Dog pooping everywhere in the house, while the owners are happily asleep.  It was an accident. 

Ashley not properly closing the lid to Chris’s coffee mug, which makes it spill all over the inside of his bag.  It was an accident.  All four times.

Leaving a carton of [...]]]> Accidents generally carry negative connotations. 

Dog pooping everywhere in the house, while the owners are happily asleep.  It was an accident. 

Ashley not properly closing the lid to Chris’s coffee mug, which makes it spill all over the inside of his bag.  It was an accident.  All four times.

Leaving a carton of eggs on the counter [cough-Chris], then leaving the house, then Dakota eating 2 raw eggs…shell + all.  It was an accident.

Using cayenne pepper instead of chili powder.  It was an accident.  A very spicy accident.

But what about good accidents?

They happen.  Most often for me in the kitchen.  But they’re quite rare.

This accident happened about 2 weeks ago, when I tried to make Triple Chocolate Donuts for my sister-in-law.  For some reason, before heading out to the store, I forgot to check and make sure I had all of the necessary ingredients.  They are typically things I have on hand.

Oops.  Accident!

I was out of eggs, almost out of sucanat, and had no applesauce.  Being out of eggs, wasn’t a huge problem, as I could just sub flax and make the vegan version.  But only having half of the sugar and no applesauce, left me stumped for a few minutes. 

I decided to sub pumpkin puree instead of applesauce, and use 1/2 sucanat and 1/2 brown rice syrup, instead of only sucanat.  As soon as I poured the wet into the dry, I thought, this is probably going to be too wet with the brown rice syrup addition.  I should have subbed out some of the milk.  When vegan/gluten free batters are too wet, they just never seem to fully set.

I baked them for what seemed like forever, and the toothpick would just not come out dry.  I made a double batch too, which really annoyed me, because I thought it was going to be a major fail.  I was looking for donuts, not gooey cake.

But, after awhile I thought…

“What’s wrong with gooey cake?”

Best.

Accident.

Ever.

Serving these warm, fresh out of the oven, is highly recommended.  However, if eaten the next day, your mouth will still do a happy dance. 

Gooey on the inside.

Chewy on the outside.

I will always have an undying love for half melted ice cream, especially when sitting atop warm chocolate cake.  As a kid, I used to vigorously stir my vanilla ice cream into a puddle, then slurp it down with a spoon.  Vanilla was always my favorite, with mint chocolate chip in close second.  It was a tough decision, deciding between the two flavors for this dessert.  I wanted the gooey chocolate cake to shine, so I chose vanilla.

The Ciao Bella Gelato had great texture, but the vanilla flavor was actual a bit too strong for me.  You know the point when there is slightly too much vanilla added in something?  This was definitely that.  More than edible, but wouldn’t buy it again.

Gooey Chocolate Cakes adapted from triple chocolate donuts [vegan + gluten free]

• 1/2c GF oat flour
• 1/2c sweet rice flour
• 2T coconut flour
• 1.5T ground flax meal
• 2T sunflower oil
• 1/4c sucanat
• 6T brown rice syrup
• 3T pumpkin puree
• 3/4c unsweetened almond milk
• 1/4c unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2t vanilla
• 1/2c vegan chocolate chips
• 1/2t salt
• 1t baking powder
• 1/2t baking soda

1. Preheat your oven to 350* + grease your donut pan.
2. In a medium sized bowl mix together the oat flour, sweet rice flour, coconut flour, sucanat, flax meal, cocoa powder, salt, chocolate chips, baking powder, and baking soda.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together milk, pumpkin, brown rice syrup, vanilla and oil.
4. Stir wet into dry, until combined.  Do not over stir.  It will be quite thick.
5. With a spoon, spatula, or piping bag, transfer the batter to your greased pan, filling about 1/8-1/4” from the top.
6. Bake for 35-40min. 
7. Test with a toothpick for doneness.  The toothpick should not come out clean, but it should feel somewhat “set” when you push it in.
8. Remove to a cooling rack for 5min and serve immediately with any toppings you desire.

*Yields 7 cupcake sized cakes.  I know, kind of an odd amount.  Double it, trust me!

*For high altitude – oven 375*, 3/4t baking powder

When our friends came over for dinner, I had the dry ingredients and wet prepped in separate bowls.  As soon as dinner was over, I preheated the oven, mixed the wet + dry, spooned them into the muffin pan and set them to bake. 

If you pre-mix the wet + dry, the batter will become too thick.  Keep them separate, right until you’re ready to bake.

Nothing better than the smell of baking chocolate coming from the kitchen. And trust me, no one will mind the wait for dessert.

Sunday highlight?

Hour long bike ride with Chris, in chilly 40* temps.  Not as bad when running, but quite different on the bike!  Then, coming home and attack snuggling the mutts!

Definitely looking forward to this week!  Friends + FOOD.

Ashley

Lemon Cake Donuts

AND

Cinnamon Cake Donuts

Two of my favorite flavors, but not combined into one.  I’m not sure how that would be.

I seriously love my doughnut pan.  So far, it has done no wrong.  And somehow, randomly, I came up with a flour mixture [...]]]> I meant that as two different things.

