GLUTEN FREE PUMPKIN SPICE DOUGHNUTS WITH A BROWN BUTTER GLAZE AND GF VEGAN PUMPKIN SPICE DOUGHNUTS WITH A MAPLE CINNAMON GLAZE PLUS INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAKING FUN WORMS IN DIRT CUPCAKES

Posted by Bryna Bear aka Gluten Free Baking Bear

     These baked Pumpkin Spice doughnuts are perfect for the autumn season.  These are flavorful and moist with the perfect doughnut denseness. The worms in dirt cupcakes are made from the recipe on my Chocolate Cake post.

     I invented the doughnut from a regular vanilla cake recipe I found on-line.  I have been trying various vanilla cake recipes to find the perfect one to make for my friend’s daughter’s wedding.  I will be making a small two-layer wedding cake for the GF guests.  This recipe looked great in the photos, but the texture turned out differently than it looked with GF flours.  Not good for a wedding cake, but perfect for doughnuts.

     I will also give instructions for vanilla doughnuts in case you are not crazy about pumpkin and spice ones. (My sister says she doesn’t like pumpkin at all, but she took one taste and then ate the whole thing.)

     These are baked in doughnut shaped pans and not fried like regular doughnuts.  The brown butter glaze is amazing.  I am with Julia Childs with the butter thing…”If you're afraid of butter, use cream.”  Nothing tastes so wonderful as butter in baked goods.  My son is Vegan, so I make most things in a dairy-free and egg-free version.  Please, if you have no dairy restrictions, try the brown butter glaze!

                                PUMPKIN SPICE DOUGHNUTS

Ingredients

1 cup	Sorghum Flour
½ cup	Chickpea Flour
½ cup	Tapioca Flour
1 tsp.	Xanthan or Guar Gum
1 tsp.	Salt
4 tsp.	Baking Powder
2 tsp.	Cinnamon             (Omit for vanilla doughnuts.)
1 tsp.	Ground Ginger      (Omit for vanilla doughnuts.)
½ tsp.	Ground Cloves      (Omit for vanilla doughnuts.)
1 cup	Sugar (I use evaporated cane juice.)
½ cup	Unsalted Butter (for Vegan or Dairy-Free use non-hydrogenated margarine such as Earth Balance)
¼ cup	Cream or Milk (for Vegan or Dairy-Free use non-dairy milk or cream such as soy or almond.)
¾ cup	Pumpkin puree.  (For vanilla doughnuts use ¾ cup milk, cream or non-dairy milk or cream.)
2	Eggs  (For Vegan - In a small bowl mix until frothy: ½ cup water; 2 Tbs. cornstarch; 2 tsp. oil; ¼ tsp. baking powder; and 1/8 tsp. xanthan or guar gum.)
1 tsp.	Pure Vanilla Extract

Directions

     Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

     Grease doughnut pans.  Recipe will make 12 large doughnuts and 6 small ones.

     In a medium sized bowl add flours, spices, xanthan or guar gum, salt and baking powder.  Mix with a whisk until well blended.

     In a separate bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer cream sugar and butter or margarine until fluffy.

Batter in mixing bowl.

     In a separate bowl add eggs or egg replacer; vanilla; milk or cream or non-dairy milk; and pumpkin puree (or extra milk for vanilla doughnuts). Mix until well blended.
     Add the flour mixture alternately with the egg mixture to the creamed butter and sugar.
     Beat until well blended and smooth.  Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl half way through.

Squeezing batter from a plastic baggie into a greased doughnut pan.

     Place batter into a large plastic baggie and cut the tip of one corner large enough to allow batter to squeeze out in to the doughnut pan.

     Squeeze the batter into the doughnut pans.  Batter should be just under the top of the pan.

Glazed and unglazed doughnuts on a rack with waxed paper underneath to catch  drips.
I made large and small doughnuts and some doughnut holes with a cake-pop pan.

Raw dough in large and small doughnut pans.

     Bake in the center of the oven for 20-25 minutes until cake springs back when touched lightly with a finger or when a toothpick inserted in the thickest part comes out clean.

BROWN BUTTER GLAZE

Ingredients

½ cup (1 stick)	Unsalted Butter
¾ cup	Confectioner’s Sugar
2 tsp.	Vanilla
2 Tbs.	Milk or Cream

Directions

Brown butter pan with burnt residue left inside.

     In a small saucepan, heat butter over medium heat.  Stir occasionally until butter gets light brown in color, about 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and pour butter into a bowl.  Leave burnt sediment in the saucepan.

Bowl with brown butter glaze waiting for the doughnuts to be dipped.

     Add sugar, vanilla and milk to the browned butter and stir until smooth.  I like to use a small whisk to do this so that there are no lumps of sugar.  Use the glaze right away or it will get firm.  You can reheat it by putting it in the microwave for 20-30 seconds or by heating the bowl of glaze in a bowl of water over hot water until it is runny again.

     Place a rack on a sheet pan or piece of wax paper to catch glaze drippings.

     Dip top half of each doughnut into the glaze and then place the doughnuts on the rack and allow the glaze to set.

Vegan doughnuts with Maple Cinnamon Glaze.

