Vegan Baked Molasses Donuts
Donuts, Doughnuts. Potato, pot-ah-toe. However you spell it, they’re delicious. Donuts that is. Although potatoes are equally delicious. But we’re talking about donuts today. Specifically these vegan baked molasses donuts. Yes, another baked donut recipe on the blog because I can’t be bothered to deep fry at home.
They’re obviously not the same as fried donuts but, dare I say, they’re almost just as good? Plus it’s a much simpler process. No proofing or frying. Just whip up the batter, bake, and be done in under 40 minutes! Couldn’t get easier than that.
How to make vegan baked molasses donuts
These are very similar to the cardamom baked donuts, but with molasses. I love the texture of those so I’m going with the “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” approach. The method is the same, just a matter of whisking the wet ingredients in one bowl, the dry in another, and combining them together. But avoid overmixing! Whisk just until a smooth batter forms to prevent dense or gummy donuts.
Vegan yogurt adds moisture and lift along with the baking powder, resulting in an airy and fluffy baked donut. These are also purely sweetened with molasses so the flavour of it really comes through. I even like to add a pinch of ground black pepper to bring out the spicy notes of it, but that’s completely optional.
Once they’re baked, it becomes somewhat of a “choose your own adventure”. You can opt to coat them in powdered sugar, powdered sugar mixed with cinnamon, granulated sugar, cinnamon sugar, coarse sugar like turbinado or you could even dip them in the maple glaze from the cardamom donuts recipe.
All options are delectable (trust me I ate a few of each kind) but keep in mind that powdered sugar sticks really well to the entire surface of the donut whereas granulated or coarse sugar don’t stick as well to the side that wasn’t in the donut pan (the smooth side basically). I don’t mind that so much, but if you want it completely coated, simply brush the smooth side with melted coconut oil or vegan butter before tossing it in the sugar.
Storing baked donuts
Since baked donuts like these molasses ones are made with cake batter, they’re always best enjoyed fresh. Or some time in the day they’re made. They lose their moist and fluffy quality with time and can tend to dry out and feel dense even when stored in an airtight container. If there are some left and you need to store them, I would keep them for no more than a day in an airtight container at room temperature. Although I don’t know how you would have enough self-control to have any leftovers.
If you make this recipe please let me know in the comments! All feedback is very much appreciated and I would love to hear from you! You can also tag me on instagram @the.quaint.kitchen or use the hashtag #thequaintkitchen to share your creations!
Vegan Baked Molasses Donuts
Ingredients
- 95 g all-purpose flour
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 80 g molasses
- 15 g plain vegan yogurt
- 73 g plant based milk
- 10 g neutral oil, (grapeseed, canola, vegetable…)
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract or paste
- pinch black pepper
Sugar
- powdered sugar, white granulated sugar or coarse sugar
- cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F and grease your donut pan if it’s not non-stick.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the molasses, yogurt, milk, oil, vanilla and black pepper.
- Add in the flour mixture and whisk just until smooth.
- Pipe (using a piping bag or ziploc bag with the corner cut off) or spoon the batter a bit more than halfway up the mold.
- Bake for about 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let them cool about 3-5 minutes in the pan before removing and tossing in the sugar of your choice.
Notes
- *Disclaimer: I have a tiny not-so-great oven, so your bake time may vary from mine.
- I strongly suggest making recipes by weight, if you make them by cups I can’t guarantee that you’ll get the same results.
- If using granulated or coarse sugar to coat the donuts, it might not stick to their smooth side. If you want full coverage, lightly brush that side with melted coconut oil or vegan butter before dipping in sugar.
- The mold I use makes donuts that are on the smaller side so you might need more batter depending on the size of yours.