Make easy gluten-free jam-filled doughnuts inspired by Hanukkah sufganiyot, with a soft baked crumb and festive cinnamon sugar coating.
Soft, fluffy, and filled with sweet fruit jam, these Easy Gluten-Free Jam-Filled Doughnuts: Baked Hanukkah Sufganiyot offer a delicious variation on a beloved holiday treat. Each baked doughnut has a tender cinnamon-spiced crumb, a fruity center, and a sparkling cinnamon sugar coating.
Jam-filled doughnuts, known as sufganiyot, are traditionally served during Hanukkah. Foods prepared with oil commemorate the miracle of the oil that burned for eight nights in the ancient Temple in Jerusalem. Classic sufganiyot are fried, filled with jam, and often finished with powdered sugar.
This recipe offers a baked alternative while celebrating the familiar flavors of traditional Hanukkah doughnuts. The batter contains oil, and the finished doughnuts are filled with sweet fruit jam before being coated in cinnamon sugar. Serve them after lighting the menorah, bring them to a Hanukkah party, or enjoy them with family throughout the Festival of Lights.
A balanced combination of brown rice flour, white rice flour, potato starch, and tapioca flour gives the doughnuts their soft texture. The rice flours provide structure, while the starches help create a moist and tender crumb. Xanthan gum gives the doughnuts additional support so they hold their shape after baking and filling.
Directions
Step 1: Prepare the Oven and Pan
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly coat a doughnut pan with oil spray, making sure each cavity is evenly greased. Set the prepared pan aside while you make the batter.
Step 2: Combine the Dry Ingredients
Place the brown rice flour, white rice flour, potato starch, tapioca flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and xanthan gum in a medium bowl.
Whisk thoroughly until the ingredients are evenly combined and no clumps of starch remain. Mixing the dry ingredients carefully helps distribute the leavening agents and xanthan gum throughout the batter.
Step 3: Beat the Butter, Oil, and Sugars
Place the softened butter, oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat until the mixture is smooth, creamy, and thoroughly combined.
Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed so no streaks of butter or brown sugar remain.
Step 4: Add the Eggs and Vanilla
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Pour in the vanilla extract and continue mixing until the wet ingredients are smooth and creamy.
Step 5: Finish the Doughnut Batter
Add half of the buttermilk to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Add half of the dry ingredient mixture and stir gently.
Mix in the remaining buttermilk, followed by the remaining dry ingredients. Stir only until no visible flour remains. Avoid overmixing because excessive mixing may make the baked doughnuts heavy.
The finished batter should be thick, smooth, and soft enough to pipe into the prepared pan.
Step 6: Fill the Doughnut Pan
Transfer the batter to a piping bag or a large zip-top bag. If using a zip-top bag, push the batter toward one corner and snip off the tip.
Pipe the batter evenly into the prepared doughnut cavities, filling each cavity nearly to the top. Smooth any uneven areas with the back of a spoon or a small spatula.
Step 7: Bake the Doughnuts
Place the pan on the center oven rack. Bake for 7 to 8 minutes, or until the tops spring back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted into the thickest part of a doughnut comes out clean.
Allow the doughnuts to cool in the pan for 2 minutes. Carefully loosen them and transfer them to a wire rack. Let the doughnuts cool until they are comfortable to handle but still slightly warm.
Step 8: Prepare the Jam Filling
Combine the seedless fruit jam and water in a small saucepan. Warm the mixture over low heat, stirring frequently, until the jam is smooth and slightly thinned.
Remove the saucepan from the heat. Allow the jam to cool briefly before transferring it to a piping bag fitted with a small round filling tip.
Step 9: Fill the Doughnuts
Insert the piping tip into the side or bottom of one doughnut. Gently pipe approximately 1 teaspoon of jam into the doughnut.
Repeat with the remaining doughnuts. Avoid adding too much jam at once because excess filling may cause the doughnuts to split or leak.
Step 10: Add the Cinnamon Sugar Coating
Combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Lightly mist each filled doughnut with oil spray.
Roll each doughnut in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Gently press the coating onto the surface as needed so the cinnamon sugar adheres evenly.
Step 11: Serve the Hanukkah Sufganiyot
Arrange the gluten-free jam-filled doughnuts on a serving platter. Serve them warm or at room temperature after lighting the menorah, at a Hanukkah celebration, or as a festive dessert during any of the eight nights.
Pair the doughnuts with coffee, tea, hot chocolate, or milk.
Notes
Traditional Hanukkah sufganiyot are deep-fried to honor the role of oil in the Hanukkah story. This recipe is baked and offers a different way to enjoy the flavors of the classic holiday doughnut.
Allow the butter, eggs, and buttermilk to reach room temperature before mixing. Room-temperature ingredients blend more evenly and help produce a smoother batter.
Measure the brown rice flour, white rice flour, potato starch, and tapioca flour carefully. Too much flour or starch can produce dense or dry doughnuts.
Use finely ground rice flour for the smoothest texture. Coarsely ground rice flour may give the doughnuts a gritty consistency.
Do not overmix the batter. Stir only until the wet and dry ingredients are incorporated and no visible flour remains.
Fill each doughnut cavity to approximately the same level so the doughnuts bake evenly.
Any smooth, seedless fruit jam can be used for the filling. Strawberry and raspberry are traditional choices, but apricot, blueberry, blackberry, and mixed berry jam are also delicious.
If the warmed jam remains too thick to pipe, stir in 1 additional tablespoon of water. Add only as much water as necessary to create a smooth, pipeable consistency.
A piping bag makes it easier to distribute the batter neatly and add the jam filling. A sturdy zip-top bag with one corner removed may be used for piping the batter.
Store leftover doughnuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
The doughnuts may be frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw them completely before serving. The cinnamon sugar coating may soften during storage.
Warm a leftover doughnut in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds if you prefer a softer texture.
Check the labels on the rice flours, starches, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, vanilla extract, jam, oil spray, and other packaged ingredients to confirm they meet your gluten-free needs. Prevent cross-contact by using clean preparation surfaces, utensils, pans, and equipment.
