The classic cake doughnut

A while ago I began on a quest for one of my favorite treats from my childhood. My grandmother and my aunt's mother used to make the most marvelous cake doughnuts and I was thinking about that one day and the flavor of them was right there in my head and I just had to find that flavor again. Now my grandma and my aunt's mom are not with us any more and they didn't leave their recipes so I began a search for a recipe for these classics.
 I found several in some old church cookbooks and a couple other sources. These all had very similar ingredients and processes so I did as I usually do when trying to reproduce something. I think through those ingredients as they relate to the flavor profile I have in my head and combine what I think are the best of those recipe s and try them to see how it comes out.
My first attempt used a bit of butter in the dough and some nutmeg and cinnamon. all of them included buttermilk and most had a combination of baking powder and baking soda. In my experience, baking powder tends to make things taste bitter and I can tell if there is too much of it in a recipe so I used the least possible to get the job done.
Now both of my mentors had used Lard to fry their doughnuts and I figured I had better do the same to achieve that flavor so I used a combination of lard and vegetable shortening. I chilled the dough for about 2-3 hours and then rolled them out to about 3/8 of an inch thick, then floured my cutter and proceeded to fry in great anticipation.
All went well and the flavor was very good and the samples I gave to my family and friends brought comments like, "these taste like my mom used to make" but I wasn't quite satisfied; they were good but the texture was not quite right.
In a fortuitous moment one evening at a small gathering at a friends house, I was talking to Julie Plys about my pursuit and she happened to have a recipe for doughnuts. She and her mom used to make them. I looked it over and copied it and told her I would give it a whirl.
Well, this past weekend I tried it and it was a home run! Here's the scoop:
4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 cup softened lard
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda in a bit of buttermilk
1 cup buttermilk
2/3 cup sugar
beat the eggs until frothy in a stand mixer and then add in the softened lard. Mix until well combined.Add the  soda mixture along with the buttermilk to combine and then add the flour and salt and beat at low speed until well combined. Chill the dough for at least two hours, then roll out to 3/8" thick and cut with a small floured cutter. meanwhile, heat enough lard in a dutch oven or heavy pot to a depth of 3"(about 4 lbs of lard, sold in a tub by Armour which I found at Wal Mart) to 350degrees. Fry them for about 1-1 1/2 minutes per side or until golden brown all around and then remove to a rack inside a sheet pan lined with newspaper or paper towels.
I waited until all doughnuts and holes were fried before I tasted them ( yes it was difficult to wait!) and then I started with a hole. Unbelievable! this was what I had been looking for! it was as though I had been transported back to a particular day while walking home from school. I was passing my aunt's mother's house in Duluth and she happened to see me and came out the back door with a brown paper bag in her hand and placed it in mine, saying "here, I just made some doughnuts and please have some." I am here to tell you I was right there again and the flavor and aroma were the same. Back then, Mrs. Carlson's were excellent and I ate the whole bag of them on the way home from school. I only had one of my own but I was very pleased with the results. This, my friend, is a keeper! By the way, real lard is the ONLY way to go!
Enjoy,
Tim