Coffee-glazed zeppole

Giada De Laurentiis made these lemon-scented, coffee-glazed Italian doughnuts on an episode where she hosted a bridal shower, and indeed they are the perfect sweet treat to round out a chic social gathering. After all, who can resist fried dough? Gussy them up with an aromatic coffee glaze and you have an elegant dessert no one can resist.
You can find the recipe here.

My substitutions:
I couldn't find espresso powder at the local grocery store, and I didn't have time to make it to an Italian bakery, so I used regular instant coffee granules. The recipe calls for vegetable oil, so I used canola oil. I'm still not 100 per cent convinced that was the right choice, so I will experiment with another oil next time. Which leads me to...

Would I make this again?
Yes I would, however, I would take it more slowly to ensure a more consistent size and shape. I was in a rush, and the doughnuts came out all different sizes in my attempt to finish before the guests arrived.
Still, these lemon-scented doughnuts ended up moist and fluffy and delicious served alongside coffee.

Grade:
Four stars out of five. I felt like I had to use an awful lot of oil just to make one batch, which is not the most cost-effective option.