BOMBOLINI

This might sound a little strange, but my children don't always eat cake. They might have a few mouthfuls, but rarely do they finish it. And once when a friend bought our son a doughnut he ate one, but when offered another, he declined. So when we visited family over Easter, I wasn't sure if any of them were going to like the bombolini that had been made for them. Like them? They devoured them. We all did! Here's the recipe.

INGREDIENTS
225g plain flour
110g caster sugar, plus extra for rolling
2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
500g ricotta
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tbsp vanilla extract
Vegetable oil, for deep frying (we use sunflower oil)

1. Sift and stir flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Gently stir in combined ricotta, eggs and vanilla. Cover mixture with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 40 minutes.
2. Deep fry tablespoons of mixture in small batches, turning with a fork, for about 10 minutes or until golden, crisp and cooked through. 
3. Drain on paper towel and roll in caster sugar.

Tips
* Don't make the bombolini too large as they will get crunchy on the outside but won't cook properly on the inside.
* The recipe says 3-4 minutes, but we turned the heat down a little and cooked for longer to ensure cooked all the way through.
* There are versions of this recipe that use yeast - this makes the bombolini go stale quicker - although all of ours were eaten within an afternoon!

images the indigo crew