Lemon Cake Donuts

AND

Cinnamon Cake Donuts

Two of my favorite flavors, but not combined into one.  I’m not sure how that would be.

I seriously love my doughnut pan.  So far, it has done no wrong.  And somehow, randomly, I came up with a flour mixture that makes real.deal.cake.donuts.

Not muffins.

Not cake.

But cake donuts.

For the lemon cake donuts [or is it doughnuts?], I kept the topping quite simple.  No, that is not chocolate glaze.  It’s sucanat powdered sugar glaze.  Remember when I turned sucanat into powdered sugar?  You can do it with plane pure cane sugar as well!

I wanted this version to be thinner than the typical glaze like frosting.  I wanted it to soak into the donut, and not sit on top.

Then, top it all off with a touch of freshly grated lemon zest.  A surprising burst of lemon all the way through this donut.  No hint of dryness here!

Lemon Cake Donuts [yields 6] adapted from my Key Lime Donuts

• 1/2c oat flour [ground in a blender from oat groats or steel cut oats]
• 1/2c sweet rice flour
• 3T coconut flour
• 3T sunflower oil
• 1/3c sucanat
• 2 large eggs
• 3T unsweetened applesauce
• 6T unsweetened almond milk
• 2T lemon juice
• 1T lemon zest
• 1t vanilla extract
• 1t lemon extract
• 1/2t salt
• 1t baking powder

1. Preheat your oven to 350* + grease your donut pan.
2. In a medium sized bowl mix together the oat flour, sweet rice flour, coconut flour, sucanat, salt + baking powder.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla extract, lemon extract, oil + applesauce.
4. Stir wet into dry, until combined.  Do not over stir.  It will look slightly lumpy.
5. Fold in the lemon juice + zest.
6. With a spoon, spatula, or piping bag, transfer the batter to your greased pan leaving a little room at the top.
7. Bake for 18-22min.
8. Test with a toothpick for doneness.  You want a slightly moist toothpick.  Not gooey but not bone dry.  The tops of the donut should be golden brown and it will spring back when you press it lightly.
9. Let them cool in the pan for 5min then turn out onto a cooling rack.
10. Glaze when cooled.

*For high altitude – oven 375*, 3/4t baking powder

*If you don’t have lemon extract, add 1T extra lemon juice + 1/2T extra lemon zest.  Not exactly the same but it will work.

*If you can’t find, or don’t want to buy coconut flour, I would add 1T extra oat flour add 2T extra of the sweet rice flour.

Sucanat Glaze [+ lemon zest]

• 6T powdered sucanat sugar [or powdered sugar]
• 2.5T milk
• 1T lemon zest

1. Whisk powdered sugar + milk together until smooth.  Let sit 2-3min.
2. Dip donut into glaze on both sides.
3. Sprinkles with lemon zest right away, so it sticks.
4. Let dry + soak in on a cooling rack.  These are a bit messy!  You can dip one side if you prefer.

Gluten free, but no one will ever have a clue.

I know that looks like a long recipe, but I just like to provide you with details.  Honestly, they take about 10min to prep and max. 20min to bake.  They’re ready to go in no time at all.

Now, recipe number two!

Ever since I was little, I’ve always had a thing for cinnamon.

Not only are these topped with cinnamon + sucanat + sprinkles, but they’re loaded with cinnamon on the inside too!

Favorite donut yet?

This just might be.

While I was extremely excited about how the lemon donuts turned out, there was something a little more nostalgic about the cinnamon sugar donut.  Maybe it was my memory of eating cinnamon sugar donut holes from Louie’s Bakery in Marshall, MI growing up.

Yeah, I’m pretty sure that was it.

These aren’t fried, and they’re not made with lard, but I must say, they are quite edible.

They’re also completely gluten free + don’t fall apart…at all!

And the sprinkles?  Well, they’re just so fun!

Cinnamon Cake Donuts [yields 6]

• 1/2c oat flour [ground in a blender from oat groats or steel cut oats]
• 1/2c sweet rice flour
• 3T coconut flour
• 4T sunflower oil
• 1/3c sucanat
• 2 large eggs
• 2T unsweetened apple sauce
• 1/2c unsweetened almond milk
• 1.5t ground cinnamon
• 2t vanilla
• 1/2t salt
• 1t baking powder

1. Preheat your oven to 350* + grease your donut pan.
2. In a medium sized bowl mix together the oat flour, sweet rice flour, coconut flour, sucanat, salt, cinnamon + baking powder.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla, oil + applesauce.
4. Stir wet into dry, until combined.  Do not over stir.  It will look slightly lumpy.
5. With a spoon, spatula, or piping bag, transfer the batter to your greased pan leaving a little room at the top.  It should fit 6 perfectly.
6. Bake for 16-20min.
7. Test with a toothpick for doneness.  You want a slightly moist toothpick.  Not gooey but not bone dry.  The tops of the donut should be golden brown and it will spring back when you press it lightly.
8. Let them cool in the pan for 5min then turn out onto a cooling rack.
9. Add toppings when cooled.

