Needed: 4 tablespoons vegetable shortening, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 egg, 1/2 cup evaporated milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 cup finely shredded carrot.
Needed: 4 tablespoons vegetable shortening, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 egg, 1/2 cup evaporated milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few drops of concentrated red food dye.
For each of these donuts the method is the same. Combine the vegetable shortening and sugar, add in the egg, evaporated milk and vanilla and mix until combined. If making the Red Velvet add the food dye at this stage. Now add in the remaining ingredients and stir. Then use your clean hands to form the dough into a ball, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate over night.
Roll out the dough, 1/2 inch thick and use cookie cutters or biscuit cutters to cut out your donuts. I used heart shaped ones for the Red Velvet donuts-just for fun! Heat 2-3 inches of vegetable shortening to 375 F. I highly recommend using a candy thermometer for this step. And remember to use extreme caution when working with liquids this hot! Carefully lay a few donuts in the hot oil at a time. Allow them to cook for 1-2 minutes, flip and cook another 1-2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon or tongs and place on a plate with paper towels. And don't forget to fry up the donut holes too!
For the cream cheese frosting pictured I simply combined 1/2 block softened cream cheese, 1 stick softened butter and 1 cup powder sugar. The frosting is optional, but I highly recommend cream cheese with anything Red Velvet or Carrot Cake flavored.