VEGAN MAPLE CINNAMON GLAZE

Ingredients

¾ cup	Confectioner’s Sugar
1 Tbs.	Pure Maple Syrup
½ tsp.	Cinnamon
1 Tbs.	Non-Dairy Milk

Directions

     Add all ingredients in a bowl and mix with a whisk until smooth.  Add more milk or sugar as needed to make the consistency you prefer. This recipe makes a thin ‘see-through’ glaze.  For a thicker glaze add more sugar until spreadable.

WORMS IN DIRT CUPCAKES

 

DIRECTIONS

     Make one recipe of Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Glaze found on a previous blog post.

     Sacrifice 2 or 3 un-iced cupcakes by removing the paper liner and crumbling them into a bowl.  The cake crumbs (dirt) should be no larger than small lumps of cake.

     Dip remaining cupcakes one at a time into the chocolate glaze and then into the cake crumb dirt.  Set on a plate or rack to set.  If you run out of crumbs, crumble additional un-iced cupcakes as needed until all the cupcakes are glazed and dipped in the cake crumbs (dirt).

Cutting marshmallow in half with a kitchen scissors.

Opening up cut marshmallow into a worm shape.

Putting natural dye eyes on marshmallow worm with a toothpick .

     Using a kitchen food scissors, cut marshmallows (use vegan marshmallows for vegan cupcakes) half way up the center.  Then bend the marshmallow (worm) flat and place onto the cupcake topped with cake crumbs (dirt). 

     Make eyes on each ‘worm’ by dipping a toothpick into natural red dye and dotting the dye where you want the worm eyes.

PUMPKIN SPICE DOUGHNUTS Ingredients 1 cup Sorghum Flour ½ cup Chickpea Flour ½ cup Tapioca Flour 1 tsp. Xanthan or Guar Gum 1 tsp. Salt 4 tsp. Baking Powder 2 tsp. Cinnamon (Omit for vanilla doughnuts.) 1 tsp. Ground Ginger (Omit for vanilla doughnuts.) ½ tsp. Ground Cloves (Omit for vanilla doughnuts.) 1 cup Sugar (I use evaporated cane juice.) ½ cup Unsalted Butter (for Vegan or Dairy-Free use non-hydrogenated margarine such as Earth Balance) ¼ cup Cream or Milk (for Vegan or Dairy-Free use non-dairy milk or cream such as soy or almond.) ¾ cup Pumpkin puree. (For vanilla doughnuts use ¾ cup milk, cream or non-dairy milk or cream.) 2 Eggs (For Vegan - In a small bowl mix until frothy: ½ cup water; 2 Tbs. cornstarch; 2 tsp. oil; ¼ tsp. baking powder; and 1/8 tsp. xanthan or guar gum.) 1 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease doughnut pans. Recipe will make 12 large doughnuts and 4-6 small ones. In a medium sized bowl add flours, spices, xanthan or guar gum, salt and baking powder. Mix with a whisk until well blended. In a separate bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer cream sugar and butter or margarine until fluffy. Add eggs or egg replacer; vanilla; milk or cream or non-dairy milk; and pumpkin puree (or extra milk for vanilla doughnuts). Mix until well blended. Add the flour mixture alternately with the egg mixture to the creamed butter and sugar. Beat until well blended and smooth. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl half way through. Place batter into a large plastic baggie and cut the tip of one corner large enough to allow batter to squeeze out in to the doughnut pan. Squeeze the batter into the doughnut pans. Batter should be just under the top of the pan. Bake in the center of the oven for 20-25 minutes until cake springs back when touched lightly with a finger or when a toothpick inserted in the thickest part comes out clean. BROWN BUTTER GLAZE Ingredients ½ cup (1 stick) Unsalted Butter ¾ cup Confectioner’s Sugar 2 tsp. Vanilla 2 Tbs. Milk or Cream Directions In a small saucepan, heat butter over medium heat. Stir occasionally until butter gets light brown in color, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and pour butter into a bowl. Leave burnt sediment in the saucepan. Add sugar, vanilla and milk to the browned butter and stir until smooth. I like to use a small whisk to do this so that there are no lumps of sugar. Place a rack on a sheet pan to catch glaze drippings. Dip top half of each doughnut into the glaze and then place the doughnuts on the rack and allow the glaze to set. VEGAN MAPLE CINNAMON GLAZE Ingredients ¾ cup Confectioner’s Sugar 1 Tbs. Pure Maple Syrup ½ tsp. Cinnamon 1 Tbs. Non-Dairy Milk Directions Add all ingredients in a bowl and mix with a whisk until smooth. Add more milk or sugar as needed to make the consistency you prefer. This recipe makes a thin ‘see-through’ glaze. For a thicker glaze add more sugar until spreadable. WORMS IN DIRT CUPCAKES DIRECTIONS Make one recipe of Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Glaze found on a previous blog post. Sacrifice 2 or 3 un-iced cupcakes by removing the paper liner and crumbling them into a bowl. The cake crumbs (dirt) should be no larger than small lumps of cake. Dip remaining cupcakes one at a time into the chocolate glaze and then into the cake crumb dirt. Set on a plate or rack to set. If you run out of crumbs, crumble additional un-iced cupcakes as needed until all the cupcakes are glazed and dipped in the cake crumbs (dirt). Using a kitchen food scissors, cut marshmallows (use vegan marshmallows for vegan cupcakes) half way up the center. Then bend the marshmallow (worm) flat and place onto the cupcake topped with cake crumbs (dirt). Make eyes on each ‘worm’ by dipping a toothpick into natural red dye and dotting the dye where you want the worm eyes.

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