There’s nothing quite like a freshly-baked homemade doughnut, and these delicate chai-spiced delights made with spelt flour and pumpkin puree hit the spot every time.
MAKES 12
INGREDIENTS
Wet ingredients
- ¾ cup pumpkin, pureed
- ¾ cup plant-based milk
- 1/3 cup light-tasting vegetable oil (e.g. sunflower)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Dry ingredients
- 1 ½ cup white spelt flour (or plain flour)
- 1 ½ cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
- 1 ½ tsp ground chai spices (see tip)
- 1 1.2 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of good-quality salt
Glaze
- ½ cup icing sugar
- 2 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1 tbsp coconut milk, tinned (or ½ tbsp plant-based milk)
- ¼ cup pecans, chopped (optional)
- ¼ cup puffed millet (optional)
METHOD
- To make pumpkin puree, roast or boil pumpkin until tender, then blend the pumpkin until it’s a smooth puree.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place two silicone donut moulds on a baking tray.
- Add all the wet ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Then add all the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix until there are no lumps.
- Pipe or spoon the batter into the donut moulds.
- Bake the donuts for 12–15 minutes or until a skewer can be inserted into a donut and come out clean. Allow the donuts to completely cool in the moulds, then carefully pop them out.
- To make the glaze, add all ingredients to a medium mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Add more milk to thin the glaze or more icing sugar to thicken it. The glaze needs to be thick but spreadable; if it’s too thin, it will be absorbed into the donut.
- Dip one side of each donut into the frosting and allow them to dry. If your frosting is quite thick, drizzle it onto the donuts with a spoon. While the frosting is still wet, sprinkle with chopped pecans and puffed millet, if you like.
- Store the donuts in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day or in the fridge for up to 3 days.
TIP: To make the chai spice mix, use a blender or coffee grinder to blend the contents of a chai teabag into a fine powder. Alternatively, use ½ tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground ginger, ¼ tsp cardamom, and a pinch of pepper.
