Vegan Frosted Doughnut Recipe

The boy has been dropping enough hints about how he’s been craving doughnuts recently. As a vegan it’s not as easy for him to just pop out and get his sugar fix so I like to bake him (and as a by product, myself) treats every now and then. But in the process I’ve discovered vegan baking is not so easy, (ie, the birthday cake of 2014 fiasco. Flattest/savoury/avocado cake ever… he still ate it, bless him) but I’ve actually amazed myself with these vegan doughnuts so I thought I’d share the recipe with you guys.

Is the correct spelling donut or doughnut? I do-nut know… (wow, tumble weed) Actually I lied – I do know, I looked it up. It’s doughnut. Moving on…

This recipe makes a lot of doughnuts (about 30 depending on the size you make them) so it’s great for a party, fun valentines gifts (for everyone you know) or if you just want to eat 30 doughnuts to yourself which I think I’ve just about achieved in the past few days.

Instructions:

1. Measure and mix your dry ingredients (flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl)

2. Using a food mixer (I used a hand held one with dough hooks) mix the water into the dry ingredients. The water should be lukewarm to help activate the yeast. Continue to mix for 5 minutes.

3. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave the dough to rise in a warm place for an hour and a half.

4. Pour the oil into a pan and slowly heat on a medium setting. You’ll need 1 1/2 – 2″ of oil for the doughnuts to float in.

5. Oil you hands and break off a lump of dough about the size of a small orange. Roll it into a ball. The oil on your hands should help to stop it sticking and seal the outside of the dough.

6. Pinch the middle of the dough with you thumb and forefinger of both hands and let the remaining dough hang. Quickly rotate the dough between these two fingers so that the weight of the hanging dough creates an even hole in the middle. Carefully place into the pan of hot oil.

7. You can put more than one doughnut into the oil at a time. Just remember they are going to expand so don’t put too many in!

8. Keep turning using a slotted spoon until the rings are a lovely golden brown on both sides then take out of the pan and rest on kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil.

9. Leave to cool. Then you’re ready to start icing!

10. Mix up a packet of icing sugar with almond milk, slowly adding the milk 1 tbsp at a time until you have a smooth but thick consistency. You don’t want this to be runny! Add a few drops of vanilla to give the icing some flavour.

11. Divide the icing into separate pots and colour with drops of food colouring. Spread over each doughnut and then sprinkle with your choice of toppings. My personal favourites are coconut flakes or sliced almonds but I also really love using traditional cake sprinkles just because they are so colourful!

What better way to show someone you love them! I hope you’re ready, because you’re about to get really popular!