
Try this straightforward recipe for gluten free vanilla cake donuts. This gf cake donut recipe additionally contains ideas for making use of a glaze or crunchy sugar coating.

These gluten free vanilla cake donuts are tender, moist and tender, and bake up in minutes. They’re mainly the proper vanilla donut.
This donut recipe is straightforward to combine in a single bowl and has sufficient leaveners to bake completely mild and tender in lower than quarter-hour in a sizzling oven. It’s candy and flavorful sufficient to get pleasure from plain proper out of the oven, or with a easy vanilla glaze or a sugar coating that crackles as soon as it’s cool.

What are cake donuts?
Cake donuts are a kind of fast bread, made with chemical leaveners like baking powder and baking soda as an alternative of yeast. They’re baked within the oven in a donut pan, however they aren’t precisely like cupcakes or muffins since they’re much less chewy than cupcakes and lighter in texture than muffins.
Cake donuts aren’t precisely yeasted donuts, both, that are fried as an alternative of baked. Correct yeasted donuts are mild within the heart, and crisp-tender on the surface since they’re deep-fried.
These gluten free vanilla cake donuts have various chemical leaveners in them, however not a lot that it impacts the style. Plus, they’ve 2 eggs in 12 standard-size donuts for additional rise and tenderness.
As an alternative of utilizing milk within the batter, this recipe requires plain yogurt. That provides taste and a makes for a light-weight, open crumb.
Cake donuts might be any taste, actually. These vanilla donuts are a stunning, fundamental donut. We even have not less than 9 different recipes for excellent gluten free donuts right here on the weblog.
Why that is the very best gluten free cake donut recipe
These gluten free vanilla cake donuts are so easy to make, since they use fundamental pantry gadgets like butter, gf flour, eggs, and sugar. If you can also make muffins, you can also make these donuts.
They’re tender and fluffy, manner cheaper than store-bought gf donuts that aren’t straightforward to even discover in a retailer, and the entire recipe takes lower than half-hour from begin to end.
Gluten free cake donuts ingredient listing
- Gluten free flour – I exploit Higher Batter’s traditional mix right here, because it makes a secure, however tender donut that holds its form and stays recent.
- Cornstarch – I like so as to add a little bit of cornstarch right here for the reason that further starch helps add softness to the donuts. You should use arrowroot or potato starch as an alternative when you can’t have corn. When you’re utilizing Cup4Cup gluten free flour as your all goal gf flour, don’t add extra cornstarch because it already has a excessive amount of cornstarch. Simply use 1/4 cup (36 g) extra Cup4Cup as an alternative.
- Baking powder and baking soda – Since there’s no yeast in these donuts, baking powder and baking soda are the chemical leaveners that give raise to your donuts
- Salt – Salt balances the sweetness and enhances the vanilla taste of those donuts.
- Nutmeg – All the time use complete nutmeg and grate it on a really superb grater, like a microplane, for the very best taste. Including nutmeg offers these donuts that bakery-style style.
- Sugar – The granulated sugar in these donuts provides sweetness, in fact, and can be a tenderizer.
- Butter – Butter provides taste and tender crumb to your donuts, and is sort of a supply system for taste. We soften and funky the butter, reasonably than utilizing it at room temperature, since in any other case the batter is simply too thick to pipe into the wells of the donut pan.
- Eggs – The 2 eggs present raise and construction to your donuts.
- Yogurt – The acid in plain yogurt tenderizes the crumb, and helps make the cake donuts moist.
- Vanilla – Vanilla bean paste will give your donuts these attractive little flecks of vanilla beans, and add tons of vanilla taste. When you don’t have it, simply pure vanilla extract they usually’ll nonetheless style nice!

Sugar-coating or glaze
These donuts are stuffed with taste all on their very own, with none topping. Hold them plain, and it’s very straightforward to freeze them for serving later.
There are two topping choices within the recipe under: a glaze and a sugar-coating. A easy confectioners’ sugar glaze is a traditional selection for these easy vanilla donuts.
The donuts should cool within the pan for about 5 minutes earlier than you invert them onto a wire rack to chill fully earlier than glazing them. In any other case, some glaze will soften into the donuts and the remaining will run proper off.
