It’s taken me over two months to make good on my promise, but with these Gluten-Free Maple Baked Donuts with Maple Glaze, I finally have a donut recipe to share with you! National donut day was back in early June and always a little late to the party, I ended up sharing these Cauliflower Quinoa Tacos instead, with a promise to bring you a donut recipe in the not so far future. Apparently not so near either…sorry ’bout that.
Still, a promise is a promise and if you’re a fan of baked goods make with almond meal, then these Gluten-Free Maple Baked Donuts are for you! They have the texture of a cake donut, which happens to be my favorite, and are made using almond meal, tapioca starch, maple syrup, eggs and a little butter. The almond meal gives them a great nutty flavor with a dense, yet moist texture, making them almost pancake-like. And with the maple syrup and extract, they are all the more reminiscent of a tasty pancake.
While we don’t eat a gluten-free diet at the house, I love finding opportunities to make substitutes in baked goods to up their protein and nutrients as opposed to using a typical white or wheat flour. And with the use of maple syrup as the sweetener, they are not only gluten-free but also refined-sugar free.🙌🏻
- 3 cups almond flour
- 1 cup tapioca starch
- 2 Teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp sea salt
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp maple extract
- GLAZE:
- ¼ cup butter, softened
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp maple extract
- 2 tbsp organic powder sugar
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- pinch of sea salt
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and lightly grease two non-stick donut pans {6 donuts per pan}.
- Add almond flour, tapioca starch, baking powder, cinnamon and sea salt, to medium bowl, whisk to combine and set aside.
- Add butter to separate bowl, melt in microwave, then add maple syrup and stir. Allow to cool slightly, then whisk in the eggs, one at a time, followed by vanilla and maple extract.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until well combined with no lumps.
- Spoon batter into each donut mould, filling approx ¾ of the way full. I only have one donut pan so I baked these in two batches.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden on top and toothpick can be inserted and removed, coming out clean. Remove and add to cooling rack, cool completely before glazing.
- For the glaze, melt the butter in small sauce pan, add remaining ingredients, stir to combine, then remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.
- Carefully dip each donut in the slightly cooled glaze, or use spoon to drizzle over each one. I prefer the dipping method, but the donuts are somewhat fragile, so definitely be careful if going this route!
Inspired by Get Inspired Everyday’s Vanilla Bean Glazed Honey Cake Doughnuts
I was wondering if you know of a substitute in the maple glazed donut that would work for the tapioca starch? My 6 year old daughter has Type 1 Diabetes. I mention her age because age has a lot to do with how fast her blood glucose levels move, and when you add a high glycemic food (tapioca has a high value), well it definitely will create a spike. And for long term health and to lessen possible complications, we are doing are best eat moderate GI valued whole foods. But she is 6! and I have an 8 yo son who is not T1D, so trying to move heaven and earth to make eating healthy yummy and fun. Having a donut recipe on hand is pretty essential to that plan. Any thoughts or suggestions?
Hi Nicole, I’m sorry to hear your daughter has T1D – she’s lucky to have a mama who wants to fill her body with the healthy foods she needs yet trying to make it fun along the way!! I haven’t tried this recipe with coconut flour or quinoa flour, but I think either might work well in place of the tapioca starch. If your kids like the flavor of coconut, I’d probably start there since it lends itself to a sweeter flavor. I’d love to hear if you try the recipe and how it turns out with your choice of substitute!