Lemon Coconut Sufganiyot

Chanukah donuts, called Sufganiyot, are traditionally filled with fruit jam. This Lemon Coconut Sufganiyot variation from Danielle Braitman, Calgary Jewish Federation’s Next Gen Coordinator, mixes things up! Pairing a zippy lemon curd filling with a sweet glaze and shredded coconut topping.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 60 minutes, plus time to rise overnight in fridge, and another 30 minutes of rising time
Yield: 24

Ingredients

Lemon Curd

• Zest of one lemon
• ½ cup lemon juice
• ⅓ cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 6 tbsp butter cut into small pieces
• ½ teaspoon vanilla

Sufganiyot

• 1 scant tbsp (1 package) dry yeast
• 4 tbsp sugar
• ¾ cup lukewarm milk or warm water*
• 2½ cups all-purpose flour
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 eggs, separated
• 2 tbsp (¼ stick) butter or pareve margarine, softened*
• Sugar
• Vegetable oil for deep-frying

*Use butter and milk if serving at a milk meal, and water and pareve margarine for a meat meal

Glaze

• ½ cup icing sugar
• Water

Topping

• Desiccated coconut

Instructions

Lemon Curd

1. Whisk together lemon zest, sugar, and eggs in medium saucepan.
2. Add lemon juice and butter.
3. Whisk over medium heat until butter is melted, whisking continuously until mixture thickens and simmers gently.
4. Remove from heat and strain through a medium-mesh sieve into a bowl.
5. Let cool, cover, and refrigerate to thicken.

Sufganiyot

1. Mix together yeast, 2 tbsp of sugar, and milk. Let sit to make sure it bubbles.
2. Sift flour and mix with remaining sugar, salt, cinnamon, egg yolks, and yeast mixture.
3. Knead dough until it forms a ball.
4. Add butter or margarine and knead some more until butter is well absorbed.
5. Cover with a towel and let rise overnight in the refrigerator.
6. Roll out dough to a thickness of ¼ inch.
7. Cut out dough into 24 rounds with a juice glass, or any object about 2 inches in diameter. Let rise for about 30 minutes.
8. Heat 2 inches of oil to about 375°.
9. Drop doughnuts into hot oil, about five at a time.
10. Turn to brown on both sides.
11. Drain on paper towels.
12. Inject with lemon curd using a squeeze bottle or piping bag.
13. Top with icing glaze, and sprinkle with desiccated coconut.

Icing Glaze

1. Whisk together icing sugar and 1 tsp of water.
2. Continue adding water slowly until icing reaches desired consistency.