When you’d like these baked cake donuts to style extra like they’ve been fried, go for the sugar-coating. You’ll need to let the donuts cool within the pan for five minutes, invert them onto a wire rack, and work with them nonetheless heat.
Simply dip them in some melted butter (nondairy butter works simply superb right here) after which in sugar. When the donuts are nonetheless heat, the sugar will harden into a light-weight shell because the coating cools.

Methods to stop the outlet from closing throughout baking your gf donuts
I’ve owned many, many donut pans through the years, in practically each form and measurement, from practically each model. I’ve discovered that the perfect pan, the one pan that truly makes donuts with holes that don’t swell shut throughout baking, is the 6-well standard-size nonstick donut pan from Wilton (affiliate hyperlink—be at liberty to buy round).
The batter that you just place in every nicely of the donut pan can not lengthen above the middle of every nicely of the pan. In any other case, the donut gap will shut up and never lengthen all over the donut as soon as it’s baked.
If that heart column doesn’t stand up not less than two-thirds of the depth of every nicely, you’ll solely be capable to make flat, skinny donuts if you need the outlet to increase all over. The Wilton model nonstick pans are the one pans I’ve discovered that with a middle column of the right top.
I do have a trick for filling the wells a bit increased with batter whereas nonetheless preserving the donut gap…
Simply moisten the pointer finger of your dominant hand, and run it throughout the middle column of every nicely. That can pressure the batter away from the middle and towards the sting of the pan.
For the reason that batter is thick, it gained’t run again towards the middle. Because the donuts bake from the surface in, they’ll creep slowly towards the middle with out closing the outlet.

Extra ideas for making gluten free vanilla cake donuts
How try to be measuring gluten free flour
All the time measure your gluten free flour (particular person flours and blends) by weight, not quantity. A easy digital kitchen scale that you just zero out (by hitting the “tare” button) earlier than you measure every ingredient, ensures that you just don’t overmeasure your flour, creating dry, powerful, baked items, or under-measure it, leaving your donuts with out sufficient construction to carry their form after baking.
Utilizing a piping bag for excellent gf doughnuts
Filling the wells by piping the dough into the wells of your ready donut pan is the one solution to evenly distribute the batter within the channels. When you don’t have a pastry bag with a correct open piping tip, you’ll be able to simply pile your donut batter right into a plastic zip prime bag, seal the bag, and snip off a backside nook of the bag.
Don’t overfill your donut pan
You need your donuts to stand up out of the pan about the identical top because the deepest a part of every nicely within the donut pan. When you overfill the wells, your donuts will spill over into different cavities and damage the donut form.
And don’t let your gluten free cake doughnuts overbake
You need to remember to bake your donuts lengthy sufficient that they’re baked by way of and can maintain their form as they cool, however when you overbake them, the feel can be extra dense. Bake as directed, they usually’ll agency up as they cool.
Methods to retailer GF vanilla cake doughnuts, in order that they keep recent
One of many advantages of utilizing an all goal gluten free flour mix that comprises xanthan gum is that your baked items will keep recent longer, as xanthan gum holds moisture. Your donuts will keep recent for not less than 2 days when you retailer them in a single layer in a sealed container (glass or plastic) at room temperature. You’re finest off storing them unglazed, because the glaze will take in moisture within the container and start to weep, or leak liquid.
Can I freeze gluten free vanilla donuts?
Sure! These donuts freeze fairly nicely in the event that they’re unglazed. Simply place them in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and freeze them absolutely. Then, switch them fastidiously to a freezer-safe container or bag and shut it tightly. Defrost at room temperature.

Gluten free vanilla cake donuts: Substances and substitutions
Dairy free, gluten free vanilla cake donuts
Rather than the butter within the recipe under (each within the batter and for the sugar coating), attempt utilizing any of the next: Soften model vegan butter, Spectrum nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening, or Earth Steadiness buttery sticks.
Rather than the plain yogurt, you need to use dairy-free plain yogurt. So Scrumptious model sells a very good plain nondairy yogurt.
Egg free, gluten free vanilla cake donuts
Rather than the eggs on this recipe, you’ll be able to attempt utilizing your favourite egg alternative. A boiled flax egg tends to work finest, however it’s quite a lot of work. You may also attempt one “chia egg” (1 tablespoon floor white chia seeds + 1 tablespoon lukewarm water, blended and allowed to gel) for every egg.
