Makin' the Doughnuts

I know I could have sent a muffin with sprinkles and it would have worked out fine.  But "fine" is not the way we roll around here.  Sometimes the pressure of an orchard field trip with cider and doughnuts as the class treat is what I need to move from "fine" to "Mom, you're the best!"  I've made 'doughnuts' before, frying up some Meijer brand buttermilk biscuits  (no butter or milk in those...really scary, eh?) and dusting them in powdered sugar.  Those are tolerable when fresh, but inedible the next day, and I've always felt a bit sheepish about frying up a can of dough.
I think I read through 13 doughnut recipes, tried one that failed terribly (hint: never, ever, deep-fry in lard...no matter what Fanny Farmer or King Arthur say), and then I came upon this winner.  These are an egg-free and dairy-free adaptation of a Paula Deen recipe.  They're soft, cakey, slightly sweet...perfect for a fall day with a glass of cider.  Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Doughnuts with Cider Icing

3 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 egg replacers ( I use Ener-G)
1 cup Tofutti Sour Supreme (Dairy-Free Sour Cream)
1 cup mashed sweet potato ( I bet canned pumpkin would work, but our store had a pumpkin shortage!)

1.) Sift the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl.
2.) Blend the egg replacers, tofutti and sweet potato until smooth. I used an immersion blender, but a food processor or blender would be fine too.
3.) Add the sweet potato mixture to the bowl of dry ingredients and blend carefully with a spoon. Don't go crazy mixing, or they'll be tough. The dough is really sticky.
4.) Refrigerate for 30 minutes while you set up the oil and make the icing.
5.) While the oil is heating up to 360 degrees F, roll the dough out to 1/2 inch thickness, adding flour to your surface and rolling pin to keep things from sticking. Cut into donut shapes. I have a cool set of plastic nesting rounds and the biggest and smallest sizes work perfectly.
6.) Fry in vegetable oil for 2 minutes on the first side, and 1-2 minutes on the second side. Soybean oil is great, canola smells fishy, and lard smells like bovine carcass. Don't use lard, ever, ever.
7.)  Let the donuts cool on paper towel before icing and sprinkling.

Cider Icing

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3-4 T apple cider

1.) Mix until smooth and frost the cooled doughnuts.