
When William announced he wanted a store bought cake for his birthday instead of a homemade cake, I felt a tinge of disappointment. However, I quickly began to brainstorm other ideas of what I could make for his special day. Initially, I thought it would be fun to ask Elle to make him a large stack of waffles a Waffle Cake!, …..Elle is the official waffle make in our house, add a few candles and done! That’s when it came to me a Fried Doughnut Tower, outfitted with sprinkles and candles. Something that would delight anybody on their birthday. My most recent cookbook purchase, Sunny-Side Up, by Waylynn Lucas features over 100 breakfast and brunch recipes, when I found the Fried Doughnut recipe I had to try it! I’ve made fried Doughnuts before see (Homemade Donuts) which features a recipe from Joanna Gaines Fall 2018 issue of The Magnolia Journal, my family loves this doughnut recipe as well, however I thought it would be fun to try a new fried doughnut version.
Sunny-Side Up by Waylynn Lucas
- Start with mixing the dry ingredients.
- In a separate bowl mix warm milk and yeast.
- Add the milk mixture with the dry flour mixture.
I loved how easy this recipe was, it does take about 2 hours to complete since the dough must be set aside for an hour to rise. For me this was a great time to clean up, and get things set up for the frying process.




The next steps, you will need a stand mixer with a dough hook.
- Add an egg to your mixture and combine.
- Add butter to your mixture and beat until smooth.
My batter is looking nice and smooth! Another tip, the dough is quite sticky so I used a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of my bowl which really came in handy.
A rubber spatula was a must for this recipe.
Roll the dough a few times onto a floured surface and place in a buttered bowl to rise.
My doughnuts and doughnut holes ready to be fried.
Another great tool for this recipe is a doughnut cutter, I love this tool! I bought this doughnut cutter from a Spoons and Spice near my home, but you can also purchase a doughnut cutter on Amazon for around $6.00.
These fried doughnuts are looking great, and about ready to be flipped.
Golden Brown and ready to be placed on a cooling rack.
Another must buy for doughnut making is a Strainer Skimmer Ladle. This tool makes it much easier to flip your doughnuts in the frying pan.
This recipe also includes instructions for a chocolate and vanilla glaze, I used both!
Top your doughnut with sprinkles while the chocolate or vanilla glaze is still warm so they’ll stick.
um……Yum!
I used these ultra thin candles which weren’t too bulky for the doughnuts. I did push them down a bit which also helped in stabilizing the tower.
When I pulled out the doughnut tower my daughter shouted, “that’s so cool” , and William loved his birthday morning surprise.
Digging in!
Wow that was a success! We loved singing and celebrating with William with a Fried Doughnut Tower the perfect way to start his special day! Happy 6th Birthday William, we love you sweet boy!
XO
Heather