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Vegan Chocolate Banana Cake Donuts

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It’s our first week in our new apartment, and I really wanted my first bake to be something with a chocolate icing. I melted dark chocolate and added that to a super simple mix of confectioner’s sugar and almond milk and OMG. It came out so good. And then I dipped my Chocolate Banana Donuts in it and I literally ate three. Yeah, that happened. These donuts are freaking good. I made Nathan take them to work, because I knew I’d end up eating all 12.

The batter is easy to whip together – it’s basically a quick bread batter that I piped into a donut pan. If you don’t have a donut pan yet, then you should definitely get one. They’re relatively inexpensive, especially if you buy one from a favorite craft store that regularly has 40% off coupons…

For this baked donut recipe, you’ll use a piping bag or large Ziploc bag to simply pipe the batter into the pan – that’s it! I promise it’s easy. And the icing? Just three basic ingredients, warmed up over a double boiler to make sure it sets. If you don’t warm your icing, there’s a good chance it will soak into the donuts (trust me). If you have any questions, leave them below. Happy baking!

Vegan Chocolate Banana Cake Donuts
Makes 12 regular donuts

Donuts
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup (or honey if non-vegan)
1/2 cup coconut milk yogurt
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 flax eggs (2 Tbsp flaxseed meal + 6 Tbsp water)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp neutral oil*
1 cup mashed ripe banana
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup spelt flour (all-purpose will work, too)
1 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
Icing
1 cup confectioner’s/powdered sugar
~2 Tbsp unsweetened almond milk
.7oz (20g) vegan dark chocolate

1.) Preheat your oven to 350°F and spray a donut pan with olive oil. In a medium bowl, mix together the coconut sugar, honey, yogurt, almond milk, flax eggs, vanilla, oil, and mashed banana; set aside.

2.) In a large bowl, sift together the flours and cocoa powder. Whisk in the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry and mix until no flour pockets remain.

3.) Fill a pastry bag or large Ziploc bag with the batter (I started out with half). Pipe the batter into your greased donut pan, filling to the top. Bake at 350°F for 10-11 minutes or until toothpick inserted into a donut comes out with crumbs. Allow donuts to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack – they should pop right out when you turn the pan over and shake a bit. Let donuts cool completely.

4.) To melt the dark chocolate, bring about an inch of water to simmer in a medium saucepan. Place your chocolate in a heatproof bowl that will rest on top of your saucepan, being sure it doesn’t touch the water. Let your chocolate melt, stirring constantly. Remove your bowl from the heat and set your chocolate aside.

5.) In another heatproof bowl, stir together the powdered sugar and almond milk until combined. Add the melted chocolate and mix until totally combined. Heat your icing over the simmering water (the same way you did the chocolate) until just warm to the touch; remove from heat. Dip the tops of your donuts in the icing and then set them to rest on a cooling rack. Be sure to work quickly as the icing will begin to set fast. Enjoy your iced donuts!

*an oil with a light taste, such as avocado, grapeseed, or light olive oil. I don’t recommend coconut oil, as the cold ingredients (milk and yogurt) will cause the melted oil to solidify

Vegan Pumpkin Butter Sweet Rolls

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When I set out to make homemade pumpkin butter I knew I needed to make a sweet roll with the stuff. If you’ve never had pumpkin butter before, it’s a delicious spread made with pumpkin, sugar, and spices – the same ones you’d find in a pumpkin pie. And it is good. These sweet rolls are slightly spiced, filled with pumpkin butter and coconut sugar, and then topped with a pumpkin spice glaze! They’re the perfect fall roll. And also, my toddler can’t get enough, so I think it’s safe to say that even if you’re not that into pumpkin, there’s a good chance you’ll still find these delicious.

Yeasted breads can be intimidating. And time consuming. What I love about this dough is that it uses instant rise yeast, so you only have to proof it once! That cuts back on a lot of the time it usually takes to make homemade sweet rolls. When I made these rolls, we were staying away from home, which means I didn’t have my regular kitchen – or regular supplies. I threw this dough together in a makeshift bowl (read: rectangular disposable container), kneaded it by hand, and rolled it out using a plastic cup. So I’m confident that you can make this recipe work for you!

The pumpkin butter filling and glaze are both super simple. You’ll basically throw some ingredients into a pot or bowl and stir. Don’t be afraid to play around with your spices – adding or subtracting what you are or aren’t fond of! I tend to like more spice, so you can always start with less. Happy baking, friends! I hope you love these rolls as much as we do!

Vegan Pumpkin Butter Sweet Rolls
Makes 8-10 rolls

Dough
1 packet instant rise yeast
1 cup warm water
3 1/2 cups bread flour
2 Tbsp coconut sugar
1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
3 Tbsp olive oil
Filling
~3/4 cup pumpkin butter (see recipe below!)
3 Tbsp coconut sugar
Pumpkin Spice Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp almond milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves

1.) Preheat your oven to 200°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add the packet of yeast to 1 cup of warm water and let sit for 5 minutes. Your water shouldn’t be anywhere near boiling, or your yeast will die. At the end of five minutes your yeast should be a bit foamy.

2.) Make the dough: in a stand mixer bowl*, use a dough hook to mix together the flour, coconut sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. With the mixer on low, add the olive oil and warm water/yeast. Mix at low speed for 1 minute and then at medium speed until dough comes together. Hand knead your dough until it’s smooth and springs back when you press a finger into it, adding a bit more room temp water or flour if your dough is dry or sticky.

