I’m excited to share this recipe today, because it’s completely my own—and that wasn’t originally going to be the case. You see, I’d planned to make doughnuts following a recipe I’d cut out of Vegetarian Times a few months ago. However, when I tried their recipe, the results were, ummm, less than stellar. (Understatement!) Sorry VT, but your recipe was a complete failure!
If you’re curious, here’s a photo of my ugly doughnuts.
After that, not willing to give my trust to anyone else, I jotted down my own recipe, keeping in mind the reasons I suspected VT‘s didn’t work (too much fat and too much liquid being my main guesses). I’m happy to say my recipe came out perfectly!
So soft and cake-like… yet they are much healthier than traditional doughnuts!
Cake-Batter Doughnuts
Loosely based off a recipe from Vegetarian Times
- 1 level cup flour (see note below, for what type)
- 2/3 cup milk of choice
- 1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp evaporated cane juice or sugar (or Sucanat)
- 1/2 tsp apple-cider vinegar
- 1 and 1/2 tsp ener-g egg replacer OR 1 tbsp flaxmeal
- 1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 3 tbsp pre-melted butter-type spread (such as Earth Balance)
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Optional: sprinkles! Or cinnamon, raisins, peanuts, chocolate chips… be creative!
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flax or ener-g with all wet ingredients except vinegar. In a separate bowl, combine remaining dry ingredients. Then add the vinegar to the wet, and immediately pour wet onto dry. Mix (but don’t overmix), pour into doughnut pans, and cook for 12 minutes.
Flour Notes: I used white-whole-wheat. You can use all-purpose or Bob’s gluten-free or spelt flour. Whole wheat pastry can be used, but the doughnuts will be a tad more dense.
View Cake Batter Donuts Nutrition Facts
If you don’t have a doughnut pan, the above link also lists ideas for how you can still make these! And it includes some un-edited photos. I thought I’d include them so you can see what the doughnuts look like in a non-photoshoot format.
Tomorrow: Frosting Recipes!
If you can’t wait til then, try my Vanilla-Fudge Frosting.
Or sprinkle on cinnamon-sugar or powdered sugar while the doughnuts are still warm.
For the nutrition information, is it 55 calories each for 6 regular sized doughnuts, or 55 calories each for one of the 18 mini doughnuts? Thanks! I’m excited to try these!! 🙂 🙂
What if I don’t want to use white sugar. Is there a healthier option?
Evaporated cane juice? Coconut sugar?
I haven’t tried xylitol, but if you do I would love to know how it works (or doesn’t).
I made these with the flax egg (1 heaping T flax meal, 3T water) and they worked great!
I am trying this one as soon as possible…wonder if I could trick my boyfriend into eating it too mwahahaha
Could you use coconut flour?
Just tried with flax…amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love your site! My mother-in-law has so far given a thumbs down to EVERY SINGLE gluten free item I have had her try, so I am bound and determined to find something she’ll like!!!! I want to try this recipe next, but I don’t have egg replacer. How much egg should I use instead?
Sorry, I don’t know. The last time I cooked with a real egg was about 10 years ago!
katie! i just found your website this week, and i’m thrilled with some of your recipes! my daughter has several severe and life-threatening food allergies, so we’ve completely changed the way we eat since we discovered her allergies almost eight years ago. once the kind of gal who loved pop tarts and pre-packaged powdered donuts, i now read every label, scrutinize what i’m feeding my kids, and prepare 90% of our foods from scratch (i admit, i take the easy road at times, since i’ve found potato chips that are relatively safe for her).
she’s allergic to (and so i avoid in all of my cooking/baking): wheat, soy, corn, eggs, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, food dyes, lemon, kiwi……but she eats way healthier than most kids her age, so we’ve told her how blessed she is because of her health! 🙂
anyway, i say all of this because i wanted to let you know that i modified this recipe this morning so it would be safe for her. we’ve thoroughly enjoyed our breakfast! i don’t use pre-made gluten-free flour blends…i make my own, following recipes i’ve found. here’s what i did:
1 level cup all-purpose gluten-free flour blend (Cybele Pascal’s recipe, available here: http://www.cybelepascal.com/ingredient-smarts/)
½ tsp guar gum (necessary for most gluten-free baking)
1/3 cup + 1 T sugar
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
½ cup warm rice milk (i reduced this because of the liquid in the “flax egg”)
1 T ground flax meal + 3 T water (let sit for a few minutes)
3 T pre-melted coconut spread
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp apple-cider vinegar
i used a mini muffin pan, dipped them in your Coconut Banana Butter, and sprinkled on naturally-dyed sugar sprinkles. my kids loved them (and so did i)! thanks for the quick, easy breakfast treat!
🙂 kim
Thank you so much for sharing, Kim! Your recipe sounds really good… especially the part with the coconut spread ;).
Made these with spelt flour – came out fantastic! Thanks for the recipe.
Will your recipes work with real eggs instead of egg replacer? (I haven’t been able to find egg replacer yet in my local stores)
Sorry, I haven’t worked with a real egg in over ten years so I don’t know lol.