Donut Loaves
Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Donut Loaf
Baking with all-purpose flour?Try my Chocolate Chip Cookie Donut Loaf
This loaf has chocolate in the cake and cookie streusel, a little nutmeg for that donut flavor, and a thin vanilla bean glaze. The crumb is soft and bouncy, with a topping that makes every slice feel a little like cake and a little like a chocolate chip cookie.
After testing Oatsome Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Mix in this loaf, it's become my new go-to. The taste and texture exceeded my expectations. It behaves differently from the traditional 1:1 gluten-free flours I've used, and in this loaf, that's a good thing. I kept this version a little less sweet than the regular loaf for the structure and bounce I wanted.
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Ingredient notes
Key ingredients
Oatsome Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Mix
This is the mix I developed the recipe with. I haven't established the same result with other blends, so I would not assume a traditional 1:1 gluten-free flour will behave the same way.
Plain unsweetened yogurt
This recipe was developed with regular plain unsweetened yogurt, not Greek.
JUST Egg
This is what I used for the pictured loaf. If you prefer whole egg, see the measured option in the tested notes below.
Chocolate chips
Use the chocolate chips you like. Mini chips distribute easily; chop larger chips into smaller pieces, as shown in the photos.
Cornstarch and sugar
Keep the 20 g cornstarch and 140 g granulated sugar in the batter as written for this version's structure and texture.
Brands I used for this recipe
These are the products I used or typically reach for with this loaf. The baking mix is the one this formula was developed with; the chocolate brands are preferences. If you choose the non-dairy route, I test with the Forager yogurt listed here. Regular dairy yogurt can be used at the same listed amount and temperature.
Oatsome Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Mix
The baking mix I developed this loaf with. It has become my go-to after testing this recipe.
JUST Egg
I use 65 g in this loaf. The recipe notes include the option to use the same weight of beaten whole egg.
Forager Unsweetened Plain Yogurt
For the non-dairy route, I test with this regular plain unsweetened yogurt, not Greek. Dairy yogurt can be used at the same amount and temperature.
Guittard 46% Cacao Semisweet Chocolate Chips
One of the chocolates I commonly reach for. Use the chocolate chips you like and keep the listed weights.
Guittard Super Cookie Chips
Another chocolate I commonly use. Chop larger chips into smaller pieces for the cake and streusel.
From this recipe
Tested notes
This formula was developed with Oatsome Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Mix. Weigh the baking mix and JUST Egg for accuracy.
The whole-egg option is 65 g beaten whole egg, including the yolk, or about 1 1/3 large eggs. Beat two eggs, then weigh out the amount needed. My pictured loaf uses JUST Egg.
Use regular plain unsweetened yogurt, not Greek, and bring the yogurt, milk, and JUST Egg to room temperature before mixing.
Use your favorite chocolate chips; chop larger chips into smaller pieces. Keep the listed weights.
Tent at 25 minutes, then bake another 17-20 minutes. Allow additional baking time if the center is not set.
Testing notes
Why this works
A short batter rest
Give the mixed batter 3 minutes before transferring it to the pan. The streusel stays in the freezer until you are ready to add it.
Tent at 25 minutes
Cover the loaf loosely with foil after its first 25 minutes in the oven. Bake for another 17-20 minutes, and use the doneness cues rather than the clock alone.
Make room for the glaze to drain
Remove the parchment before glazing and place the cooled loaf directly on a rack over a tray. This keeps glaze from pooling against the bottom and helps it set into a thin, consistent shell.
Step by step
How It All Comes Together
Step 1
Make and freeze the cookie streusel
Mix the baking mix and both sugars. Work in the cold cubed butter and vanilla bean paste until you have irregular crumbs with some larger clusters. Fold in the chocolate chips, then freeze while you make the batter.
Keep some larger clusters for the cookie-like topping. Step 2
Mix the batter and fold in the chocolate
Whisk the sugar, oil, yogurt, JUST Egg, milk, and vanilla bean paste until smooth. Add the baking mix, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Mix just until no dry pockets remain, then fold in the chocolate chips. Rest the batter for 3 minutes.
Mix just until the dry pockets disappear. 
Fold from the bottom to distribute the chocolate evenly. 
The mixed batter is thick and spoonable. Give it its 3-minute rest. Step 3
Fill the pan and add the streusel
Spread the rested batter in the prepared 9 x 5-inch pan, then scatter the frozen streusel and coarse sanding sugar over the top. My pan was barely halfway full with batter and just over halfway full with the streusel.
