In the summer, Adam and I spend many weekends (… or, at least we try to) at his parent’s lake condo that is about an hour away from our home. Adam grew up spending summer weekends on lakes around Indiana with his family. They all enjoy skiing, wake boarding and soaking up the sun on a boat.
My family never boated and I didn’t try water skiing until I was about 18 (… And, ten years later, I am still not that good). But, soaking up the sun on a boat? That was a family tradition that I very easily assimilated to.
Lake days with his family are super fun. His parents have a great, big boat so that everyone in his eleven person family can ride on it together. (Although, #11 doesn’t make a huge impact… he is only nine months old.) The whole crew works together to prep great summer meals and snacks. During the hot afternoons, we bust out the tubes or wake boards and ride for a while. Or, we just anchor and spend the day laughing at “Party Cove.”
Photo credit to my brother-in-law, Mike.
But, because all of his sibling’s have pets at home and some of them live just around the corner, we are typically the only ones who stay the night at the condo.
And, while we miss the lively group, there is something special about the quiet moments at the lake. Especially those in the morning.
Adam is an early riser at the lake. He enjoys when the sun is coming up and the water is as smooth as glass. He is known to just sit on the patio and watch the sky and water change from dark blues to pinks and oranges as the day arrives.
But, once 8:00-8:30 hits Adam is itching to get out on the water. It’s empty and quiet so we can throw down the throttle and really move or just leisurely idle around.
And, because of this time of the day and our desire for a little caffeine, we always end up talking about how someone- maybe even us- needs to open a coffee shop on the lake.
Adam and I actually talk about the different kind of restaurants we would open (if money was no object and failure wasn’t an option) often.
There’s the steak house the would feature our homegrown beef and have a vegetable garden in the back. My cute cafe slash nursery that would serve lattes and tea until it’s acceptable to drink champagne and wine. Adam’s sandwich shop that would have the best homemade bread on the planet. And, of course, our coffee shop on Morse.
The coffee shop would just be a little building, maybe even more like a hut. It would have to have plenty of slips for boat parking and would be a great place to take kids on a weekend morning. Food would have to be handheld so that it could be taken on the boat and enjoyed by children, so donuts seem like the most obvious choice for the menu.
Plus, it pairs well with coffee and Saturday vibes.
I have been experimenting with donuts all summer thanks to a great donut pan that Adam’s mom put in my stocking last Christmas.
And, because they are my donuts, we’re not talking about any plain old glazed treats… Instead, there’s been flavors like blueberry lemon almond, strawberry vanilla, and a crowd (AKA Adam) favorite: Chocolate zucchini.
I get that it sounds a little funky, but baked goods made with zucchini are fabulous.
Zucchini helps treats like breads, muffins, cake and donuts maintain a moist texture without changing the flavor significantly. Instead, it will make you question if there really is a vegetable in there.
It is also a great way to take advantage of zucchini when it’s producing like crazy and you just can’t have it on the grill one. more. time.
- 2 cups cake flour
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 cup shredded zucchini, all extra water well squeezed out
- 3/4 cup butter milk
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
- Add squeezed zucchini to the dry mixture and toss evenly to coat.
- Add the buttermilk, eggs and melted butter. Stir until just combined.
- Grease donut pan with cooking spray.
- Spoon the batter into the donut pan, filling until just full.
- Bake for 8 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack.
- Let the donuts cool completely. (I sometimes do over night and then glaze them first thing in the morning.)
- To glaze, dip half of the donut into the glaze.
- Topping with sprinkles is optional, but recommended!