Espresso Banana Doughnuts

I did not like doughnuts as a child.  Repeat DID NOT.  I could never understand why it was a "treat" if someone brought a box of doughnuts to school or a sleepover.  This may sound weird coming from a self proclaimed sweet tooth, but I thought they were too sweet.  They were cloyingly sweet to be exact.  To add to the unpleasant, tooth-aching sweetness, the dough lacked flavor and the glaze would always flake off in unattractive bits all over your clothes.  Despite this dislike for doughnuts, there was one exception.  I loved plain cake doughnuts.  There was no sweet, flaky glaze on them and they basically tasted like lightly sweetened pound cake.  They were totally my jam.

If I've learned anything over the past few years, it's that I can improve upon foods by making them in my kitchen with my own two hands.  That philosophy coupled with my distaste for doughnuts and the splurge purchase of a doughnut pan led to these espresso banana doughnuts.  They are baked and have a much more complex flavor than anything you can buy at the corner doughnut shop.  Aside from tasting awesome, they are both gluten free and vegan.  If you don't have a doughnut pan, you can still make some killer muffins out of these.  Just make sure to watch the baking time.  

Espresso Banana Doughnuts
notes: After filling my 6 doughnut molds, I had a bit of batter left over so I filled a few mini muffin tins to create some doughnut holes.  If you would rather use a gluten free all purpose flour, you can sub it in for the 1 cup of flours listed.  I've listed a recipe for a simple glaze below, but if you would prefer a healthier option, either leave them naked or top them with this vanilla bean cashew cream.   

1/4 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup oat flour
1/4 cup arrowroot flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp espresso powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1/4 tsp ground ginger (optional)
1/2 tsp flaxmeal
1/3 cup sucanat (or sugar of your choice)
2 tbsp safflower oil (or oil of your choice)
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (about 1 small banana)

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and grease a standard doughnut pan.  Mix together the banana, oil, coconut milk, and sucanat until smooth and combined.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients until combined, then add to the wet ingredients.  Stir in the dry ingredients until a smooth batter forms.  It may look slighly lumpy depending on how well you mashed the banana.  Spoon the batter into the doughnut molds, making sure to only fill them up 2/3 to 3/4 full.  Smooth out the batter in each mold.  Bake the doughnuts for 12 to 15 minutes until they are puffed, golden, and pulling away from the sides of the pan.  A tested inserted into the middle should come out clean.  Cool the doughnuts for about 10 minutes in the pan before un-molding them.  Makes 6 regular doughnuts.  

The glaze pictured is a simple mixture of 1 cup powdered sugar, 3 or so tbsp of coconut milk, and a splash of vanilla extract.  Whisk everything together until smooth and thick.  If it's too runny, add more powdered sugar.  If it's too thick, add a bit more coconut milk.  Either drizzle the glaze over the doughnuts or dip the doughnuts into the glaze.