Delicious Chocolate Baked Donuts (for Vegans and Everyone)

Delicious Chocolate Baked Donuts

Recently, my daughter e-mailed me recipes for adorable mini-donuts for vegans.  Some were multi-colored and looked very spring-like, and others were vanilla or chocolate, but had wonderful colored glaze.  My daughter (and I) love chocolate donuts, and the Tim Hortons chain here in Canada has excellent ones, but of course they are off-limits for my vegan daughter.  I gave this recipe a try even though the only baked donut pan I could find was for full-size donuts.  The result was wonderful donuts – I think every bit as good as Tim Hortons – and I’m sure fewer calories.  I highly recommend them.

Thanks to Kaylah at http://daintysquid.blogspot.com/2010/06/i-made-donuts-heres-down-low-on-how-to.html#more whose recipe I adapted.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup  all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 heaping tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4  tsp salt
• 1 shake of cinnamon
• 1/2 cup soymilk
• 1/2 teaspoon  apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• Egg replacer for 1 egg
• 4  tablespoons Earth Balance or other vegan margarine

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º F.
2. In a large bowl, whisk dry ingredients together.
3. In a small saucepan, combine wet ingredients over  medium low heat &
   mix until margarine is melted. You should be able  to stick your finger
   in the mixture without burning yourself.
4. Add wet to dry and stir, forming a soft spongy dough.
5. Using a spoon, scoop out dough into an ungreased non-stick donut pan & smooth out the tops of them. Fill them just below the rim. Over filling them will result in muffin tops.
6. Bake them  for 10-12 minutes. Remove from pan and place on wire rack to cool.

Colored glaze:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• soy milk
• Food coloring to desired intensity

Directions:

1. Whisk  ingredients together.
2. Dip top half of the donut into the glaze, and place on wire rack to harden.

For those who prefer double chocolate donuts:

Rich chocolate ganache glaze:

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup soy milk
• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

Directions:

1. In small sauce pan, bring soy milk to gentle boil.
2. Immediately remove from heat and add chocolate and maple syrup.  Use heat proof rubber spatula to mix the chocolate until fully melted and smooth.
3. Set aside a room temperature till ready to use.  (Will firm up in a short time.)

(From Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.)

Nancy