*For high altitude – oven 375*, 3/4t baking powder

*If you can’t find, or don’t want to buy coconut flour, I would add 1T extra oat flour add 2T extra of the sweet rice flour.

Cinnamon Sugar Topping [adapted from Angela’s Cinnamon Sugar donut topping]

• 3T sucanat
• 1/2t ground cinnamon
• 1/2T sprinkles [opt]
• 2T butter, melted

1. In a cereal sized bowl, melt the butter.
2. Combine sucanat + cinnamon together in a small bowl.
3. Dip the top of the donuts into the butter and place on a cooling rack.
4. Sprinkle with topping immediately after dipping in butter. *or you can try Angela’s bag shaking method

Both batches of donuts, were prepped, baked, topped + ready to go in just over an hour.  Not bad!  Don’t forget!!  If you don’t have a donut pan, just use 6 muffin tins.  They’ll take about 4-8min longer to bake, but will have the same cakey consistency.

Ready for the party!

Who says you can’t make a birthday cake out of a dozen cake donuts?

Happy FRIDAY!!!!

Ashley

In case you’ve missed the other donut recipes…

• Key Lime Donuts
• Peanut Butter Fluff Donuts
• Peach + Toasted Coconut Donuts

2. Be sure to chop the strawberries into pieces that are too large, so the batter is hard to spread in the mini bundt pan.

3. Make 2 chia eggs, with ground chia seeds, in place of [...]]]> 1. Use perfectly ripe, organic strawberries, for a recipe that you are 75% sure will fail.

2. Be sure to chop the strawberries into pieces that are too large, so the batter is hard to spread in the mini bundt pan.

3. Make 2 chia eggs, with ground chia seeds, in place of 2 real eggs.

4. Stir the batter a few times too many.

5. Forget to add the sugar [sucanat], and add it on top of the cakes before baking.

6.  Take them out of the oven for 2 minutes, thinking they’re done when they’re not and then put them back in.

7. Still slightly undercook them and carelessly remove them from the pan.

8. Eat them anyway, because you can’t waste those fresh strawberries!

My first gluten free + vegan baking experience was a bit of a fail.  They taste delicious, but as you can see, the texture is off.  They’re a bit doughy/gummy, but for some reason, I cannot stop eating them!

Anyone want to come over and help me polish off these sub-par cakes?

Better luck next time.

Ashley

Everyone enjoyed the food, the candy, and dessert.  Hooray!

The onsie decorating was so much fun, and the girls came up with such creative designs.

It was a gorgeous evening, with not a cloud in the sky and temps in the mid 70’s.  After dinner + gifts, we decorated [...]]]> The shower was a success!! 

Everyone enjoyed the food, the candy, and dessert.  Hooray!

The onsie decorating was so much fun, and the girls came up with such creative designs.

It was a gorgeous evening, with not a cloud in the sky and temps in the mid 70’s.  After dinner + gifts, we decorated the onsies outside and then I brought out dessert.

Fondue always goes over well, especially with a group of all girls.

The gluten free mini cakes turned out to be delicious!  I adapted my lemon blueberry mini cake recipe into a vanilla cake recipe.

Slightly springy, thick + cakey, with a warm vanilla flavor and a slight hint of coconut [from the oil].

Dipped in peanut butter chocolate fondue?  Even better.

We’ll get to the fondue in a day or 2, as well as the rest of the party.

Right now, I need my bed.

But not before I give you this recipe!  Eat them plain, frost them up, dip them in chocolate, drizzle maple syrup, whatever suits your style.

If you’re gluten free or not, these cakes are worth your time.

Vanilla Mini Bundt Cakes [makes 10-12 mini cakes]

• 2T coconut flour
• 1/2c sweet rice flour
• 1/2c oat flour [ground in blender from whole oat groats]
• 2 large eggs
• 3T unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2c almond milk
• 1t baking powder
• 1/4t salt
• 3T coconut oil, melted
• 1/3c sucanat
• 2t vanilla extract
• 1/2t almond extract

1. Preheat oven to 350*
2. Thoroughly grease a 12 mold mini bundt pan.
3. In a large bowl combine coconut flour, oat flour, sweet rice flour, baking powder, sucanat, and salt.
4. Whisk the eggs in a medium sized bowl and then whisk in the applesauce, milk, vanilla extract and almond extract.
5. Whisk in melted coconut oil.
6. Add wet to dry and stir until combined.
7. Evenly scoop batter into the molds and bake for 16-20min. 
8. Toothpick test one of the cakes, and pull out when the toothpick is slightly moist.
9. Let cool for 10min and carefully, using a small silicone spatula or butter knife, remove each cake.

*I’m sure you can use a 6-12 mold donut pan, or a 12 mold muffin pan.  The cook time for the muffin pan will probably be a few minutes longer, since there is no hole in the middle of each muffin.  If you’re making them in a 6 mold donut pan, they will also take longer.  They should be golden brown on top and toothpick test for doneness.

Everyone really enjoyed these and were surprised they were gluten free. 

Time to dream about more cake flavors…

I’ll be back again tomorrow afternoon!

Ashley