Mind = Blown. The talented people at Pana Chocolate have done it again with this seriously dreamy raw, vegan donut recipe from their new cook book, Pana Chocolate – The Recipes!

SWEETHEART DONUTS

Donut worry, be happy. See what we did there? This stunning raw vegan donut recipe is one of a kind, delightful in avour with a shimmery glaze. Perfect to share with that special someone (or not, we don’t judge).

Makes: 12

Time: 25 minutes preparation, plus 12 hours dehydrating time

Equipment: food processor, mini donut mould/tin (or similar), dehydrator, bain-marie, dehydrated rose petals, to garnish

Ingredients

1 quantity chocolate glaze

1 1/4 tablespoons coconut oil

2 tablespoons cacao butter

100ml chocolate syrup recipe (see below)

Melt the coconut oil and cacao butter together over a bain-marie. Add the melted oil and butter mixture with the chocolate syrup and stir thoroughly. Make sure the syrup is at room temperature (or warm over a bain-marie) before combining, or the mixture may seize.

Chocolate Syrup

90g Cacao Powder

140 ml coconut nectar

100ml filtered water

Place all the ingredients into a bowl and whisk together until smooth and shiny.

Donut Dough

80 g (23⁄4 oz) cashew meal

60 g (2 oz/2⁄3 cup) desiccated coconut

45 g (11⁄2 oz) activated buckwheat flour

45 g (11⁄2 oz) Brazil nut flour

pinch of Himalayan pink salt

juice and zest of 1⁄2 lemon

45 ml (11⁄2 fl oz) coconut nectar

1 drop of lemon essential oil

Method

Blitz the cashew meal, desiccated coconut, buckwheat our and Brazil nut flour in a food processor until ne.
Transfer the mixture to a bowl, then add salt, lemon zest and juice, coconut nectar and lemon essential oil. Massage the mixture with your hands to combine.

If you own a donut mould tin, divide the dough into heaped tablespoon-sized portions and roll each portion into a ball. Push each portion down into the tin to ensure it takes the donut shape, then tap out onto the bench. If you don’t have a donut mould, roll the dough out between two sheets of baking paper until it is 2 cm (3⁄4 in) thick, then cut out using a 4 cm (11⁄2 in) cookie cutter. Cut a hole approximately 1 cm (1⁄2 in) in the middle of each donut. 
Place the donuts on a dehydrator tray and dehydrate at 40°C (104°F) for 12 hours.

ASSEMBLY: Carefully dip each of your donuts into the glaze. Garnish with dehydrated rose petals.

Note: If you prefer, you can also eat this donut mixture without dehydrating it – just set it in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Pana Chocolate, The Recipes by Pana Barnounis (Hardie Grant, £16.99 ) Photography © Armelle Habib