Before I begin this blog today I just want to give a big shout out to all those courageous gluten-free bakers out there. You know, first hand, baking gluten free is a tough business. And then, when, the vegan element is thrown in, it sometimes feels like you are Sisyphus doomed to forever push that same boulder up the mountain only to see it roll down again.

The Old Fashioned Cake Doughnut Mini-Muffin recipe received a solid B in the taste test. So, the recipe is not being remade because it failed. It’s being remade because I wanted to try out a different flour and I wanted to see if more moisture could be added to the recipe. I love all the chemistry behind baking. And there’s no shortage of it in gluten-free baking.

Below are the original ingredients with my changes marked in purple:

• 1 1/2 cups of gluten-free all purpose flour blend – Used Arrowhead Mills Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
• 1 cup of drained canned chick peas processed in food processor with 1 tablespoon of melted coconut oil
• 1/2 cup non-dairy milk – Used a total of 1 1/2 cups of non-dairy milk
• 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon of unsweetened applesauce – Used a total 1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla – Used a total of 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla
• I also cooked the recipe in mini-cake doughnut pans. I had ’em so why not use ’em.

The batter was very thick. I’m thinking about cutting the processed chick peas back to a 1/2 cup next time. The texture was good. More cake doughnut like and there was more moisture in the doughnut. I’m definitely still working with this one. I will report back when I next try it out.

I wanted to share with you a gluten-free bakery that has totally perfected the gluten-free cake doughnut: The The Happy Mixer in the Philadelphia area. The bakery only bakes gluten-free and has a variety of gluten-free/vegan options too. When I walked into the bakery, the day after Christmas, last year. I had tears of joy in my eyes. I was picking up a gluten-free/vegan vanilla birthday cake (it was delicious) and I also bought two doughnuts. One for dad and one for me. Dad couldn’t believe it was gluten-free. I was in heaven.

So, until next time, when the test will be a savory dish. If you would like me to test a recipe, please contact me or pin the recipe to my Pinterest board: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Food Happiness.