Fluffy Gluten Free & Vegan Key Lime Donuts!
I sometimes forget just how fantastic a baked donut can be. I used to think it was a shortcut not even bothering with (as I have some really amazing fried donut recipes.) BUT- as it turns out if you have a really soft cakey base for the donuts they turn out quite delicious. So that’s what I set out to do with this recipe!
What resulted is a super allergen free friendly fluffy donuts with a soft tender crumb. With a perfect burst of lime flavor. Finished off with toasted coconut flakes to get a nice crunch on top.
You’ll probably notice that I didn’t include any lime juice in the batter - and yes that was intentional. I have found that citrus makes muffins/cupcakes and baked donuts tough and sometimes gummy. They lose their delicate crumb texture. I work around that by loading the muffins up with the zest of 3 limes to get the flavor & texture that I want.
You can store your zested limed in a sealed baggie in your fridge for up to 1 week & use the juice for another recipe.
I really like the batch size of this recipe. You will need 2-3 silicone molds (Mine came in a 3 pack with 6 donuts per pan).
But to be clear- you can absolutely double or triple this donut recipe if you want to. The recipes are flexible and should turn out great any batch size. Just keep in mind that putting extra baking pans in the oven could mean a slightly longer bake time is needed.
Using other gluten free all purpose flour blends
The bad news is that there isn’t truly a gluten free measure for measure flour or cup for cup. Its a marketing ploy. There are blends that work decent in place but never exactly. Each and every blend is totally different. For example I LOVE better batter - but in this recipe it would make for some seriously gummy muffins. I chose King Arthur as its lower in gum and therefore I knew my donuts would end up soft, light and delicate.
So of course you are welcome to experiment. But please keep in mind that there are no guarantees. Any change means the recipe will change. I opted to use King Arthur as I think its the easiest gluten free flour blend to come by these days.
Expandex
These muffins are special because of the magic of expandex. It is a modified form of tapioca starch that was formulated to improve gluten free baking. The word Modified tends to worry people- so let me explain further. Essentially they studied tapioca and removed portions of it leaving only the parts that would allow for it to cause amazing elasticity (aka its name) in gluten free recipes. This flour allows me to get an incredible rise with everything I use it in. It traps the air bubbles in the dough just like regular flour with gluten does! Its honestly incredible. If you eat any processed or store bought foods you have eaten many forms of modified starch. Its nothing new- its just semi new to the home baker. Its non gmo and I typically get it from the brand Judee’s on amazon. Under no conditions can you sub it out for another regular starch.
Outside of the US there is a product called Ultratex 3 I have not worked with it but from what I understand its comparable! I would use that in the exact same quantity as the expandex amount that I call for.
Gluten Free Vegan Baked Key Lime Donuts
Ingredients
- 171 grams King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten Free flour.
- 33 grams Expandex
- 140 grams Organic Cane Sugar
- 1/2 Tsp Salt
- Zest of 3 Limes
- 80 grams Mild Flavored oil or Melted butter (not hot)
- 2 Tsp Vanilla Extract (Lime or Coconut extract also taste great!)
- 2-3 Tsp Double Acting Baking Powder. (use 2 tsp unless using Bobs Red Mill Brand).
- 1 3/4 Cups Powdered Sugar
- 1 Tbsp Lime Juice
- 1 Tbsp Water
- Optional: Toasted coconut flakes to sprinkle on top. Any size/ sweetened or unsweetened.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Use a light coating of nonstick spray on your silicone molds. Place the silicone donut molds on cookie sheets. Set aside.
- Place a large bowl over a baking scale and add all of the batter dry ingredients and lime zest to the bowl. Stir in the remaining wet ingredients.
- Bake on the middle rack 20-21 minutes until golden brown. Allow them to cool for about 10-15 minutes or so until removing them from the donut molds.
- While the donuts are cooling- whisk together the glaze ingredients in a small.medium bowl until smooth. Toast coconut if you are opting to use it.
- When cooled remove the donuts from the pans- and dip them into the glaze 1-2 times depending on its thickness. Sprinkle on the coconut flakes right away before the glaze has hardened. These donuts can be stored at room temperature for a few days or in the freezer!
Notes
How to toast coconut flakes:
Sometimes its possible to purchase the flakes pre-toasted. You can use any brand or size with or without sugar. To toast them simply place them into a small dry skillet & turn the heat on to medium low. Keeping a close eye on them until golden on the edges stirring them fairly often. Once they turn the color of your preference remove them immediately from the pan so they stop cooking. (Leaving them in the pan- even with the heat off could burn them.)