3.) Assemble the rolls: on a lightly floured surface, or piece of parchment paper, roll your dough into a rectangle roughly 12×16″. Spread 3/4 cup of your pumpkin butter over the dough and then sprinkle with 3 Tbsp coconut sugar. Carefully roll your dough, beginning on one of the long sides. The pumpkin butter will want to ooze out, so do your best to roll slowly and keep it in. When you get near the end, pick up the bottom and fold it up and over (I found this helped keep the pumpkin butter in). Use a string or piece of floss to cut your rolls about 1 1/2″. Arrange your rolls on your parchment-lined baking sheet, oozing side up, and then spread more apple butter over the tops.

4.) Proof and bake: cover your rolls loosely with plastic wrap (to keep moisture in) and proof them in the oven at 200°F for 15-20 minutes or until they’ve doubled in size. Remove from the oven and preheat your oven to 400°F. Take the plastic wrap off and bake your rolls at 400°F for 13-18 minutes, or until golden brown.

5.) Make the glaze: in a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar, spices, vanilla extract, and 1/2 Tbsp of the almond milk. Add more milk to get the right consistency. You want it thick enough that when you drizzle it holds shape for a couple of seconds. Spoon or spread the glaze over your rolls (I spooned mine on in a circular, spiral motion). The glaze may seem too thick at first, but it will continuing to slowly spread over and down the sides of your rolls.

*if you don’t have a stand mixer, the original recipe calls for using a hand mixer. I made these rolls using a fork to whisk the dry ingredients and then my hands to bring the dough together and knead.

Recipe adapted from the Southern Living Party Cookbook (2006) page 61

Pumpkin Butter
(makes ~2 cups)
1 15 oz can pumpkin
1/2 cup apple juice
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup coconut sugar or white/brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves

1.) Add all of the ingredients to a small saucepan and bring to a slight boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Allow your pumpkin butter to cool, and store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Recipe adapted from allrecipes

Chai-Spiced Apple Hand Pies

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There’s something about Autumn and the approaching holiday season that puts me in an even greater mood to bake. After making homemade apple butter, I really wanted to incorporate more apples and spice into another dessert. I’ve made hand pies before, and I think they’re just such a fun, little treat. I love chai spice and the added cardamom, so I decided to toss some diced apples in a chai spice mix and throw them into a batch of gorgeous, perfect-for-fall hand pies! I added a thin cardamom glaze to the tops of each pie to give them some extra pretty. And because those processed pies I ate as kid were covered in a glossy, yummy glaze – so, ya know, nostalgia.

The crust recipe makes 5 hand pies but could easily be doubled to make 10. With the filling recipe, you’ll have quite a bit leftover to use however you please – I happily topped my morning oats with my leftovers! – so if you want to make 10 hand pies, you can leave the filling recipe as-is. It’s important to heat your glaze a bit for this recipe as that will allow the glaze to really set and harden on your pies! Happy baking!

 

Chai-Spiced Apple Hand Pies
Makes 5 hand pies

Crust
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour OR all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp coconut sugar
3/4 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 cup coconut oil, solid
2-5 Tbsp ice cold water
Filling
4 apples
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves
Pinch black pepper
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 Tbsp cup coconut sugar
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice (optional)
Egg Wash
1 large egg, beaten
Cardamom Glaze
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp cardamom
1/2 – 2 Tbsp unsweetened almond milk

1.) Prepare dough by pulsing the flour, coconut sugar, and salt in a blender or food processor. Add the solid coconut oil and pulse. Add 2 Tbsp of ice cold water and blend. Continue adding 1 Tbsp of ice cold water until the dough comes together. Dump the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and divide into five equal dough balls. Cover and wrap each dough ball separately, flattening them to a disc shape. Refrigerate the dough while you make the filling*.

2.) Peel, core, and dice your apples. Add them to a medium bowl and toss with the remaining filling ingredients – cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, black pepper, vanilla, coconut sugar, and lemon juice. Heat apple mixture in a pan over medium-low heat until almost totally soft, making sure to not let your apples get too dry (you can add a bit of water to the pan if needed).

3.) Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out your dough into a 6 inch circle – I like to roll mine between two pieces of parchment paper for easy cleanup. Brush egg wash around the inner edge of the circle and spoon ~1/4 cup of filling onto one side. Fold over the other side of the circle and press the edges together. Fold your edges up and in, making sure there are no holes and the edge is totally sealed. Transfer hand pie to baking sheet. Repeat until you’ve assembled all 5 pies.

4.) Brush your egg wash over the top of all 5 five pies. Cut three vents into the top of each pie. Bake at 350°F for ~15 minutes or until you hear the filling bubbling. Your crust might stay quite light in color, so be sure not to over bake your pies.

5.) While your pies are cooling, you can make your glaze. In a small sauce pan, add the powdered sugar, vanilla, cardamom, and 1/2 Tbsp of almond milk. Stir until combined, cooking on low heat. Add more almond milk until the glaze is thin enough to spoon over your hand pies. Once the glaze is warm to the touch, generously (and quickly**) spoon the glaze over each pie.

*the dough can be made ahead of time, but you will need to let it rest at room temperature for a while before it will soften enough to roll out

**the glaze will set quickly since it’s been heated up

Crust recipe adapted from Food with Feeling