Name: Vegan Carrot Cake Baked Donuts
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 160 g Self raising flour; 80 g Wholemeal flour; 1/4 tsp Salt; 1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of soda; 1/4 tsp Baking powder; 100 g Light brown sugar; 2 tsp Cinnamon; 1/2 tsp Ground nutmeg; 1/2 tsp Mixed spice; 1/4 tsp Ground ginger; 100 g Carrots (grated (one medium carrot)); 200 ml Almond milk (or other dairy free milk); 30 ml Vegetable oil; 1 tsp Vanilla extract; 2 tsp Cider vinegar; Dairy free spread (for greasing the tin); 200 g Icing sugar; 3 tbsp Almond milk (or other dairy free milk); 30 g Pecans (chopped)

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I didn't used to like carrot cake when I was younger as I never ate carrots, but now I absolutely love the stuff! Carrots are actually quite a sweet vegetable and they lend a wonderful moistness to cakes. Then there's all the tasty autumnal spices, brown sugar and creamy frosting - irresistible! I've made non-vegan baked donuts several times, and I really wanted to try a vegan version, so I knew Carrot Cake Baked Donuts would be delicious.

Baked donuts are little ring shaped cakes that are baked in the oven in a donut tin. They are super moist and have a wonderful texture. I've spiced these Carrot Cake Baked Donuts with cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg and dunked them in a sweet glaze. They are truly yummy and will delight vegans and non-vegans alike. These carrot cake baked donuts are dairy and egg free, and they could be nut free too if you use soya milk rather than almond milk and don't add the chopped pecans on top.

The photos for this post were updated in December 2020.

How to make Vegan Carrot Cake Baked Donuts

To start, place all of the dry ingredients (the flour, spices, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda) into a bowl and stir them together. In another bowl, whisk together the oil, almond milk, vanilla and cider vinegar.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, mix together, then stir in the carrots. Put the batter into a piping bag and pipe it into donut pans greased with dairy free butter. (This recipe make 12 donuts so you will need two 6 hole tins).

Bake the donuts for 15 minutes until they are risen and golden. Using a butter knife, gently loosened them around the edges, then tip them out onto a cooling rack. For the glaze, mix together the icing sugar with the milk and dip the donuts in. Sprinkle the pecans on while the glaze is still wet.

Do you need a donut pan to make this recipe?

The simple answer is yes! I highly recommend investing in a donut pan* (you will need two 6 ring tins, or one 12 ring tin, for this recipe), they are not expensive and they’re easy to obtain from Amazon, plus there are so many yummy baked donut recipes on my blog that you’ll be able to make with them!

Can the donuts be made gluten free?

Yes! Just swap out the flour for a gluten free flour blend.

Tips for making the Vegan Carrot Cake Baked Donuts:

The easiest way to get the batter into the donut tin is using a piping bag, you could also use a jug or carefully spoon it in.
You can easily make the donuts nut free by omitting the pecans, and using soy milk instead of almond milk.
I used a blend of self raising flour and plain wholemeal flour to make the donuts. If you want to use all self raising, you can do this just omit the baking powder.

Recommended equipment & ingredients*

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