Lemon Poppyseed Donuts

Dairy-free, gluten-free

This might be a polarizing opinion, but what can I say, it how I feel. Cake donuts are far superior to yeasted donuts. There it is, I said it. 

I realize that many people love the pillowy, soft and sweet yeasted donuts, but to me, they sort of just melt away into nothing once you bite into them. I love the fluffy, slightly toothsome and not-too-sweet cake donut. 

I think that this affection for cake donuts started when I was a kid on a peewee soccer team. After every game, one of the team parents would bring donut holes from a certain donut chain. I am fairly certain that I only agreed to play soccer because it meant that I would get to have donuts after each game. 

These are not your classic donuts. I have a serious fear of deep frying (hot oil and I have not had a great history) so I go for the baked donut variety, which happens to be perfect. Baked donuts are always cake donuts, aka heaven. While it may be approaching the winter doldrums, there is always room for some bright citrus to lighten things up. These lemon poppyseed donuts are soft, slightly chewy, not too sweet and have a light, floral lemon flavor. 

Let’s talk about a few key ingredients in this donut. 

Flour Mix 

Getting the mix of gluten-free flours just right can be incredibly tricky. Most gluten-free flours have a tendency to be gummy and dense, which does not make a great donut. In order to get the perfect, soft donut texture, the predominant flour in this recipe is almond flour. Almond flour gives moisture and a delicate crumb. The oat and sorghum flours provide a deeper, nutty flavor that is reminiscent of wheat flour. As for the tapioca, it plays the ever-important role by binding everything together and giving a slight chew, which would usually come from the gluten in wheat flour. 

If you do not have these flours or don’t want to buy this array of flours, you can use 200g (a little under 2 cups) of a gluten-free flour mix. 

Olive Oil 

Yes, butter would be delicious, but let me tell you a secret? Butter can lead to a dry donut. Because the moisture in butter evaporates quickly, olive oil is going to give you a perfectly moist donut. Not to mention, using olive oil keeps these donuts dairy-free. If you use extra virgin olive oil, you will get a bit more acidity that helps to cut through the sweetness and pairs so well with the floral lemon. 

If you do not have olive oil, you can use avocado oil. If you want to get some butter flavor (and don’t care about dairy), use half olive oil and half melted butter. Do not use coconut oil as it will seize up when the milk and eggs are added. 

Lovely Lemon 

Aside from chocolate, there is no better flavor than lemon. It brings fresh citrus zing to anything it is added to. In these donuts, there is a lot of lemon punch in there. While lemon juice can be used, the zest of the lemon has the most flavor (thanks to the natural oils in the peel). Using the zest of 2 lemons might seem excessive, but you won’t regret it. If you want to go really big, hunt down Meyer lemons. Meyer lemons taste like a tangerine and lemon with just a hint of lime. They are less acidic, slightly sweeter and more floral. 

While the lemons are the predominant flavor, adding orange extract to the batter helps to even out the acidity and add a deeper citrus flavor. If you don’t have orange extract, try adding a pinch of orange zest. Don’t have either? Then don’t worry. The lemons on their own are just fine. 

Recipe

For the donuts

1/2 cup (80g) coconut sugar

1/4 cup (55g) olive oil

Zest of 2 large lemons

1/2 tsp orange extract

1/2 cup nut milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

3/4 cup (90g) almond flour

1/4 cup (34g) tapioca flour

1/4 cup (39g) sorghum flour

6 tbsp (55g) oat flour 

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp poppyseeds 

For the icing

3/4 cup (115g) gluten-free powdered sugar (Wholesome Sweet is my go-to)

1.5 tbsp nut milk (could need more) 

1/4 tsp lemon zest (or lemon extract or omit the lemon completely)

In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, tapioca flour, sorghum flour, oat flour, baking powder, salt and poppyseeds. 

In a measuring cup, combine the oil, lemon zest, nut milk, egg, vanilla  and orange extract. Stir until everything is fully combined. 

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Scoop the batter into a disposable piping bag (you can also use a big ziplock bag). Cup the tip off and pipe into the greased donut pans. 

Bake for 14 to 15 minutes. Let cool completely before icing. It is a good idea to throw them into the freezer before you ice them. 

To make the icing, sift the powdered sugar into a small bowl. Add the nut milk and lemon extract and whisk together until smooth. If it is too thick, add a little more nut milk. If it is too thin, add more powdered sugar. You don’t want it to be super runny, but thick enough that it will stay on the donuts. 

To ice the donuts, dip the smooth side into the icing and place on a wire rack with parchment paper underneath. Once you have iced all of the donuts, sprinkle with poppyseeds. 

Makes about 8 donuts.