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Vegan Pumpkin Cake Donuts

A cross between a pumpkin cake donut and a classic New England Dirt Bomb, these little cakes are perfectly light, fluffy, and soft, but take on a donut flavor when dipped in melted butter or rolled in cinnamon-sugar. Oh, and they're vegan!
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Prep Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 10 Based on chosen size
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Petit Cakes:
  • 145 grams All-Purpose Flour (1 1/8 cups)
  • 1 1/4 tsps. Baking Powder
  • 1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
  • 1/4 tsp. Fine Salt
  • 1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
  • 1/8 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
  • 57 grams Vegan Butter (4 tbsps.), room temperature
  • 106 grams Granulated Sugar (1/2 cup)
  • 1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
  • 66 grams Pumpkin Puree (1/4 cup)
  • 6 grams Apple Cider Vinegar (1 tsp.)
  • 74 grams Plant Milk (3/8 cup), I like soy milk
For Coating the Donuts:
  • ~1 stick Vegan Butter (113 grams or 1/2 cup), melted
  • 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsps. Cinnamon

Equipment

  • 1 Handheld mixer or Stand Mixer
  • 1 Muffin Tin
  • 1 Cooling/ Drying Rack
  • 1 Piping Bag optional, but makes piping the donuts into the muffins tins easier

Method
 

  1. Melt the vegan butter in the microwave. This butter will be used for greasing the muffin tins and for coating the baked cakes.
    ~1 stick Vegan Butter
  2. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Set aside until ready to roll and top the cakes.
    1/2 cup Granulated Sugar, 1 1/2 tsps. Cinnamon
  3. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter/ Grease your tins. You can use muffin tins or other small metal molds of your choosing. I would not use molds with holes, as these cakes are delicate and will tear easily. Just note that baking time may vary depending on the size and depth of your molds.
    4. I use a pastry brush to really make sure the tins are fully greased. This is optional, but is one of the easiest ways to grease your tins.
  4. Combine the plant milk and apple cider vinegar. Set aside.
    74 grams Plant Milk, 6 grams Apple Cider Vinegar
  5. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or with a handheld mixer, whip the Sugar, Salt, and Vegan Butter until very light and fluffy, about 10 minutes. These cakes are magical, but magic takes time, so be patient. Make sure to stop the mixer and scrape down the sides; you want the mixture to be fully mixed.
    1/4 tsp. Fine Salt, 57 grams Vegan Butter, 106 grams Granulated Sugar
  6. Add in a third of the pumpkin puree. Whip until fully combined. Scrape down the sides, then add in another third of the pumpkin puree. Whip again until fully combined. Add the last thrid, and whip again. Whip down the sides.
    66 grams Pumpkin Puree
  7. Add the Vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice, and nutmeg, and whip the mixture again.
    1/4 tsp. Nutmeg, 1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract, 1/8 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
  8. Sift and combine all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
    145 grams All-Purpose Flour, 1 1/4 tsps. Baking Powder, 1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
Alternate adding the wet and dry to the butter mixture:
  1. Add one-third of the dry ingredients; mix until just combined.
    Add half of the plant milk mixture to the butter mixture. Whip until just combined. Add in another third of the dry. Mix again.
    Add the rest of the milk mixture, then whip until just combined. Finally, add the rest of the dry mix and whip until just combined.
    Lastly, fold the batter a few times to make sure it's fully incorporated.
  2. Place batter into a piping bag. This is optional but is really helpful in filling the little tins and molds.
    3. Put a piping bag into a tall glass and wrap the opening of the piping bag around the rim of the glass. This makes it easy to fill the piping bag with batter!
  3. Pipe the batter into greased tins. These rise minimally in the oven, but I still recommend piping your batter no more than 1 inch to 1.5 inches high.
    4. Depending on how many you'd like, you can make different sizes. I wanted a lot of mini ones this time, which is why I used a mini muffin tin. Do whatever size you'd like, but baking time will differ.
  4. Bake the petit cakes for 15-20 minutes, or until they are slightly golden and spring back when poked with your finger.
    5. This baking time is for a jumbo muffin tin, not cupcake tin. A muffin tin is about 3.5 inches in diameter, so a smaller tin mold will need less baking time.
Dip and Top your Cakes:
  1. While still warm, about 15 minutes after you took them out of the oven, unmold your petit cakes and dip in melted butter, then in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Set aside to cool and enjoy!

Notes

Notes: