Ok, to me, donuts are just a small step away from cakes. I have tried numerous recipes and have yet to land the jackpot. I'm looking for 2 recipes actually; the kind you buy at the fair, cakey, dense, delicious, and the kind that are light and you would cover with glaze.
Does anyone have a recipe they're willing to part with? I know I could shortcut this and use canned bisuits but that takes a little of the fun out of it for me.

I've never made this recipe, but in general you can't go wrong with an Alton Brown recipe from Good Eats. Here are the recipes from his Donut episode:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/good-eats/circle-of-life/index.html

these are the doughnuts i grew up on, my mom made them a couple of times a year, they are one of my fav memories.

i realize many think that canned biscuit dough make fine doughnuts, clearly they have never had homemade. these are a little time consuming, but they are fantastic!!!


Doughnuts
2 cups of hot water
½ Cup of shortening
½ cup sugar
1 tbsp salt
2 tbsp yeast
Dash of nutmeg
4-6 cups of flour

Combine water, shortening, sugar, salt, yeast and nutmeg in a microwaveable bowl. Mix in 2 cups of flour, keeping adding cups until dough is sticky.  
Make well in dough and put in microwave at lowest setting for 5 minutes.
Let rise ½ hr

Put flour on counter and knead until smooth.
Roll out until ½ inch thick, let rise ½ hr
Heat up oil, cut out and fry.

Glaze
3 cups powder sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp Karo Syrup

Mix together, add 1 tsp of water as needed.
Yields: 30 delicious doughnuts



HTH!!

Thank you! I think I've tried Alton's donuts before, and while they were good they weren't what I was hoping for.
Kimberlina, I think I'm going to give these a try this week, thank you!!

I want to give you my favorite recipe, but am waiting for the author's feedback. I don't know how she would like it credited.