Vegan Dark Chocolate Orange Doughnuts

I am loving all things citrus lately, and also anything involving chocolate.  So last weekend when I decided to do some baking, I wanted to combine chocolate and orange since it is such a heavenly combination!  I thought about making a cake, but I decided that it would be fun to make baked doughnuts instead since I haven’t made any in a long time.  I made some Vegan Dark Chocolate Orange Doughnuts and they turned out wonderful!

I love fried doughnuts, but I feel like baked doughnuts are easier to make at home and slightly healthier so they are usually my go to for making doughnuts.  These ones are really easy to make if you have a doughnut pan!  I used whole wheat pastry flour in these but you could also use regular all purpose flour, or even gluten free baking flour if you wanted them to be gluten free.  Bob’s Red Mill makes a good gluten free baking flour that I have tried and it works well in things like this.  I use flax eggs in these because I always have ground flax seed on hand and I have good success with them in baked goods.

I wanted these to have plenty of orange flavor so I used plenty of zest plus the juice.  I love the smell of any citrus zest, the orange zest is so refreshing!  I also used just the right amount of cacao powder to give these a rich chocolate flavor, and a hint of vanilla for sweetness.  The batter tasted amazing even before baking, and they smelled so heavenly while baking!  I could not wait to try them!

But first they needed a glaze!  So I made a rich chocolate glaze with dark chocolate, coconut milk and orange zest, a ganache type glaze and it was perfect!  It coated the doughnuts nicely and I drizzled it with vegan dark chocolate also to make it pretty.  These doughnuts were super delicious!  Rich and chocolaty, scented with orange and vanilla and topped off with that luscious glaze, they were wonderful!  So good with my mid day cup of coffee!  If you are in the mood for something rich and delicious, definitely give these Vegan Dark Chocolate Orange Doughnuts a try!

Vegan Dark Chocolate Orange Doughnuts

Makes 8

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 3/4 tsp baking powder (1/2 tsp plus 1/4 tsp)
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 2 flax eggs (2 Tbsp golden ground flax seed mixed with 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp filtered water, allowed to sit 15 minutes)
• 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp avocado oil or other neutral oil
• 3 Tbsp orange juice
• 3 Tbsp orange zest
• 1/2 cup plant based milk
• 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Ganache Glaze:

• 1 cup vegan dark chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp coconut milk
• 2 tsp orange zest

Chocolate Drizzle:

• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees, and oil a doughnut pan
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and baking powder and sea salt and whisk to blend.
3. Add the flax eggs, avocado oil, oat milk, orange juice and zest, and vanilla and beat with an electric mixer for about a minute (or 3 minutes if doing it by hand with a whisk).
4. Pour the batter into the holes of the prepared doughnut pan, filling them 2/3 full.
5. Place the pan in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes until the doughnuts are done in the center (you are able to insert a toothpick into the center and it comes out almost clean with a few moist crumbs).
6. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
7. To make the glaze, in the top of a double boiler or in the microwave in 30 second intervals (if you use this method, it takes about 2-3 times in the microwave, stirring in between each time), heat the dark chocolate chips with the milk and orange zest, whisking until smooth.
8. Pour the glaze over the doughnuts, smoothing it out to coat them. Place the doughnuts in the refrigerator until the glaze is set.
9. Melt the remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips in a double boiler or the microwave.
10. Drizzle the dark chocolate over the glazed doughnuts.
11. Enjoy!