If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know I am on a cinnamon scroll bender, aka a great sort of bender. In quick succession, I have published my vegan, gluten free cinnamon scrolls, my gluten free vegan yeast free rolls and today, this gluten-free vegan microwave cinnamon scroll. It is a single serve, fast and easy to get a cinnamon scroll hit.
This scroll contains no added nuts (check your milk and vegan butter though). It is also yeast free, egg free, vegan, gum free and has a starch free option. Ready in under 10 minutes, this gluten-free vegan microwave cinnamon scroll is a surefire way to cure your cravings when you have dietary requirements.
Gluten-free vegan microwave cinnamon scroll tips
Every microwave is different. What takes 1 minute 30 seconds in mine might take more or less time in yours, so keep an eye on it and adjust accordingly.
I find that the steam from microwave baking adds moisture and perhaps even a bit of elasticity to gluten free mug cake. For this reason, I find you can get away with using all wholegrain flour. Adding starch seems to make the cake gummy, whereas wholegrain is nice and fluffy. In the oven, I find these cinnamon scrolls need the starch.
Every gluten free flour has a different consistency and absorbency. If you attempt to substitute in different flours, you will need to adjust the liquid content to suit. I have no suggestions here – you will need to experiment. I will update the post as I try different flour combinations.
Personally, I am a fiend for cinnamon. If you aren’t, try using a little less than the recipe specifies.
I always find it helpful to use a larger mug or to pop a plate underneath in case of spillage.
You can use a microwave safe ramekin or mug here.
If you don’t have a microwave, see below on how to bake these small-batch gluten-free cinnamon scrolls in the oven.
Ingredient notes
- I have not tried any other flour combinations yet. Please bear with me, there are only so many mug cakes I can eat!
- A really fresh and good quality rice flour is important here. You will easily taste a stale or gritty one, as it doesn’t have much to hide behind, as it would in say, a chocolate mug cake. For this reason, I recommend buying from a bulk food store, if you can.
- Nor do I currently have any refined sugar free suggestions. You could potentially use panela sugar in the scroll filling, but I suggest enjoying it as is. A cinnamon scroll needs to taste like a cinnamon scroll.
- Psyllium husk powder has a different absorbency than psyllium husk flakes. I haven’t tried substituting and at this stage I don’t intend to. You can buy psyllium husk powder or grind the flakes into powder using a spice grinder.
- I used Nuttelex Cook and Bake for all my tests. It’s easily accessible at Australian supermarkets and a fairly predictable product.
Hydration notes for your gluten free mug cake
If you always read my posts (A: you deserve a medal) but B: you’ll know that I always talk about flour variations. Different flours (brand to brand, country to country) absorb liquid differently, which is why you can follow a recipe and still end up with a dry result.
Added to this is the variation that different brands and styles of vegan milk and butter can bring.
If you have a high risk tolerance, you can add up to a 1/3 cup (80ml) of milk to this gluten-free vegan microwave cinnamon scroll (when you use the wholegrain option). It might be slightly more difficult to roll, but it will lead to a lovely moist scroll, which is better than a dry one.
If you use the tapioca flour option, I recommend capping the hydration at 1/4 cup (60ml). Of course, this might be different for your flour, but I found adding too much liquid to tapioca made for a gummy scroll.
Another thing to note is that you can still bake dough that ends up too wet to roll. Pinch pieces off with your fingers and put them into the microwave or oven safe vessel. Intersperse the balls of dough with cinnamon sugar as you go (think of it like monkey bread). You might need to cook the batter for longer (perhaps 2 minutes) but it will still be delicious.
On the contrary, if your dough feels dry (this would be quite exceptional as it is a wet dough) add extra milk to the dough before sprinkling on the cinnamon sugar. This will help provide some extra moisture.
How to make this gluten-free microwave cinnamon scroll in the oven:
Fear not! This gluten-free vegan microwave cinnamon scroll doesn’t need to be made in a microwave. It can also be made in the oven. Although it takes a little bit longer, it is still a far quicker process than making a traditional scroll. Quick and easy steps below:
- Preheat the oven to 180C/356F.
- Prepare the dough as per the instructions and place it in an ovenproof ramekin. Place the ramekin on a baking tray in case any cinnamon sugar overflows.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until the scroll feels springy but cooked.
Some important notes:
- I find that the wholegrain version needs 1/3 cup (80ml)of milk (ie: more milk) when baked in the oven. It’s definitely a little harder to work with as you roll it out, but with an oiled piece of baking paper on your side it will all be OK.
- The version with tapioca flour becomes quite gluey when too much liquid is added, so I recommend using 1/4 cup (60ml) for both the oven and microwave version.
