Chocolate & Honey Cake Donuts with Cream Cheese Glaze

Venturing back into the big, beautiful world of puffy cake donuts, I’ve realised the importance of having more than one donut pan on hand. Mine can only hold a measly 6, so I’ve had to wait for one batch to finish baking before moving on to the next. I really need an extra pan or two. Anyway, here’s a lovely little gluten-free recipe that I’ve tweaked from Tasty Yummies. It involves a brilliant combination of ground almonds and buckwheat flour to create a soft, ever-so-slightly crumbly texture.

The original recipe calls for a few tablespoons of cocoa powder for the choco-oomph, but I decided to use actual dark chocolate instead, melted down and mixed with the honey, vanilla and oil. To compensate for the extra moisture in the batter, I stirred in a bit more almond meal. The resulting donuts were dark, sweet and sultry, tasting just as good the next day (and the day after). Also, they leave your kitchen smelling exactly like honeyed brownies.

I decided on a cream cheese glaze and some almond flakes to complete the look. The contrasting colours offer a simple yet classy appearance to these sweet little cakes.

Chocolate & Honey Cake Donuts with Cream Cheese Glaze
a gluten-free, grain-free recipe; adapted from Tasty Yummies.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup almond meal
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
A pinch of salt
70g dark chocolate, melted
1/4 cup grapeseed (or canola) oil
1/2 cup honey
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)

for cream cheese glaze:
250 grams cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon unsweetened almond milk (more/less for desired consistency)
almond flakes, for sprinkling

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 170ºC and lightly grease a regular 6-hole donut pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine the almond meal, buckwheat flour, baking soda and salt. Mix well, set aside.
3. In a medium-sized bowl, combine melted chocolate, oil, honey, vanilla and eggs until smooth and glossy. Ensure the chocolate has cooled down enough or the eggs’ll cook!
4. Add the chocolate mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well.
5. Carefully spoon (or pipe) the batter into each donut indention until about 3/4 full (they rise quite a bit).
6. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the tops are firm and spring back when touched.
7. Gently remove each donut with a fork and place them on a wire rack to cool completely before glazing.

To make the glaze:

1. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until soft and fluffy, then sift in the confectioner’s sugar and mix well.
2. Stir in the lemon juice. Adjust the consistency of the glaze by adding some almond milk, a little at a time. The glaze should be just runny enough for you to dip your donuts in.
3. Carefully dip the tops of your donuts in the mixture and let rest on a level surface. Sprinkle with almond flakes, if desired.