Corn free, gluten free vanilla cake donuts
Rather than cornstarch, attempt utilizing arrowroot powder or potato starch. Ensure that your confectioners’ sugar is made with out corn, too.
Extra adorning concepts for gluten free cake donuts
- gf sprinkles (within the batter or topping)
- chocolate glaze as soon as the donuts are cool, like we use on our gluten free chocolate cake donuts
- fold some chopped, freeze dried fruit into the batter (simply an oz!)
- sprinkle some chopped nuts on prime of the glaze
- enhance the glaze with some sweet items
- as an alternative of only a sugar coating, make it a cinnamon sugar coating
- after the donuts have cooled a bit, coat them in every single place in powdered sugar
FAQs
Are doughnuts gluten free?
No, common doughnuts are usually made with wheat flour, which essentially comprises gluten. You’ll be able to get pleasure from gluten free donuts of every kind, although, in fact, while you make them with a gluten free flour, utilizing a gluten free donut recipe, like this one.
What’s the distinction between gluten free cake doughnuts and common doughnuts?
“Common” donuts are made with yeast granules, a pure leavener. They’re deep-fried in oil. These cake donuts are made utilizing chemical leaveners within the type of baking powder and baking soda, they usually’re baked, not fried.
Are gluten free cake donuts more healthy than common donuts?
Probably not. The one essential distinction in how wholesome cake donuts are as in comparison with yeasted donuts is that cake donuts are baked, not deep fried in oil. But when donuts are fried correctly in oil that’s sizzling sufficient, they don’t take in a lot oil anyway.
Do you gluten free vanilla cake doughnuts have yeast?
No, cake donuts are made with baking powder and/or baking soda, not yeast.
Can gluten free cake donuts be fried?
No, cake donuts are made with a batter, not a dough, that may be formed and fried. When you’d prefer to “air fry” them, which is admittedly simply baking them in a small, high-powdered convection oven, you are able to do so in a donut pan, however they gained’t hold their form with out the pan.
What’s the very best gluten free flour mix for this vanilla cake donut recipe?
I exploit Higher Batter’s traditional gluten free flour mix right here, with some added cornstarch. This recipe additionally works rather well with Cup4Cup instead of the Higher Batter and the cornstarch, for a complete of 1 3/4 cups or 245 grams of Cup4Cup.
Do I’ve to make use of a donut pan for these gf donuts?
You want some type of pan with wells to make this recipe. You should use a doughnut pan, as I’ve right here, however you possibly can in all probability additionally use a muffin pan.
Can I double this gluten free donut recipe?
Sure! You’ll be able to double this recipe and make 24 donuts. You’ll want 2 pans, although, every with 12 donut wells, so the batter doesn’t have to sit down round. When you solely have 1 pan, you possibly can make one batch of the recipe twice, reasonably than doubling the batter.
Can I prime my do-it-yourself gluten free donuts with sprinkles?
Positive! They’ll want one thing to stay to, although, just like the glaze. Remember to add your sprinkles proper after the glaze, earlier than the glaze has had an opportunity to dry or they gained’t stick.
Why did my gf vanilla cake donuts come out dry?
You could have: overbaked them, overmeasured your flour, or use an unbalanced gluten free flour mix.
Why aren’t my gluten free donuts poofing up?
Are your baking soda and baking powder recent? In the event that they’re exterior their freshness date, they’re in all probability not good any extra, and didn’t activate.
How do you retain do-it-yourself gluten free donuts tender?
As soon as the donuts are cool, including the glaze will hold the tops of your donuts recent by sealing in moisture. When you don’t glaze them, putting them in a sealed glass or plastic container with a tight-fitting lid will assist hold them recent.
Gluten Free Vanilla Cake Donuts Recipe
Gluten Free Vanilla Cake Donuts
Try this straightforward recipe for gluten free vanilla cake donuts. This gf cake donut recipe additionally contains ideas for making use of a glaze or crunchy sugar coating.
