Gluten Free Baked Lemon Doughnuts

I have a confession to make.

I actually wrote this blog back in February... Six whole months ago and it's been sat in my drafts ever since. I guess I've been in a bit of a jam over blogging since before Christmas, I had all these recipe ideas, but ran out of time. Then came the New Year and me promising to bake and blog more, but again typical me, time ran away with me and I procrastinated.

My weekends in January were filled with building a toy box for my nephew and then there’s the lovely gloomy dark evenings, which weren’t great for photos.

Since then there have been a few birthday cakes and banana loaves, but also some bad bakes like some exploding red velvet cupcakes and one situation of a underbaked lemon loaf with some bad eggs which will stay with me forever (sorry!). I also attempted some gluten free cookies which kind of melted into flat puddles, which my 2 year old nephew dubbed "pancake cookies" - it was cute and hilarious at the time, but sill hurt all the same.

I had spent all this time not really doing any adventurous bakes and have felt like I've kind of lost my baking groove. (just realising Christmas was now a good 8 months ago...yikes)

Gradually, I think my groove is slowly returning (despite the most recent pancake cookies) and I've since had some good successes: I have made two much better and properly baked lemon loaves and baked a delicious carrot cake loaf (recipe courtesy of The Gourmet Gourmand - highly recommend and it makes two loaves!)

These little gluten free doughnuts came as a mini success in between all of this, oh and a DELICIOUS gluten free birthday batternberg, which I will definitely be repeating for my sister.

Should I just switch to being a gluten free blog now?

It’s so easy to just stick with the same things, baking what you know and what you feel comfortable doing. I know my banana loaf recipe off by heart now and it is definitely one of the best and easiest things to make. But it’s not outside of my comfort zone and I need to get out the zone more often this year. 

All the while still baking my chocolate banana loaf because I quite give that one up yet.

I didn’t really set any resolutions for 2019. I’ve tried to set goals instead, thinking that maybe that isn’t so rigid and I might actually achieve some this year. Or I won’t feel as bad when I don’t achieve them is probably more accurate!

Resolutions I feel like just set you up for unneeded pressure and ultimately disappointment in yourself. So this year is all about achievable goals, getting outside the comfort zone... and not making anyone ill with an underbaked cake again.

Gluten free baked lemon doughnuts

Ingredients:

Juice of 1 lemon

Zest of 1 lemon

2 medium eggs

250 ml whole milk

40g butter, melted

255g gluten free plain flour

200g caster sugar

Optional:

1-2 tbsp lemon juice

200g icing sugar

Directions: 

1. Grease a doughnut pan and preheat the oven to 350c/180C/gas mark 4.
2. In a large bowl, melt the butter in the microwave and allow to cool. Then add the zest and juice of lemon, eggs and whole milk and whisk to combine. 
3. Sift in the flour, ground almonds and caster sugar into the bowl and fold to combine. 
4. Place the mixture into a piping bag and pipe into the prepared doughnut pan. Fill each doughnut hole three quarters of the way up. 
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes if using large doughnut pan and 6-8 mins if using a mini doughnuts pan. 
6. Whisk the lemon juice and icing sugar to the desired consistency, adding little bits of juice at a time. Then drizzle over the cooled doughnuts, or dip the doughnuts into the icing to coat them.