Smooth the batter into the corners, leaving room for it to rise. 
Scatter the frozen streusel over the surface in uneven pieces. Step 4
Bake, tent, and check the center
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 25 minutes, then tent loosely with foil. Bake another 17-20 minutes, checking the center toward the end. The center should be set, a tester should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs, and the internal temperature should be about 210-212°F (99-100°C). Continue baking if needed.
Check the center as well as the topping. My photographed loaf registered 212.5°F. Step 5
Rest, loosen, and lift carefully
Let the loaf rest in its pan on a rack until it is sturdy enough to lift. Mine rested about 45 minutes before this transfer. Run a kitchen knife around every unlined edge, releasing any spots that still stick, then carefully lift with the parchment handles.
Release every exposed edge before pulling up on the parchment. 
Lift slowly and evenly after the loaf has had enough time to rest. Step 6
Peel away the parchment
Support the loaf with your hands and gently ease it onto its side to peel away the parchment. Take your time. If it still feels too fragile, let it cool longer. Return it upright and let it cool completely directly on the wire rack, with a tray underneath.
Support the loaf as you peel. Remove the paper before glazing so the excess can drain. Step 7
Glaze the fully cooled loaf
Whisk the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla bean paste, and salt until smooth. Pour over the cooled loaf on the bare rack and let the excess drip onto the tray. Let the glaze set before slicing.
Glaze can drain off the bottom because the parchment is already gone. Step 8
Slice and enjoy
Once the glaze has set, cut the loaf gently into slices. You get chocolate throughout the cake, a cookie streusel top, and a thin glaze around the outside.
Wait for the glaze to set into a thin shell before slicing. 
A close look at the crumb underneath the cookie streusel. 
Chocolate in the cake and topping, with a thin layer of vanilla glaze.
Small things that matter
Tips for the best loaf
I strongly recommend an aluminum loaf pan for an even gluten-free texture.
My batter barely filled half the pan. With streusel it was just over halfway full, and the baked loaf reached roughly three-quarters of the pan's height.
Be patient with the transfer. Mine rested for about 45 minutes before I loosened the edges and lifted it out, and I still handled it gently.
Troubleshooting
If This Happens
The topping is browned but the center needs longer
Keep the loaf loosely tented and continue baking until the center is set. A tester should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs, not wet batter; aim for about 210-212°F (99-100°C) in the center.
The loaf is catching on the pan
Stop lifting and run a kitchen knife around every edge without parchment. Release any sticking points before using the parchment handles again.
The loaf feels too fragile to unwrap
Give it more cooling time. Support it gently as you ease it onto its side and peel away the paper; never pull the parchment against an unsupported loaf.
Before you slice
Texture and serving notes
Let the loaf cool completely before glazing, then let the glaze set before slicing. The finished slices have a soft, bouncy crumb under the cookie streusel and thin glaze.
Recipe FAQ
Questions that come up
Can I use another gluten-free flour?
I developed this version with Oatsome Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Mix. It behaves differently from a traditional 1:1 blend, and I haven't established an equivalent swap for this formula.
Can I use whole egg instead of JUST Egg?
The egg option is 65 g beaten whole egg, including the yolk - approximately 1 1/3 large eggs. Beat two eggs together and weigh out 65 g. The loaf shown here was made with JUST Egg.
Can I make this vegan?
Yes! I test all of my recipes using non-dairy ingredients. Use the brands linked above and organic cane sugar.
Can I make it sweeter?
You can, but it changes the texture. In my testing, more sugar gave the loaf a more pronounced crease. I prefer the 140 g of sugar listed for the batter.
Can I use Greek yogurt?
Use regular plain unsweetened yogurt here. The recipe was developed with regular yogurt, not the thicker Greek style.
Can I use vanilla extract?
Yes! It'll turn out just as great.
Will it turn out the same if I use volume measurements?
Often, yes - but not always. Flour and other ingredients can weigh differently from one cup to the next depending on how they are filled or packed, and even humidity can make a difference. That is why I recommend using a scale when you can. These loaves are easy to make, but their ratios are precise. Baking ingredients are expensive, and there is nothing more frustrating than a loaf that does not turn out as expected. Volume measurements are included for convenience, but weighing gives you the closest match to the recipe I tested.
