Crullers

[The Twisted Cake Remix]

Delicate French-style crullers featuring cassava flour for a light, airy texture with crispy ridges. These golden twisted pastries get a sweet allulose glaze and optional Earl Grey pastry cream filling for an elegant breakfast treat.

Ingredients

For Choux Pastry:
1 cup (240ml) water
6 tbsp (85g) grass-fed butter
1 tbsp (15ml) raw honey
1/2 tsp (1.5g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt
1 cup (120g) cassava flour
4 large eggs (pasture-raised preferred), room temperature
1 tsp (5ml) vanilla extract

For Frying:
6 cups (1.4L) avocado oil

For Glaze:
1-1/2 cups (180g) allulose
3 tbsp (45ml) whole milk (grass-fed preferred)
1 tsp (5ml) vanilla extract

For Optional Earl Grey Pastry Cream:
2 cups (480ml) whole milk (grass-fed preferred)
3 Earl Grey tea bags
5 large egg yolks (pasture-raised preferred)
1/3 cup (65g) allulose
3 tbsp (24g) cassava flour
2 tbsp (30g) grass-fed butter
1 tsp (5ml) vanilla extract

Steps

Prep:

Cut twelve 4-inch squares of parchment paper. Using piping bag fitted with large star tip, trace or draw 3-inch circles on each square as guide. Set aside on baking sheet.

Cook:

In medium saucepan, combine water, butter, honey, and salt. Bring to rolling boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until butter melts completely.

Mix:

Remove from heat and immediately add cassava flour all at once. Stir vigorously with wooden spoon until mixture forms smooth ball and pulls away from sides of pan, about 1 minute. Return to low heat and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly, to dry out dough slightly.

Combine:

Transfer dough to stand mixer bowl. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes to cool slightly. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until fully incorporated and dough is smooth and glossy. Beat in vanilla extract.

Pipe:

Transfer dough to piping bag fitted with large star tip. Pipe dough onto prepared parchment squares following traced circles, connecting ends to form complete rings. Refrigerate piped crullers on parchment 15 minutes to firm up.

Heat:

In large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, heat avocado oil to 375°F (190°C). Use deep-fry thermometer to monitor temperature. Set wire rack over baking sheet nearby.

Fry:

Carefully place 2-3 crullers with parchment into hot oil. Parchment will release after 10-15 seconds – remove with tongs. Fry 2-3 minutes per side until deep golden brown and puffed, maintaining oil temperature at 365-375°F (185-190°C). Transfer to wire rack. Repeat with remaining crullers.

Glaze:

While crullers cool 5 minutes, whisk together allulose, milk, and vanilla in medium bowl until smooth. Dip top of each cruller into glaze, allowing excess to drip off. Return to rack and let glaze set 10 minutes.

Fill (Optional):

For Earl Grey pastry cream: Heat milk with tea bags to just below simmer, remove from heat, steep 10 minutes, then discard bags. Whisk egg yolks with allulose and cassava flour. Slowly whisk hot milk into yolk mixture, return to pan, and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened, 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in butter and vanilla. Cool completely. Pipe into crullers using small round tip.

Serve:

Serve immediately for best texture. Crullers are best enjoyed fresh within 4 hours of frying.

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Make it Good For The Gut (Optional)

Use kefir instead of milk in pastry cream for probiotic benefits and slight tanginess. Add 1 tsp prebiotic acacia fiber to choux dough with cassava flour to support beneficial gut bacteria without affecting texture. Include 1/4 tsp ground cardamom in dough for digestive support and aromatic warmth. Replace honey with raw manuka honey for antimicrobial properties. Use grass-fed ghee instead of butter for easier digestibility and higher smoke point during frying preparation.

Remix Options

Baked Version: Pipe crullers onto parchment-lined baking sheet, brush with melted grass-fed butter, and bake at 400°F (204°C) for 25-30 minutes until golden and puffed – lighter texture but less crispy. Chocolate Glaze: Replace vanilla glaze with 1 cup (120g) allulose, 1/4 cup (25g) unsweetened cocoa powder, 3 tbsp (45ml) milk, and 2 tbsp (30g) melted grass-fed butter whisked until smooth. Cinnamon Sugar: Skip glaze and toss warm crullers in mixture of 1/2 cup (60g) coconut sugar and 2 tsp (4g) ground cinnamon. Maple Glaze: Replace allulose glaze with 1 cup (240ml) pure maple syrup reduced by half, cooled slightly, and whisked with 2 tbsp (30g) grass-fed butter. Lemon Lavender: Add 1 tbsp (6g) dried culinary lavender and zest of 1 lemon to milk when heating, strain before making glaze. Air Fryer Method: Place piped crullers in air fryer basket at 350°F (177°C) for 12-15 minutes until golden, brushing with avocado oil halfway through. Coffee Cream Filling: Replace Earl Grey with 2 tbsp (12g) ground coffee steeped in hot milk, strain before making pastry cream. Almond Flour Version: Replace cassava flour with 1 cup (120g) almond flour for nutty flavor – may be slightly denser.

Good To Know

Cassava Flour Benefits: Cassava flour creates surprisingly light choux pastry – its neutral flavor and fine texture allow proper puffing while remaining nut-free, seed-free, and gluten-free for maximum inclusivity. Temperature Control: Maintaining oil at 365-375°F (185-190°C) is critical – too hot and crullers brown before cooking through, too cool and they absorb excess oil and become greasy. Parchment Trick: Piping onto parchment squares lets you transfer delicate raw crullers to hot oil without distortion – parchment releases naturally after 10-15 seconds in oil. Choux Dough Tips: Dough should be thick, glossy, and slowly drop from spoon in V-shape – if too thick add extra egg beaten separately, 1 tbsp at a time. Allulose in Glaze: Allulose creates smooth, clean-tasting glaze that sets without crystallizing – won’t brown like coconut sugar would, perfect for delicate pastries. Make-Ahead Instructions: Pipe crullers up to 6 hours ahead and refrigerate covered – fry just before serving for best texture, glaze immediately after frying. Storage Guidelines: Best consumed within 4 hours of frying – if necessary, store unfilled crullers in airtight container at room temperature up to 24 hours, re-crisp in 300°F (149°C) oven 3-5 minutes. Reheating Instructions: Warm in 300°F (149°C) oven 3-5 minutes to restore some crispness – avoid microwave which makes them soggy. Freezing Tips: Freeze unfilled, unglazed fried crullers up to 1 month – thaw at room temperature 15 minutes, warm in 300°F (149°C) oven 5 minutes, then glaze. Troubleshooting: If crullers deflate after frying, dough was undermixed or oil temperature dropped too low; if they crack, oil was too hot; if dense and heavy, eggs weren’t fully incorporated or dough wasn’t dried enough during cooking step.