Vegan Rose-glazed Vanilla Saffron Donuts

Frightfully easy, these vegan donuts are perfectly light and fluffy when baked to perfection, drizzled with rose-scented glaze and topped with pomegranate tendrils and pistachio.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Middle Eastern fusion

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Total Time 25

Servings 12 -14 mini donuts

Author Nada E.

Ingredients

For the donuts

1½ cups of organic unbleached all-purpose flour 190g
¾ cup organic cane sugar 150g
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp sea salt
¼ cup melted organic coconut oil 60ml
¾ cup almond or soy milk 180ml
½ tbsp vanilla extract
1½ tbsp applesauce
1 tbsp hot water
½ tsp of saffron threads

For the rose glaze

1½ cups organic icing sugar
1-3 tbsp almond milk
½ tbsp rose water
A few drops of beetroot water from a can or a pre-packaged steamed beets or natural food colouring

To garnish

Sliced pistachios
Pomegranate tendrils
Edible rose petals

Instructions

For the donuts

Pre-heat your oven to 180°C/350°F and grease your donut pan with baking spray or coconut oil.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and sea salt and set aside.
Next, add the saffron threads to the hot water in a small cup and leave to rest for about 2-3 minutes until the water is golden in colour. Add to a measuring cup or small bowl to combine with the remaining wet ingredients.
Add the wet ingredient mixture to the dry ingredients and whisk together until well combined and no major lumps remain.
Divide the mixture across your donut pan, ensuring each donut whole isn't more than 3/4 of the way full as these donuts will rise a considerable amount.
Bake for 15 minutes - the donuts should be slightly browned and a toothpick or knife should come out clean. Set aside to cool for at least half an hour before frosting.
Once cooled, dip the donuts into the frosting and sprinkle with toppings of choice, then pop them into the fridge for 5-10 minutes to set.

For the glaze

In a small food processor, combine the ingredients starting with just one tablespoon of the almond milk, adding more as needed to thin. It should be pourable but still thick. You should only need a few drops of the beetroot water to impart a bright pink colour, but bear in mind that the more liquid you add the runnier the glaze will be.

Notes

You could try baking these with an all-purpose gluten-free flour mix if you can't tolerate wheat.
If you prefer a refined sugar-free glaze, try combining 3 tbsp of cashew butter, 1 tbsp maple syrup, 1 tbsp coconut oil, rose water and beetroot/natural food colouring instead.
When glazing, you can dip the donuts into the glaze twice for a thicker glaze or just do the one for a more subtle sweetness and colour.