More donut loaves to try
- Prep
- Not timed
- Bake
- 42-45 min
- Total
- Plus cooling and glaze setting
- Yield
- One 9 x 5-inch loaf
Measurement note
For the closest match to the recipe I tested, use grams. Volume measurements are included for convenience, but cups can vary, so I cannot guarantee the exact same result when measuring by volume.
Ingredients
Tap each ingredient as you use it.
Volume measurements use US cups and level spoons and are approximate. Spoon flour and powdered sugar into the cup, level, then sift if directed. For cocoa and freeze-dried fruit powders, scoop the unsifted powder and level without packing, then sift if directed. Measure sprinkles loosely and level. Pack brown sugar. For ingredients marked "weigh for accuracy", use the listed grams.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Streusel
- 75 g Oatsome Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Mix (weigh for accuracy)
- 32 g granulated sugar
- 16 g light brown sugar, packed
- 45 g butter, cold and cubed
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 48 g mini chocolate chips
Chocolate Chip Donut Loaf
- 140 g granulated sugar
- 96 g neutral oil
- 150 g plain unsweetened yogurt, regular (not Greek), room temperature
- 65 g JUST Egg, room temperature (weigh for accuracy)
- 85 g milk, room temperature
- 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- 210 g Oatsome Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Mix (weigh for accuracy)
- 20 g cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 100-120 g mini chocolate chips
Before Baking
- 1 tablespoon coarse sanding sugar
Vanilla Bean Glaze
- 250 g powdered sugar
- 60 g milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- Pinch salt
Pan used
One 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. I strongly recommend aluminum for this gluten-free loaf.
Removing the parchment
Rest in the pan for about 45 minutes, or until sturdy enough to handle. Loosen every unlined edge before lifting, support the loaf while peeling away the parchment, and cool completely on the rack before glazing.
Instructions
- 1Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan and line it with parchment, leaving handles for lifting.
- 2Make the streusel: combine the 75 g baking mix, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Add the cold cubed butter and vanilla bean paste. Work together with your fingertips until irregular crumbs form, leaving some larger clusters.
- 3Fold the 48 g chocolate chips into the streusel, then freeze while you prepare the batter.
- 4In a large bowl, whisk the 140 g sugar, oil, yogurt, JUST Egg, milk, and vanilla bean paste until smooth.
- 5Add the 210 g baking mix, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Mix just until no dry pockets remain.
- 6Fold in the 100-120 g chocolate chips. Let the batter rest for 3 minutes.
- 7Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top. Scatter the frozen streusel over the batter, then sprinkle with the coarse sanding sugar.
- 8Bake for 25 minutes. Tent loosely with foil and bake another 17-20 minutes, checking the center toward the end. Continue baking as needed until the center is set and a tester comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. The internal temperature should be about 210-212°F (99-100°C).
- 9Let the loaf rest in its pan on a wire rack for about 45 minutes, or until sturdy enough to lift. Run a kitchen knife around every unlined edge and release all sticking points. Carefully lift the loaf out using the parchment handles.
- 10Support the loaf and gently ease it onto its side to peel away the parchment. If it feels too delicate, wait longer. Return it upright and let it cool completely directly on the rack, with a tray underneath to catch the glaze.
- 11Whisk the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla bean paste, and salt until smooth. Pour the glaze over the fully cooled loaf, allowing the excess to drip through the rack. Let the glaze set before slicing.
Helpful notes
- This formula was developed with Oatsome Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Mix. Weigh the baking mix and JUST Egg for accuracy.
- The whole-egg option is 65 g beaten whole egg, including the yolk, or about 1 1/3 large eggs. Beat two eggs, then weigh out the amount needed. My pictured loaf uses JUST Egg.
- Use regular plain unsweetened yogurt, not Greek, and bring the yogurt, milk, and JUST Egg to room temperature before mixing.
- Use your favorite chocolate chips; chop larger chips into smaller pieces. Keep the listed weights.
- Tent at 25 minutes, then bake another 17-20 minutes. Allow additional baking time if the center is not set.
Meet the baker
Angela Heckler
Angela Heckler is the recipe developer, baker, and photographer behind Obsessed Cakes. Her Old-Fashioned Donut Loaf series is a growing collection of cake-donut-inspired loaves with soft, deeply moist crumbs, buttery streusel, and crackly glaze. Angela develops and tests every recipe in her Arizona kitchen. Follow Obsessed Cakes on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
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