B’s Coffee and Molasses Baked Vegan Doughnuts
This recipe came about around five years ago, on my dear friend Bryanna’s birthday. Now usually, I would bake a cake using a recipe I had already developed, but B (that’s what I call her) is vegan, so none of my recipes at the time would work. So I adapted a recipe from Rose Levy Beranbaum, who is basically the queen of cake.
Before baking 
After baking
I wanted to make B something unique, like her. We lived together in Boston for three years in college, where we bonded pretty fast. One of the first things we bonded over was coffee and sweets. Our dorm was in an old brownstone that had a Whole Foods and a Dunkin’ across the street, and on the corner was a cafe. It was a perfect trifecta for us to bond and get caffeinated together.
So what better for her than a vegan doughnut with coffee baked right in?
Tips and tricks for molasses:
Easy Measuring: One of the pains of working with molasses is that it’s so messy, and it’s hard to get out of whatever container you are measuring it into. This is an easy fix! Spray the inside of your measuring cup with non-stick pan spray, and then measure out your molasses. The pan spray will not affect your recipe, and it will be much easier to work with.
Pantry Staple: Molasses is a staple in my kitchen, and, I would like to bet, in most Maine kitchens. In the winter months in Maine, I bake exclusively with shelf-stable things I have in my pantry or things I have stored away and/or frozen (see freezing procedures for berries here). Molasses can be used for sweet or savory dishes. It is just as delectable in a molasses cookie as it is in homemade baked beans. Always try to buy molasses in the “off season”. Molasses prices raise around October and November, so buy in the summer and store until the colder months.
Brown Sugar: Don’t you just hate it when a recipe calls for brown sugar and you don’t have any?! It’s so frustrating. But, if you keep molasses on hand you can make your own brown sugar. I like to use this recipe:
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 teaspoon Molasses
Place in a bowl and, using your fingers, massage all of the molasses into the sugar until combined.
B’s Vegan Coffee and Molasses Baked Doughnuts
Equipment
- Large doughnut pan
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 Cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 1/4 Cups Granulated Sugar
- 2 teaspoons Ground Ginger
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 3/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
- 1 1/4 Cups Freshly Brewed Coffee It still needs to be piping hot
- 3/4 Cup Molasses
- 3/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F, and prep your large doughnut pan by spraying with a non-stick spray.
- In the bowl of your mixer, combine together the flour, sugar, ginger, and salt using the paddle attachment on medium speed.
- Add the vegetable oil to the dry ingredients, and mix until combined. It will look like fluffy beach sand. Take 3/4 Cup of this mixture out of your mixing bowl and put it to the side.
- With the mixer on the lowest setting, add in the baking powder, vanilla, hot coffee and molasses (see notes about measuring molasses). Mix until combined. Scrape bowl. Mix again until all of the lumps are gone. Transfer batter to a glass measuring cup with a spout for easy portioning.
- Using half of your batter, pour into your doughnut pan, and fill each mold until 3/4 of the way full.
- Use half of the mixture that you reserved earlier, and sprinkle on top of the batter that you have already portioned out into your pan.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes, turning halfway though. They should spring back slightly when touched.
- Once baked and cooled, depan doughnuts and then refill your pan using the last half of your batter. Sprinkle the remaining mixture that you had reserved on to your second batch of doughnuts. Bake your second batch for another 15-17 minutes.
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One Comment
Bryanna
I dream of these doughnuts often…. they were simply the best dang things… I ate at least 8 in a day…. you’re simply the best <3 love you!!!