One of the things that Tyler (and the whole family) has missed since going gluten free is donuts. We didn’t eat donuts on a regular basis by any means, but they were a nice treat. I have made some treats at home that are similar to donuts in taste such as baked pumpkin poppers, cinnamon toast muffins, and pumpkin donut muffins with maple glaze. I had never made a donut until now.
I had already decided that I would go ahead and purchase a donut pan (although I hate having uni-taskers in the kitchen) when I came across a pan at a kitchen store that was going out of business. I decided that for $6 I could give it a try and wouldn’t feel so bad even if the only thing the pan could do was make donut shaped treats.
I have to say that on Saturday (after surprising the entire family) I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the donuts. They tasted much better than I ever would have thought a baked donut could taste. Everyone enjoyed them on Saturday and we even had a few leftover that were still delicious on Sunday. I am now quite fascinated with my new found ability to make donuts at home that are gluten free and will be seeing what other varieties I can make. Jeffrey has already requested a blueberry cake one. What is your favorite flavor donut?
Gluten Free Chocolate Espresso Donuts
Ingredients:
For the Donut Batter
200 grams (1 1/2 cups) AP GF flour (I used Better Batter)
60 grams (9 heaping tablespoons) unsweetened cocoa powder
134 grams (2/3 cup) granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
160 grams (2/3 cup) plain Greek yogurt, room temperature
90 grams (1/3 cup) espresso or strong brewed coffee, room temperature
60 grams (1/4 cup) unsalted butter melted and cooled
2 extra-large eggs, room temperature
70 grams (1/3 cup) canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
For the Chocolate Glaze (This makes enough for a whole batch of donuts.)
1- 12 oz bag semisweet chocolate chips, melted
2 tablespoons cream or half and half
For the Vanilla Glaze (This makes enough for a whole batch of donuts.)
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon white corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
cream or half and half added until you get the desired consistency
Instructions:
Donut Batter
Preheat oven to 350. Generously spray donut pan with nonstick spray. Set aside. The recipe makes about 16 donuts. (I just baked multiple batches washing the pan in between.)
In a large bowl whisk together flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a smaller bowl stir together yogurt, coffee, melted butter, eggs, oil and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until just mixed in. Let the mixture sit for about 3 minutes and then fold to make sure all the dry ingredients are incorporated and there isn’t any flour hidden in the bottom of the bowl.
Fill each donut indent about ⅔ full. Be sure not to cover the center stem or you won’t have a hole in the center. Bake about 9 minutes or just until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for a minute and then turn donuts onto a rack to cool completely. Turn the donut pan upside down and let the donuts fall out (gently) on the rack – they are extremely fragile while hot and will fall apart if you handle them right away. They firm up as they cool. Repeat the baking process for the remaining batter.
Chocolate Glaze
In a microwave safe container, melt the chocolate and cream together in 30 second intervals stirring after each 30 seconds until the mixture is smooth. Be careful to melt the chocolate slowly so it does not burn. Let the melted chocolate cool slightly. Dip the top of each donut in the melted chocolate mixture. Let it drip and then with one quick movement turn the donut right side up and place on a rack (on a baking pan to catch drips) and repeat with remaining donuts. Decorate with sprinkles before the chocolate is set.
Vanilla Glaze
Combine the powdered sugar, corn syrup and vanilla in a bowl. Add cream 1 teaspoon at a time whisking until you get the desired consistency. Dip the top of each donut in the vanilla glaze. Let it drip and then with one quick movement turn the donut right side up and place on a rack (on a baking pan to catch drips) and repeat with remaining donuts. Decorate with sprinkles before the glaze is set.
I’m with Jeff on this one – BLUEBERRY CAKE! 🙂