Lightly spiced vanilla baked doughnuts topped with a silky vanilla glaze and decorated with piped buttercream make these Christmas wreath doughnuts the perfect vegan treat for the festive season.
I LOVE Christmas baking. It’s one of those traditions that I am totally here for, yet somehow every single year December creeps up way too fast and suddenly I’ve missed my opportunity to indulge in all my favourite treats.
These Christmas wreath doughnuts are one of those recipes for when you are short on time (so perfect for last minute occasions) but still want the joy that comes with decorating your sweets with festive flair.
Ever since I purchased my doughnut pan, I have taken every single excuse to pull it out. The distinct cakey texture of a baked doughnut has become one of my favourite sweets to eat and I love just how versatile they can be.
This version get’s it’s Christmas spirit from the delicious flavour combo of nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger giving it that warm spiced feel that we associate with this time of year, while the vanilla and white sugar keeps things light enough for those of us who celebrate Christmas in the warmer months.
How to make vegan Christmas doughnuts
Like my other baked doughnut recipes, you are going to want to start with 3 bowls and a whisk.
Start by making your homemade buttermilk by mixing the apple cider vinegar with the dairy-free milk and setting it aside. Next add all of your dry ingredients to a bowl and whisk to combine. Finally in a large bowl, add your sugar, vanilla and melted coconut oil to a bowl and whisk.
To this large bowl slowly add in the milk and whisk until all mixed through, then slowly add in the dry ingredients, mixing completely before adding in more.
Once you have your batter, add it to a piping bag or zip lock bag to make things easy and fill a doughnut pan, that has been lightly greased with cooking spray, about half full. This batter makes about 10 doughnuts depending on how big your pan is.
Bake the doughnuts in a preheated oven for 8 minutes or until they bounce back when lightly touched. Set aside to cool completely on a wire rack.
My doughnut pan only has 6 holes, so I do the above in two batches, turning out the doughnuts once they have cooled in the pan for a couple of minutes before washing it out with warm soapy water and rinsing with cold water. Prepare the pan again with oil spray and fill it with the remaining batter.
Decorate your doughnuts
Unlike my other baked doughnut recipes, the real difference here is that we are going all out when it comes to the decorations, because really that’s the most fun.
We start by creating a nice foundation with a simple vanilla glaze. Dunk the cooled doughnuts in the glaze and let sit on a wire rack so the excess glaze can drip off and let the glaze set.
Next, we make a simple buttercream that is going to form the wreath. I love using Americolor gel food colouring because the smallest amount creates the most vibrant colours and won’t affect the texture of the buttercream. Plus their range is also vegan.
Once you get the shade of green you’re after, add the buttercream to a piping bag with a star tip fitted, I used a Wilton 2D tip for the wreaths pictured. Pipe the buttercream around the doughnuts and then finish off with sprinkles to decorate.
These doughnuts are the perfect excuse to have fun with colour combinations and fancy sprinkles. So if you’re not into the traditional like I have here, have a play and change things up!
This recipe will make more buttercream than you need but you can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To use, simply let the buttercream come to room temperature and whip again with an electric mixer for 30-60 secs. Use the excess to decorate cupcakes, brownies or cookies and continue the Christmas baking.
So if you’re needing a fun, easy and festive treat without having to spend all day in the kitchen, then this is the recipe you need. Plus as it’s vegan it’s a great option to bring to any Christmas work event or casual backyard get together.
And if you haven’t gotten around to purchasing a doughnut pan yet, then let this be yet another reminder that you absolutely should get one, so put it on your Christmas list ASAP!
If you do make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and rating below! And tag any of your creations on Instagram with #eightforestlane as I would love to see.
Christmas Wreath Doughnuts
Ingredients
- ½ cup dairy-free milk
- ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup plain flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil melted and cooled
Vanilla Glaze
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil melted and cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1-2 tablespoons dairy-free milk
- 1 cup icing sugar
Buttercream
- 60 grams dairy-free butter
- 2 cups icing sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1-2 tablespoons dairy-free milk
- sprinkles optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C and lightly spray a doughnut pan with cooking oil.
- In a small bowl, add the dairy-free milk and vinegar and mix. Set aside. In a medium size bowl add flour, baking powder, spices and salt and mix gently with a whisk to combine. In a large bowl, whisk together brown sugar, melted coconut oil and vanilla.
- Add the milk mixture to the sugar and coconut oil and whisk to combine. Slowly add in the dry ingredients bit by bit, whisking in between each addition until the batter is smooth.
- Pour batter into a large piping bag or ziplock bag and cut off the tip. Pipe the batter into the doughnut pan ensuring each hole is only half full.
- Place in the oven and bake for 8 minutes or until the tops spring back when lightly touched. Let cool in the pan for 2 minutes and turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the glaze. Mix together the coconut oil, vanilla and 1 tablespoon of dairy-free milk. Add in the icing sugar, a little at a time whisking completely between each addition. Add in more milk if needed to thin the glaze. You want the glaze to be thick but still runny enough to coat the doughnuts.
- Dunk the top of each doughnut into the glaze and then place on a wire rack with a piece of baking paper under it to collect any excess glaze that drips off and set aside until the glaze has set.
- Make the buttercream. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using an electric hand mixer) beat together the dairy-free butter, icing sugar, vanilla. Add in the dairy-free milk a little at a time until the frosting is smooth and creamy. Add in a few drops of green gel food colouring and mix through until the desired colour is reached.
- Decorate the doughnuts. Once the glaze has set, add the buttercream to a piping bag with a star tip attached (I used the Wilton 2D) and pipe the buttercream around the doughnuts to resemble a wreath. Decorate with sprinkles if desired.
Notes
More baked doughnuts:
Vegan Maple Glazed Doughnuts
Biscoff Baked Doughnuts
Baked Cinnamon Sugar DoughnutsGlazed Baked Doughnuts
Glazed Baked Doughnuts
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