Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts – Gluten-Free

These Gluten-Free Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts are a revelation and certain to become as popular in your household as they are in mine. They have a lovely light texture, the perfect amount of spice and just the right amount of sweetness. However, they are baked and consequently are far healthier than their deep-fried relatives.

Why we love this recipe:

These delicious doughnuts are so easy to make and baking them means they are healthier than the ones which are deep fried.

You still get the same delicious doughnut taste as they are rolled in sweet, crunchy, cinnamon flavoured sugar, giving them the doughnut appearance that we know and love.

The recipe makes enough to share, so they’re ideal if you’re having friends or family for brunch.

Although best eaten on the day they are made, they keep well and are still delicious on the third day which makes them ideal if you’re travelling and want to take a batch with you.

They’re great to start the day, with a coffee or glass of milk, but can be eaten as a snack or packed into lunch boxes.

Is it doughnut or donut?

According to Wikipedia, “Doughnut is the traditional spelling and still dominates even in the United States”. However, “donut is often used”. Dunkin’ Donuts opted for the shortened version while Krispy Kreme uses the traditional spelling. But when they taste as good as these, does it really matter how we spell it?

Doughnuts are popular worldwide but are an integral part of American cuisine. As well as being two ways to spell them, there are two ways to make them. Both methods have been around for generations. There are those which are baked and those which are fried.

The baked version is cake-like and relies on baking soda or baking powder to be its leavening agent. It is quickly made. On the other hand, the fried doughnut is made using yeast which means allowing the dough to rise and then deep frying. They take quite a lot longer to make.

Ingredients in this recipe:

Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.

Doughnuts:

Gluten-free plain/all-purpose flour – our gluten-free flour blends contain either xanthan or guar gum to stabilise and provide structure to our recipes. If your flour blend already contains either of these gums, there is no need to add more. If you do not require the recipe to be gluten-free, you can use regular flour.

Caster Sugar – I use caster/superfine sugar for the doughnuts, but regular granulated sugar is fine to use also.

Butter – I use unsalted butter so that I can control the amount of salt in the recipe. Butter provides the best flavour.

Eggs – I use large eggs and prefer free-range.

Pureed pumpkin – I use my homemade Pumpkin Puree.

Vanilla extract – for the best flavour, ensure that the vanilla you use is naturally extracted from the vanilla bean and not synthetically produced.

Pumpkin spice – I use my homemade Pumpkin Spice mix.

Baking soda/bicarbonate of soda – is the raising agent in the doughnuts, reacting with the acidity in the pumpkin puree.

Sea salt – the addition of a small amount of salt is a flavour enhancer in baked goods. Use a coarse kitchen/cooking salt, not table salt.

Topping:

Sugar – I use regular granulated sugar.

Cinnamon – adding the cinnamon to the sugar gives a traditional doughnut flavour.

Step by step instructions:

To begin, preheat your oven to 180 degrees C/350 F.  Grease a silicone or non-stick doughnut pan with non-stick spray. If you’re using a silicone pan, place it on a baking sheet for support.

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Alternatively, place the butter and sugar into a bowl and use hand-held electric beaters to cream the mixture.
2. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the remaining doughnut ingredients – except the flour – and mix together.
3. On the lowest speed, slowly add the flour and mix until just combined.
4. Using a teaspoon add the batter to the doughnut pan, filling about ¾ of the way full. If you prefer, you could add the mixture to a piping bag and fill the tins that way. Place the baking tray into the preheated oven and bake for 15-17 minutes. When they are cooked, remove from the oven and leave to cool in the pan. Depending on the size of your baking tin, you may have to do this in batches.

Combine the cinnamon and sugar for the topping in a shallow bowl and dip each side of the doughnuts into it. Enjoy!

Tips for success and FAQs:

More delicious recipes for you to try:

Our Gluten-Free Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts are a delicious, easy to make sweet treat. Here are some more ideas you may wish to try:

• Gluten-Free Spiced Madeleines
• The Best Chocolate Muffins
• Lemon Drizzle Cupcakes
• Banana Blondies

Soft and fluffy, these Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts, are the perfect way to start the day. They have a light, tender crumb with just the right amount of spice. The authentic doughnut flavour is achieved by dipping the finished product in cinnamon-sugar.

Please let me know in the comments below if you try them.

Alex xx