Sugar coated baked cinnamon doughnut rings

Iced doughnuts are one thing, but sugar coated rings are the stuff of memories and traditions ( well for me anyway!) – it’s those sugar coated rings that are used for traditional party games such as eating doughnuts without licking your lips and without hands when they’re hanging in strings – to me they seem more evocative.

I was so happy with the results from by baked doughnuts, that I rushed out and bought a doughnut tin; I just couldn’t resist making more doughnuts and this time in perfect little rings! While this recipe may only be a small riff on the original baked doughnut recipe, I think it’s worth posting – the added cinnamon gives a lovely warmth, but careful don’t add too much or the delicate doughnut taste will be lost forever! Most recipes I’ve come across brush the bake doughnuts with butter (dairy-free in my case, obviously!) before rolling in sugar (has to be caster in my opinion) but I found that gives a greasy feel which I wanted to avoid. So I brushed my doughnuts with a thin water icing of 4 tbsp of water to 1/2  cup icing sugar) and then rolled them in the caster sugar. This gave a lovely, slightly crisp exterior and ensured the sugar to stayed in place.

These doughnuts keep ok, they’re definitely best eaten on the day made as they tend to soften and the sugar on the outside starts to seep into the middle, but if you’re happy with a softer doughnut then they’re good for a couple of days ( if they last that long!)

Mini Baked Cinnamon Sugar coated Doughnuts

(dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soya-free, sesame-free, vegetarian and vegan)

Makes 20 mini doughnuts

3 cups self-raising flour

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

3/4 cup caster sugar

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup dairy-free margarine, melted

5 tbsp of aquafaba (the water from a tin of beans or chickpeas)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup dairy-free milk

1. Grease your pan, place foil tubes in the centre of each and preheat the oven to 220 degrees centigrade
2. Mix together the dry ingredients. Combine the wet ingredients and pour into the dry. Gently mix until fully combined.
3. Pipe or spoon into the tin
4. Bake for 7-10 minutes until well risen and a knife comes out clean. Remove  from the tins and cool.

for the coating:

1/2 cup icing sugar

4 tbsps water

1/2 cup caster sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)

1. Mix together the water and icing sugar to form a thin icing. Pour the caster sugar and cinnamon (if using) into a shallow bowl.
2. Brush each doughnut with a thin coating of the water icing and then coat in the sugar
3. Leave to set on a wire rack