chocolate coconut donuts (soy and dairy free)

i was going to wait a bit before posting these donuts, but i decided there are much worse things in the world then back to back donut posts. and for those of you tired of fried things, don't despair, homemade seitan's coming up next!

donut ingredients:

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup cake flour (unbleached if possible)

1/4 cup unsweetened dutch processed cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 large egg

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup of coconut milk

1 tablespoon soy free earth balance, melted*

1 tsp vanilla extract

canola oil for frying

glaze ingredients:

1 tablespoon water

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/3 cup coconut milk

4 tablespoons soy free earth balance*

4 oz dark chocolate, finely chopped (i used theo's because it didn't contain dairy or soy lecithin)

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

for the donuts: in a large bowl, beat together the egg and 1/2 cup of sugar until pale and creamy. add the coconut milk, melted earth balance, and vanilla and mix well. sift the flours, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt directly into the wet mixture and mix until just combined. cover and refrigerate for as least half an hour, but no longer than an hour.

in the meantime, prepare a deep fryer (or heavy saute pan) with canola oil set to 360 F, arrange a floured work space for rolling out the dough, and line a cookie sheet with paper towels to absorb excess oil from the fried donuts. 

once the donut dough is ready to roll out, roll it 1/2 an inch thick and cut out donuts and holes with a 3 inch diameter cutter or circles. fry in batches of 2-5 (depending on how large the surface area of your oil is) for 1 1/2 minutes, then flip and fry for an additional minute. allow the oil to return to 360 F between batches to prevent soggy donuts. 

while the donuts are frying (or immediately after they've finished) begin the glaze by combining the tablespoon of water and 2 tablespoons of sugar in a small sauce pan over medium-high heat. when the sugar has completely dissolved, but not yet begun to boil, add the coconut milk and earth balance. when the mixture is hot, but not boiling, remove it from the heat and add the finely chopped chocolate. allow the chocolate 30 seconds or so to heat up before stirring the mixture. once all the chocolate is incorporated, add the vanilla. allow the glaze to thicken for about 20 minutes before dipping the donuts. 

this is a good time to toast the coconut. i used a toaster oven because it's such a small amount of coconut and it's easier to monitor. if using an oven, set it to 325 F and allow the coconut to toast in a single even layer for about 7 minutes or until lightly golden.

when the glaze has thickened, dip the donuts on their flatter sides and sprinkle with toasted coconut flakes. serve immediately : )

*butter or regular earth balance can be substituted