Troubleshooting
- Cake too gummy? Check that you weighed the ingredients and used what is specified. If you did, it could be that your milk and butter are markedly different to mine, or that your flour is less absorbent. Use a little less milk next time.
- As I’ve mentioned, I find that the tapioca version becomes particularly gummy if too much liquid is added. Try adding less or using the wholegrain option next time.
- Cake too dry? The inverse of above – use a little more milk, either in the dough, with the cinnamon filling, or both.
- Scroll topped over while baking? A superficial trouble, but a trouble nonetheless. You can try slicing your scroll in half and baking the two snuggled up next to each other in the dish. See the photo above for a visual.
To make a pumpkin cinnamon scroll:
A bonus recipe! To make a festive pumpkin cinnamon scroll, proceed as follows:
- Mash 50g steamed pumpkin in a medium bowl to one side. To the other side, add 1 teaspoon psyllium husk powder and 2 teaspoons (10ml) of vegetable or olive oil. Have a whisk handy, then pour 1 tablespoon (20ml) of boiling water over the psyllium husk powder and oil. Whisk quickly to combine the psyllium and water, then the psyllium gel and the pumpkin. It gels quickly, so work quickly.
- Proceed with the remaining ingredients and steps in the recipe. Everything else stays the same.
More gluten free quick treats or small batch bakes:
- The OG, my vegan, gluten free chocolate mug cake
- A refined sugar free, gluten free and vegan chocolate mug cake
- Small batch gluten and grain free brownies
- Small batch gluten free brownie cookies
Gluten-free vegan microwave cinnamon scroll (single serve)
Equipment
- 1 X 8.5cm 3/4 cup capacity ramekin or microwave safe mug
Ingredients
For the binder:
- 25 g vegan butter melted
- 1/4- 1/3 cup (60-80ml) vegan milk I used soy
- 3.5 g (1 teaspoon) psyllium husk powder
For the dough:
- 25 g (2 scant tablespoons) fine white rice flour
- 10 g (1 scant tablespoon) white sorghum flour or tapioca flour
- 20 g (1 tablespoon) caster or superfine sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon gluten free baking powder
- pinch of fine salt
To finish:
- 25 g light brown sugar
- 1/2 -1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1-2 teaspoons vegan milk I used soy
For the glaze: (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon vegan butter
- 3 teaspoons icing sugar sieved
- Vegan milk to reach your desired consistency
Instructions
- Whisk together the wet ingredients for the binder in a medium sized mixing bowl. Sprinkle over the psyllium husk powder, then whisk vigorously until it is fully incorporated and no clumps remain. Set aside to form a gel while you mix up the dry ingredients. The longer you leave it, the easier the dough will be to work with.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cinnamon and brown sugar. In another small/medium bowl, combine the flours, caster sugar, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Add the psyllium husk gel to this bowl when it’s ready, then use your hands to squelch the binder through the dough until it forms a cohesive ball. There should be no flour left in the bowl – just a ropey but moist, juicy dough.
- Grease a small piece of baking paper, with a scant amount of oil. Place the scroll dough on the paper. Lightly oil your rolling pin or use your hands to press and roll the dough out into a skinny, long rectangle. This dough has a bit of elasticity and tends to spring back a little, so take your time.
- Make sure the dough is reasonably thin (roughly ½–1 cm) but without any holes. Spread some of the milk over the top of the dough, then sprinkle over the cinnamon sugar. The more you add, the gooier and juicer it will be. Drizzle the extra milk over the top of the cinnamon sugar for an extra gooey end result.
- Beginning on the short side, use your fingers to fold the 1cm border of the dough up onto itself. You want to create a tight roll, so try and make this first notch as small as possible. Continue folding the dough up until you have a tight, pert log. Shunt it in at the edges to make it round and perky.
- If you want a clean cinnamon ‘scroll’ on top, use a piece of string to cut just the edge off one side of the dough. This will expose a clean scroll, and you can put the cut portion in the bottom of the baking dish so as not to waste it.
- To do this, Hold one end of the string in each hand, pull in opposing directions to slice through one edge the log. Gently flip the cinnamon scroll upright and use your hands to gently cup and mould it. Press it down a little so that it has a solid base, then place it into the microwave safe baking dish. If having a clean scroll doesn’t worry you, just pop it straight in.
- Microwave for 1 minute 30 seconds or until your dough is springy but firm to the touch. See the body of the post for how to cook it in the oven.
- If you are using icing, whisk the ingredients for the icing together. I recommend adding milk a little at a time until you reach your desired consistency – icing sugar needs less liquid than you might think. Drizzle icing equally over scroll and serve.
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