Yield: 12 standard-size donuts
Substances
For the donuts
- 1 ½ cups (210 g) all goal gluten free flour mix (I used Higher Batter; please click on via for applicable blends)
- ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum (omit in case your mix already comprises it)
- ¼ cup (36 g) cornstarch
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 2 (100 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs at room temperature, crushed
- ¾ cup (193 g) plain yogurt at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract)
For the (optionally available) glaze
- 1 cup (115 g) confectioners’ sugar
- 2 to 4 teaspoons milk or buttermilk
For the (optionally available) sugar coating
- 4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter melted
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
Directions
-
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a standard-size donut pan and set it apart.
-
In a big bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, nutmeg, and sugar, and whisk to mix nicely.
-
Create a nicely within the heart of the dry substances, add the butter, eggs, yogurt, and vanilla, and blend till simply mixed.
-
Fill the ready wells of the donut pan till practically full. For completely formed donuts, place the donut batter right into a piping bag fitted with a big, open tip, and pipe the batter into the wells.
-
Moist the pointer finger of your dominant hand and run it alongside the middle of every nicely of the donut pan to pressure the batter towards the perimeter of every nicely. This can assist the donut gap from closing throughout baking.
-
Place within the heart of the preheated oven and bake for about 12 minutes or till the donuts are set and simply flippantly browned.
-
Take away the pan from the oven, and permit the donuts to chill within the pan for five minutes.
For the optionally available glaze.
-
Switch the donuts to a wire rack to chill fully.
-
In a small bowl, place the confectioners’ sugar and a pair of teaspoons of milk, and blend nicely. Add extra milk by the half-teaspoon till you could have a clean however thickly pourable glaze.
-
Working shortly, dip the highest of every cooled donut within the glaze, flip forwards and backwards a bit to coat nicely, invert the donut so the glaze is dealing with upward, and place on a flat floor to set.
For the optionally available sugar-coating.
-
Invert the donuts onto a wire rack whereas they’re nonetheless heat.
-
Dip every donut fastidiously within the melted butter after which press into the granulated sugar earlier than changing on the wire rack. The sugar coating will harden because it cools.
Notes
Gluten Free Vanilla Cake Donuts
Try this straightforward recipe for gluten free vanilla cake donuts. This gf cake donut recipe additionally contains ideas for making use of a glaze or crunchy sugar coating.
Yield: 12 standard-size donuts
Substances
For the donuts
- 1 ½ cups (210 g) all goal gluten free flour mix (I used Higher Batter; please click on via for applicable blends)
- ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum (omit in case your mix already comprises it)
- ¼ cup (36 g) cornstarch
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 2 (100 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs at room temperature, crushed
- ¾ cup (193 g) plain yogurt at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract)
For the (optionally available) glaze
- 1 cup (115 g) confectioners’ sugar
- 2 to 4 teaspoons milk or buttermilk
For the (optionally available) sugar coating
- 4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter melted
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
Directions
-
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a standard-size donut pan and set it apart.
-
In a big bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, nutmeg, and sugar, and whisk to mix nicely.
-
Create a nicely within the heart of the dry substances, add the butter, eggs, yogurt, and vanilla, and blend till simply mixed.
-
Fill the ready wells of the donut pan till practically full. For completely formed donuts, place the donut batter right into a piping bag fitted with a big, open tip, and pipe the batter into the wells.
-
Moist the pointer finger of your dominant hand and run it alongside the middle of every nicely of the donut pan to pressure the batter towards the perimeter of every nicely. This can assist the donut gap from closing throughout baking.
-
Place within the heart of the preheated oven and bake for about 12 minutes or till the donuts are set and simply flippantly browned.
-
Take away the pan from the oven, and permit the donuts to chill within the pan for five minutes.
For the optionally available glaze.
-
Switch the donuts to a wire rack to chill fully.
-
In a small bowl, place the confectioners’ sugar and a pair of teaspoons of milk, and blend nicely. Add extra milk by the half-teaspoon till you could have a clean however thickly pourable glaze.
-
Working shortly, dip the highest of every cooled donut within the glaze, flip forwards and backwards a bit to coat nicely, invert the donut so the glaze is dealing with upward, and place on a flat floor to set.
For the optionally available sugar-coating.
-
Invert the donuts onto a wire rack whereas they’re nonetheless heat.
-
Dip every donut fastidiously within the melted butter after which press into the granulated sugar earlier than changing on the wire rack. The sugar coating will harden because it cools.
Notes
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