Mini Donuts – Cape Verdean Donetes

These homemade, fried mini donuts are inspired by Cape Verdean donetes which have crisp, golden outsides and soft cake-like centers! They’re made without yeast and are glazed with caramel. Shaved coconut topping is optional.

If you like these donetes, you’ll love this recipe for gufungine, which is a Cape Verdean fried pastry made from cornmeal! Don’t forget to also check out my recipe for pudim (Cape Verdean-style flan)!

This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill. I highly recommend Bob’s Red Mill Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour for these donetes! It’s premium, organic flour milled from the highest quality wheat. I get perfect results with this product every time!

What are donetes?

The word donete means ‘donut’ in Criolo – the spoken language of Cape Verde. Traditional Cape Verdean donetes are made from basic ingredients – flour, milk, eggs and sugar. Baking powder is used as a leavening agent, rather than yeast. After the donuts rise, they’re fried until golden brown!

Donetes are slightly sweet and have delicious cake-like centers. They can be dusted in sugar after frying, or glazed with a caramel topping called calda de caramelo. Once the donuts are dipped in caramel, you can top them with sweetened shaved coconut if you’d like!

Ingredients

Here’s a full list of ingredients that you’ll need to make this recipe. Refer to the recipe card below for exact measurements and quantities!

• 2 large eggs
• granulated sugar
• unsalted butter – softened at room temperature
• whole milk
• quality all-purpose flour
• baking powder
• vanilla extract
• kosher salt
• canola or vegetable oil for frying
• caramel ingredients: granulated sugar, unsalted butter, baking soda, whole milk, vanilla extract
• optional topping: sweetened shredded coconut

Equipment and special tools

You won’t need anything fancy but here are some tools that are helpful to have:

• A stand-mixer or hand-held mixer makes beating the eggs, butter and sugar much easier, but if you don’t have one, a rubber spatula is all you’ll need.
• Rolling pin
• Frying vessel with deep sides. I like to use a cast-iron dutch oven.
• A deep fry thermometer helps monitor the temperature of the oil.
• Metal slotted spoon for turning the donetes and draining them.
• Metal cooling rack or a plate lined with paper towels.
• A very small-rimmed glass for making mini donuts or a regular drinking glass for larger donuts.
• The wide end of a piping tip or bottle cap for stamping out the centers of the donuts.
• Silicon tongs help grip the donuts so you can dip them in the caramel glaze.

Instructions

Steps 1+2: Combine wet ingredients

Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, combine the eggs, butter and sugar. Beat until combined, you may see some lumps, which is fine.

Pour in the milk and vanilla extract and continue to mix until combined. If you don’t have a stand mixer, a handheld beater is fine or you can cream the ingredients by hand using a rubber spatula.

Steps 3+4: Form the dough

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and set the bowl aside.

Make a well in center of flour mixture and pour in the wet ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to combine the flour with the wet mixture. Lightly flour your hands and form the dough into a ball.

Steps 5-7: Roll and stamp the donuts

Place the ball of dough on a floured surface, knead the dough 4 or 5 times and roll it out using a rolling pin. The rolled out dough should be ¼-inch thick.

Use a small cup to stamp the donuts and then use a bottle cap or the wide end of a pastry tip to punch a hole in center of each donut. Roll out the leftover scraps of dough and repeat the stamping process, until you have no dough left.

Hint: Let the dough rest for a few minutes after rolling it out but before you stamp out the donuts. This will prevent them from shrinking once they’re stamped out.

Place each of the donuts on a large metal baking sheet. Cover the baking sheet with a kitchen towel and let rise for 1 hour.

Steps 8+9: Fry the donuts

Heat the oil to 350°F and drop the donuts in. Fry them in batches of 4. Keep an eye on the oil temperature. Adjust the flame to make sure the temperature of the oil doesn’t exceed 365°F.

Fry the donuts for about 1 minute on each side or until golden brown. Use a metal slotted spoon to flip and transfer them to a cooling rack or a plate lined with paper towels.

Step 10: Glaze the donuts

Prepare the caramel per the instructions below. use the photos provided as a guide!

1. Place the sugar in a frying pan. Over medium-high heat, caramelize the sugar by stirring it until it starts to turn amber and crystallize. 
2. Keep stirring the sugar until rocks form, eventually they will liquefy and you will end up with a deep brown/amber liquid. Once fully dissolved, turn the flame down very low and add 1 tablespoon of butter and the pinch of baking soda.
3. Slowly pour in the milk and keep stirring constantly. The milk will seize up at first but keep whisking and eventually it will melt again.
4. Keep stirring constantly for another 5-7 minutes. The mixture will bubble up and become thicker. Once it reaches a medium syrup-like consistency. Turn the flame off. 

Let the caramel cool slightly and use tongs to dip the pretty side of each donut into the caramel. Transfer the donuts to a rack with the caramel side facing up.

Optional: sprinkle flaked coconut over the top of each donut while the caramel is still warm!

Substitutions and Variations

There are a few different ways that you can top these donetes!

• For a simple version of donetes, skip the caramel and roll them in granulated sugar. Cinnamon is optional!
• If you don’t want to make the caramel yourself, buy store-bought dulce de leche. It comes packaged in a squeeze bottle or can and can be found in the ethnic/hispanic aisle of your grocer.
• You can also make a simple sugar-based syrup by eliminating the milk and substituting 1 cup of water.
• This recipe is for a mini-version of donetes, for larger ones, just use a bigger cup to stamp them out.

Storing and reheating leftovers

Store any leftover glazed donetes in a single layer on a large plate tightly wrapped in plastic. You can store unglazed donetes in an airtight container. Donetes are best when fresh but will keep for 1-2 days at room temperature.

Reheat unglazed donetes on a baking sheet in the oven at 350°F for 10 minutes or until they’re nice and warm.

Expert tips

• Double the recipe if you plan on making a big batch of donetes.
• Let the rolled dough sit for a few minutes before stamping out the donuts so they don’t shrink.
• Make sure to let the donuts rise for 1 full hour, cover with a kitchen towel so they can rise properly.
• Making the caramel is tricky! Make sure to turn the heat all the way down when adding the butter and milk otherwise it will curdle. Add the baking soda at the same time as the butter. It will help keep the acid from curdling. Once the mixture is smooth, you can turn up the heat slightly to thicken it.

You’ll love these other pastries and desserts!

Cape Verdean Fungine (Gufonginho)

Pudim de Leite – Cape Verdean Style Flan

Churros with Dulce de Leche

Cinnamon Rolls Soaked in Tres Leches

Food safety

Just a few basic safety tips!

• Never leave the donetes unattended while frying.
• Be very careful when handling the hot caramel. Don’t ever attempt to taste it while it’s cooking!
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.

Recipe Rating