BEST Gluten Free Baked Donuts

The BEST Gluten Free Baked Donuts recipe yields the fluffiest, most tender, and yummiest cinnamon sugar cake donuts ever!  These are easy to make and use standard gluten free baking ingredients you likely already have on hand.  They’re sure to become a favorite!

Where Did Donuts Originate?

Donuts in one form or the other have been around for eons; so long in fact that according to the Smithsonian archaeologists have dug of fossilized pieces of donuts dating back to prehistoric Native American settlements.  But “proper” donuts are believed to have come to the U.S. via the Dutch and what they called olykoeks, or “oily cakes.”

What about the name “doughnut”?  It was aptly named by Elizabeth Gregory, the mother of a New England ship captain who, in the mid-19th century, regularly made doughnuts for her son’s crew.  She would place nuts in the center of the doughnuts where the dough would sometimes be undercooked; thus, the very little name “dough-nuts.”

But what about the doughnuts as we know and love them today – the ones with the hole in the middle?  Those are credited to the Elizabeth’s son, Captain Hanson Gregory.  Some historians say he did it as a way to skimp on ingredients while others say that he created the first hole-in-the-center doughnut when, needing to keep his hands on the wheel in a store, he skewered the doughnut on the spoke of the wheel.  (My question is, what was he doing eating a doughnut in the middle of a storm in the first place?  But then, I’ve never been a sailor so who am I to judge this odd behavior, right?)  However it was that this doughnut came to be, Captain Gregory was mighty proud of his discovery – 50 years later before his death he said that he had cut into the middle of the doughnut and created “the first doughnut hole ever seen by mortal eyes.”

However and by whomever the “holey” donut came about, it remains one of the most popular treats in America.  And it’s such a great treat that even our friends who are gluten free or simply trying to cut back on their gluten intake deserve to enjoy them, too!

So here’s a gluten free cake donut that’s easy to make and is baked instead of fried.  Unlike many gluten free donuts that are heavy and dense, this version has a lighter, fluffier texture and a terrific flavor!

Gluten Free Baked Donuts Recipe

Let’s get started!

Combine the flours, starch, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon salt and xanthan gum in a bowl.

In a separate, larger bowl, beat the butter, oil and sugar until combined, then beat in the eggs and vanilla extract.

Alternate beating in half of the milk, then half of the flour mixture followed by the remaining milk and flour mixture.  Beat just until combined.

Lightly grease a donut pan.  I use and like Norpro’s Nonstick Donut Pan.

Scoop the batter into the donut molds, filling them to the top.

In an oven preheated to 425 degrees F, bake the donuts on the middle rack for 7-8 minutes until golden and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Let the donuts remain in the pan for 2 minutes before removing them.

I like to give the donuts a very light spray of oil before I roll them in the cinnamon sugar so that better adheres to the donuts.  You can do that while they’re still warm or once they’ve cooled.

Place the donuts on a wire rack to cool.

Eat while slightly warm or fully cooled.

Enjoy!

For more gluten free treats be sure to try our:  

• Gluten Free Treacle Tart
• Gluten Free Crepes
• Gluten Free Carrot Cake
• Gluten Free Zucchini Muffins
• Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Gluten Free Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies
• Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookies
• Gluten Free Oat Waffles

Originally published on The Daring Gourmet March 1, 2017