Masala Coffee Donuts with Espresso Cardamom Cream Filling

(Adapted from Epicurious)
makes more than 24 doughnuts

In the bowl of a stand mixer, allow to sit for ten minutes the following:
2 1/4 teaspoons dry yeast
1/4 teaspoon plus 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup warm whole milk (105°F to 115°F)
1/2 cup plus 2 T buttermilk at room temperature

Add to stand mixer and beat with the hook attachment:
2 eggs slightly beaten
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, cooled to lukewarm
1 T honey

In a separate bowl combine:
4 cups all purpose flour
1 t ground cardamon
1 t freshly crushed black pepper
1/2 t almond extract
1/2 t salt

Add dry mixture to the stand mixer in small batches until it comes together in a sticky dough.

Let rise for 4 hours.

Pat out the dough into a large rectangle. Cut out rounds using cookie cutters(and then cut the whole in the middle with a smaller cookie cutters.) Let rise for 1 hour on a baking sheet.

Fry at 350 until brown.

When the doughnuts are rising make your filling.

When doughnuts are cooling, make glaze.

Cardamom Espresso Pastry Cream

Soak 1 handfull of crushed espresso beans in 2 cups whole milk for 1/2 hour.

In a sauce pan on medium whisk:
1/2 cup sugar
6 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 cups coffee steeped whole milk
5 large egg yolks
Pinch of salt

Add:
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
2 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp crushed pepper (optional)

Whisk until thickened. Chill for 4 hrs with tin foil to cover. (They say plastic wrap but it is not easy to recycle or to reuse.)

Coffee, Honey, Blackpepper Glaze

Steep 8 blackpeppercorns and 2 cardamom pods in 1/4 cup coffee for 20 minutes.

Add:
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
2 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon salt

Whip until smooth and then simmer.

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