Baked Heart Shaped Apple Donuts

Name: Baked Heart Shaped Apple Donuts
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 90 min
Ingredients: 2 cups whole spelt flour (); ½ cup organic cane sugar; 2 tsp baking powder; 1 tsp baking soda; 1 ½ tsp cinnamon; ¼ tsp nutmeg; Pinch of salt; 1 1 Autumn Glory apple (, peeled, cored and diced); 1 tbsp filtered water; 1 ½ cups unsweetened soy milk; 2 tsp apple cider vinegar; 2 tbsp avocado oil; 1 ½ cups icing sugar; 2 tbsp unsalted vegan butter (, melted); 2 tbsp full fat coconut milk; ¼ tsp almond extract (, or more to taste); Vegan sprinkles (, for garnish & optional)

Print recipe

Valentine’s Day, Veganized Childhood Classics

1 hour 30 mins Prep: 30 mins Cook: 1 hour

Serves 24

Light and fluffy, these heart shaped donuts are made of a base of spelt flour and Autumn Glory Apples. Topped with a rich almond-flavored glaze and sprinkles, these are a lovely dessert to make for a loved one or to treat yourself on Valentine’s Day!

Equipment

Heart shaped donut pan (I used this one.)

Ingredients

For the donuts

2 cups whole spelt flour
½ cup organic cane sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
Pinch of salt
1 1 Autumn Glory apple , peeled, cored and diced
1 tbsp filtered water
1 ½ cups unsweetened soy milk
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp avocado oil

For the icing

1 ½ cups icing sugar
2 tbsp unsalted vegan butter , melted
2 tbsp full fat coconut milk
¼ tsp almond extract , or more to taste
Vegan sprinkles , for garnish & optional

Recipe

Step 1
Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease your donut pan.
Step 2
Add spelt flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt into a bowl. Mix until combined. Set aside.
Step 3
Add the diced apple into a microwave safe bowl along with 1 tablespoon of water. Cover with a plate and microwave for 4 minutes or until fork tender.
Step 4
Transfer apples in a blender along with soy milk, apple cider vinegar and avocado oil. Blend until smooth. Pour onto the dry ingredients and mix to incorporate.
Step 5
Pour the batter into your donut pan, filling it about 3/4 full and bake for 12-14 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Step 6
Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes then remove from the donut pan and let cool completely.
Step 7
Prepare the icing by adding all ingredients together into a bowl. Mix until smooth. Taste and add some almond extract if you want a stronger almond flavor.
Step 8
Dip each donut into the icing and place on a plate, decorate (if desired) and let icing set completely.
Step 9
If the icing stiffens up as you ice your donuts, place it in the microwave for 10 seconds, stir and continue the process.
Step 10
These donuts are best when fresh, but can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 days in an airtight container.

Common Questions & Swaps

The donut pan I used yields small donuts. If your donut pan is bigger, you will have to adjust the baking time accordingly.

This recipe can easily be halved; I just made the full recipe to use an entire apple instead of just half of one.

Can I use another flour? I have personally not tested the recipe with another flour or a mix of flours, but I would think that a mix of all purpose and whole wheat flour would work really well.
Can I use coconut sugar instead of organic cane sugar? I have not tested the recipe with another granulated sweetener, but I think that coconut sugar would work well.
Can I use any plant based milk for the batter? I would stick to an unsweetened milk, but you can use anything from almond milk, soy milk, cashew milk, oat milk, hemp milk, macadamia milk etc. Avoid canned coconut milk as it is too rich.
Can I use another type of apple for this recipe? To be honest, this recipe is made for Autumn Glory Apples, which are very sweet and quite firm. Their texture and flavour was taken into account to make this recipe work so I would would suggest to try and get your hand on them. If you can’t find Autumn Glory Apples, then give Fuji or Golden Delicious apples a try.
Can I use any oil? Yes, as long as it does not have a very strong and pronounced flavour. If you use a hard oil (like coconut or butter), melt it first then measure it and use in the recipe as indicated.
Is the almond extract necessary? No, but I personally looove its flavour in combination with the apple in the donuts. If you don’t have any, simply leave it out or you could add a touch of cinnamon into your icing for an extra cinnamon punch.

Heart shaped apple donuts cooling off on a cooling rack.

Heart shaped donuts topped with sprinkles.

Ready to eat heart shaped donuts laying on a plate.

This recipe was created in partnership with Autumn Glory Apples and Superfresh Growers.

Well, it is that time of the year… When hearts, roses, pinks and reds are all around us and I wanted to treat you guys.

If you follow me on Instagram, you know how much of a trial these little guys were… I had to test the recipe 5 times in order to get their consistency right.

You see, baking is a science and when some elements are off, it can literally ruin a recipe. And for a while, I could not figure out what I was doing wrong. These donuts came out of the oven all kinds of funky… dense, too wet, gummy, not risen, too sweet…

Finally in the end, I did manage to find the perfect ratio of wet to dry ingredients, of sweetness and of lightness.

Hearth shaped donut broken in half with center showing.

Because I used fresh Autumn Glory apples for this recipe, which I microwaved to soften, I had to take into account the natural juice of the apples and adjust my other ingredients accordingly.

In order to get the perfect consistency for these Baked Heart Shaped Apple Donuts, I used 2 leavening agents (baking soda and baking powder) along with a bit of apple cider vinegar to help the baking soda activate even more.

Also, compared to many donuts recipes I have made in the past, I kept the sugar level in the dough relatively low for 2 reasons: 1) Autumn Glory Apples are quite sweet and 2) the icing that is made of powdered sugar is sweet on its own and I did not want sugar to be the main flavour of this recipe by adding tons of it also in the batter.

In order to really complement the apple flavor, I decided to use some cinnamon and nutmeg in the batter. I also incorporated almond extract to the icing, which let me tell you – adds a whole other level of depth to these donuts.

Closeup of overhead heart shaped donut on a plate.

Well, that is that, a brand new Valentine’s Day inspired recipe for you guys. These donuts are relatively simple to put together, but that doesn’t mean they lack flavour! They are also such a fun dessert to make for yourself, a friend, loved one or lover, because we all need a little love and joy in our lives these days!

If you do end up making this recipe, be sure to share it on Instagram and tag me (@muriellebanackissa).

Have a wonderful week my friends!