Gluten free Baked Chocolate Cake Glazed Donuts

FULL LIST OF INGREDIENTS YOU NEED FOR THE EASY-BAKED GLAZED CHOCOLATE DONUTS

These baked doughnuts are easily made with everyday ingredients you probably have on hand. You will need the following ingredients listed below to make them (the exact measurements are in the recipe card below):

• Gluten-free flour – I used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 baking flour. Any gluten-free flour blend should work as long as it contains xanthan gum. 
• Baking soda
• Baking powder
• Unsweetened cocoa powder
• Golden monkfruit sweetener OR brown sugar – I used Lankanto Monkfruit Sweetener, you can use my code BASICSWITHBAILS at checkout for money off their products. 
• Salt
• Egg
• Vegan butter – a good substitute is regular butter if you don’t need this to be dairy-free.
• Almond milk – you can use whole milk here as well, or substitute for oat milk, cashew milk, or any other plant milk. 
• Vanilla extract
• Powdered Sugar – can use something like Swerve Sweetie for a lower-sugar option
• Thick nondairy milk or heavy cream – something like MALK, full-fat coconut milk, or heavy whipping cream for the glaze.

HOW TO MAKE THE CHOCOLATE DONUTS RECIPE

Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray the donut pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.

To Make The Donuts

Sift all the dry ingredients (gluten-free flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder, sweetener, and salt) together in a large bowl. Sifting is important; you want to remove any clumps of cocoa.

In the same bowl, add the wet ingredients and stir together until completely smooth. The batter will be thick like peanut butter.

Spoon double chocolate donut batter into the greased donut pan, filling it right to the top as seen below. Alternatively, you can use a piping bag, or Ziploc bag with a slit on the edge of the bag, to get the batter into the donut holes.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the donuts to cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool for 10-15 more minutes before glazing.

To Make The Glaze

While the donuts are cooling, make the glaze by sifting the confectioner's sugar into a medium bowl. Stir in the milk, and vanilla.

If your milk is not thick enough, the glaze may be too thin. If this is the case, add 2-3 tbsp flour, or arrowroot starch if you have it on hand.

Do you want an extra thick glaze? Use a thick liquid like MALK almond milk or full-fat coconut milk.

Regular almond milk or water won’t give you the same color or richness that thicker milk will. While it’s not necessary, I highly recommend it for the glaze.

If the batter is too thick, add more liquid to make it thinner if desired.

Dunk each donut into the glaze using your fingers. Place on a wire rack on top of a large baking sheet to let the glaze drip down.

Put in the freezer for 5 minutes so the glaze sets. Repeat dunking two to three more times if you want a thick glaze coating.

I dunked the baked chocolate cake donuts two times. If you run out of glaze, just make more.

More glaze = better chocolate-glazed donuts. 

DO I HAVE TO USE A DONUT PAN FOR THESE CHOCOLATE CAKE DONUTS?

HIGHLY recommend you get one! If you don’t have a doughnut pan, you can use a muffin tin.

Just note that the cooking time is lower with a donut pan because the donut dough gets in contact all around, including in the center with the donut pan. You will have to cook the batter longer if using a muffin tin!

DOES THIS CHOCOLATE CAKE DONUT RECIPE FREEZE WELL?

Yes, these donuts freeze very well. I often double the batch and freeze the rest in an airtight container for when I’m craving a chocolate treat (which let's be real, is daily).

That way I don’t have to make a fresh batch each week. Simply take the dark chocolate donuts out the night before, or defrost them in the microwave in the morning.

DOES THIS CHOCOLATE DONUT RECIPE HAVE TO BE GLUTEN-FREE AND DAIRY-FREE?

No, you can definitely substitute all-purpose flour and regular milk in this recipe if you desire! If you are using dairy milk for the glaze I recommend using a heavy whipping cream for best results.

These Chocolate Glazed donuts are incredible any time! You can enjoy them with the regular glaze, or a rich chocolate glaze, or decorate them with frosting to make them chocolate sprinkle donuts!

You could also add chocolate chips to them to create chocolate chip donuts. 

To cut down on cooking time you could also try air frying them to create air fryer chocolate donuts. I have had lots of success with air frying my high-protein baked oatmeal recipes and this wouldn’t be much different! 

They’re super easy to make! I hope you’ll try these and see just how simple they are to make.

When you do, please let me know what you think in the comments and what you topped your baked chocolate cake donuts with.

Baked Chocolate Cake Glazed Donuts (Gluten Free)

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This baked chocolate cake donut recipe is a copycat version of the Tim Hortons chocolate glazed donut. It's moist, full of chocolate, and glazed with a thick sugar coating to satisfy even the strongest chocolate craving.