Doughnut Time

Doughnuts have definitely become the trendy dessert of 2016, and I’m not complaining one bit. Mum and I stopped by the Doughnut Time pop up in Topshop Emporium to see what all the fuss was about. Their doughnuts have fun, creative names, and after much consideration, we tried the Vegan Fox ($6), topped with vegan chocolate, freeze-dried strawberry and pistachios. I was pleasantly surprised to see the doughnuts served in a paper box, rather than a bag, which preserved the topping and was easy to carry in a shopping bag. Both of us were impressed by the quality of the actual doughnut – it was surprisingly light, spongy and, most notably, not oily at all. We both really enjoyed the flavour and texture of the doughnut, before saying anything at all about the topping. The vegan chocolate is actually one of the best doughnut toppings I’ve ever had. It wasn’t sickly sweet, but definitely brought through a great chocolate flavour that was only enhanced by the pops of berry (could have used a bit more) and crunches of pistachio. But the doughnut itself was the real hero. Well done guys, definitely on point.

Doughnut Time, Emporium Shopping Centre, 287 Lonsdale Street, CBD, Melbourne, http://www.doughnuttime.com.au/#doughnut-time

Woah Nelly Bakes

How gorgeous are the doughnuts by Woah Nelly Bakes? I mean seriously, look at them! They taste just as good, I promise – every flavour delivered exactly what it says it will ($5 per doughnut). My favourite from the bunch had to be the PB&J – the combination of strawberry jam inside and peanut butter icing on top was to die for. I also loved the subtle sweetness of the Orange & Pistachio – the icing had a great citrus flavour without being at all artificial, and the pistachio added great crunch! I couldn’t help but order two of the Homer Simpson classic strawberry with sprinkles – utter doughnut perfection. All of the doughnuts themselves are lovely and dense, not greasy at all and had the perfect childhood-memory-inducing doughnut flavour. The Maple Bacon should get a special mention for being divine – the combination of sweet and salty plus doughnut ticked all the boxes for me (my fairy godmother, who I shared them with, agreed). I was slightly less wowed by the caramel rough – caramel icing with coconut and chocolate drizzle, but the flavours were still clear and went well together. Oh and the salted caramel with pretzel had just the right amount of sweet and salt, and the Nutella-filled one dusted in sugar took me right back to every European pastry I’ve ever had. Is that all of them? Phew. Yum. Woah!

Woah Nelly Bakes, http://woahnellybakes.com/

Bombolini

Canberra is so great at getting beghind new businesses, as evidenced by the huge success Bombolini Doughnuts enjoyed in their first weekend. Selling fresh (and I mean fresh, the team stay up late baking the night before) Italian-style doughnuts ($5 each) packed with delicious fillings, Bombolini sold out at both he Epic and Southside farmers’ markets, but don’t worry, they’ll be back. We tried two of the many flavours on offer (check their Instagram for the latest flavour combinations). Dad grabbed the Salted Caramel and Golden Syrup Cornflake flavour, which had an awesome amount of caramel filling and was nicely balanced (not too salty). I chowed down on a Starwberry Jam and Basil doughnut. The homemade jam is lovely, and I adored the unique combination with the single basil leaf to bite into, but people, let’s talk about the doughnut. Crusted in an indulgent smattering of sugar and not overly greasy, the pillowy layers of soft fluffy doughnut are probably what I would order as a last supper. These are a must for all Canberra sweet-tooths, and I will definitely be stopping by again soon. Or every weekend. You know, whatever.

Bombolini Doughnuts, Canberra Northside and Southside farmers’ markets, Saturday and Sunday respectively, no website.

Floresta Nature Doughnuts

I’d seen adorable animal doughnuts on Pinterest and Instagram, so did a bit of a search before we went to Japan to try and find them – I felt a quest coming on. In fact, it took a while to find the store – given a bum steer from an English website, we ended up at Kyoto City Hall where the map said the doughnuts were inside… They weren’t. Luckily, when we did get to the stall they had plenty of animal doughnuts – I picked three to try. The cat was first up – it was chocolate-flavoured, and had almonds as ears (so cute, and tasty too!). The doughnut filler was quite dense and didn’t have as much flavour as I expected, but the actual doughnut was much nicer, with a spongy texture and a nice richness in the chocolate icing. Next was the pumpkin-flavoured rabbit – sadly I couldn’t taste the pumpkin at all, but the strawberry-flavoured frog was very clearly strawberry. The doughnuts were quite heavy so we ate them over the course of a couple of days. Worth the adventure, maybe a bit more for the photos than the flavour, but fun nonetheless.

Floresta Nature Doughnuts, Shinkyogoku street at the intersection with Shijo street, Kyoto Japan http://www.nature-doughnuts.jp/index.htm