totally proud.

And she's just so darn cute!

So tonight we celebrated her achievements with her favorite dinner, Fettucini Alfredo.  I also made a quick Academy Chicken and made a delicious Chocolate Donut Cake for dessert.

The best part of the donut cake is in fact the frosting.  I swear it tastes like it belongs on a long john at Krispy Kreme.  It's so thick, creamy and glossy!

The cake is just a basic Golden Vanilla bundt cake.



1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 egg, at room temperature
2 egg whites, at room temperature
3/4 cup low-fat (1%) milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel, (optional)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4-1/2 teaspoons powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour Bundt pan; set aside.

Beat granulated sugar, butter, egg and egg whites in large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add milk and vanilla; mix well. Add flour, lemon peel (if using), baking powder and salt; beat about 2 minutes or until smooth.

Pour into prepared pan. Bake 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Gently loosen cake from pan with knife and turn out onto wire rack; cool completely.


For the frosting:

2 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
6 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons skim or 2% milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, sift together the confectioners' sugar and cocoa, and set aside.
In a large bowl, cream butter until smooth, then gradually beat in sugar mixture alternately with evaporated milk. Blend in vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. If necessary, adjust consistency with more milk or sugar.