Feeling just a smidge guilty writing about these chocolate cake donuts. I should be writing about healthy things like vegetables and salads. right? I’ve been staying the course for the most part, but when I get cravings, they are persistent and VERY specific. In the case of donuts, I’m always looking for a good chocolate cake donut.
It’s been a priority to find a recipe that would complement gluten-free, dairy-free lifestyle. I’ve tried various paleo and vegan recipes that came close, but didn’t hit that satisfaction button.
After a few experiments, I think I found my ideal chocolate cake donut recipe. I’m excited to say that it tastes like the real deal. This is a super easy recipe to pull together. Two bowls – dry ingredients in one, wet ingredients in the other, combine.
I uses a mix of gluten-free flours and relies on canned coconut milk and coconut oil to provide moisture and fat.
For sweetness, I decided to use sucunat, also known as evaporated cane juice. Of all of the natural sweetener choices, I found that sucunat is a great understudy for sugar in both taste and texture. If you can’t locate sucunat, coconut sugar, date sugar, or organic cane sugar can be substituted.
If you are wondering, isn’t sugars a no-no on the Paleo diet, here’s a great blog post for perspective on natural sweetener consumption
Form chocolate cake into the form of a donut, and you can eat cake for breakfast guilt free – almost. 
THE BEST CHOCOLATE DONUTS (paleo-treat, vegan, gluten-free)
Gluten-free, dairy-free, lower sugar…and tasty! These paleo-treat chocolate cake donuts rival any donut out there.
Special Equipment needed: donut pan or mini muffin pan
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
Ingredients
DONUTS:
1/4 coconut flour
1/4 c almond flour
1/4 c arrowroot flour (aka arrowroot starch)
1/2 c cacao
1/2 c sucunat (briefly ground in the food processor or spice grinder).
1/2 tsp espresso powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
3/4 c coconut milk, canned
1/4 c coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cider vinegar
1/4 c mini-chocolate chips, Enjoy Life (optional)
ICING:
1/2 c coconut milk, canned
1/8–1/4 c organic powdered sugar
Instructions
DONUTS:
Preheat oven to 350F degrees
In a large bowl, sift together all dry ingredients, except chocolate chips (if using).
In a small bowl, mix together all liquid ingredients until combined. Batter should be thick, like brownie batter.
Pour combined liquid into large bowl. Mix until combined. Fold in chocolate chips if using. Batter should be thick, like brownie batter.
Use a pastry bag (or ziploc bag with corner cut off) to squeeze out batter into donut pans.
Bake for 12-15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Cool on rack. Make icing while donuts are coolng
ICING:
Using a whisk combine coconut milk and sugar until smooth.
Dip tops of donuts into icing or use a spoon to drizzle icing on donuts.
Notes
Donuts without icing will keep for 2-3 days at room temp. Iced, refrigerate immediately.
