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There's just something about the combination of light, chewy dough and a supreme sugar sprinkle. Even better when the 'hole' is filled with a jammy or chocolatey or fruity surprise.
Take our global trip and see how the world interprets this treat. A Berliner in Berlin? An Italian bombolini? Gulab jamun in India? Or maybe sufganiyot for Hannukah?
Keep the celebrations going with this world tour of doughnut delights.
Before take-off: 8 Aussie favourites
Nothing beats simple cinnamon doughnuts, especially if they are made from scratch at home. Adam Liaw adds a little twist, with ground cardamon in the cinnamon sugar mix, too.
Cardamom and cinnamon doughnuts Source: Kitti Gould
Chocolate molten doughnut balls Source: Petrina Tinslay
It doesn't all have to be sugary and sweet. Enjoy the slight sourness of the cottage cheese in these adorable and fluffy crowd-pleasing mini doughnuts.
Cottage cheese donuts Source: Kitti Gould
Somewhat reminiscent of Greece’s loukoumades, these bouncy are glazed with orange blossom and honey. Serve with white chocolate sauce for maximum sweetness.
Ricotta doughnuts with orange blossom glaze Source: Petrina Tinslay
The muffin-style batter gets a doughnut-y treatment with these cute-as-a-button treats. Sprinkled with pecans and a drizzle of lemon glaze, these nutty bites won’t last long.
Mini pecan crumble doughnuts with lemon glaze Source: Petrina Tinslay
A soft, pillowy doughnut piped with sweet jam, custard or cream, are thought to have been created in Germany. Variations of this sweet treat can be found under different nom de plums across the globe: be it jelly doughnuts in the US or jam buns back home. particularly pleasant recipe is filled with rhubarb and vanilla jam.
Rhubarb and vanilla jam berliners Source: Petrina Tinslay
Walnuts and Medjool dates team up for this cup-of-tea companion. Glazed with apple juice icing, come with a sweet, fruity kick.
Date and walnut cake doughnuts Source: Lara Ferroni
Like the look of these chocolate sprinkles? Why not make your own from scratch! If you’re not a fan of cocoa, you can use natural colourants, such as beetroot, carrot juice or food dyes. Here, the sprinkles are the ‘cherry on the top’ of .
Chocolate sprinkle doughnuts Source: Petrina Tinslay
First stop: India
A sweet favourite during Diwali, the Festival of Lights, are India’s answer to the doughnut. Light, fluffy and soaked in sugar syrup until they double in size, these dumplings are often paired with citrus or rose petal flavours. In his recipe, chef Adam D’Sylva pairs ricotta-based dumplings and a cardamom, cinnamon and saffron syrup.
Ricotta gulab jamun with saffron syrup Source: China Squirrel
Entering savoury territory, are crisp, spiced doughnuts made from urad dhal (split small black beans). This recipe incorporates turmeric, ginger, cumin and chillies, and calls for a side of coconut chutney for a cooling touch.
Vadai with coconut chutney Source: Ben Dearnley
Over to the Middle East
Known as lgeimat, these are coated with saffron and cardamom-infused syrup. Unlike other doughnuts, this recipe includes Greek yoghurt in the batter.
Source: Chris Chen
You can find Shane Delia’s on the menu at his Melbourne restaurant Maha, but the origin of this recipe harks back to the family home. Feeling experimental, Shane took an old Lebanese doughnut recipe from my mother-in-law Guitta, then decided to stick a slice of Turkish delight in the middle. Drizzled with rosewater honey and toasted pine nuts, it’s a fabulous sweet fusion.
Turkish delight filled doughnuts with rosewater honey Source: Alan Benson
Beach break in Africa
Dusted in a granulated ‘sanding sugar’, reminiscent of their beachy birthplace, these are commonly found along the coasts of Ghana. You can use any sugar you like but don’t forget to add condensed milk to the batter for a sweet, creamy twist.
Source: Lara Ferroni
24 hours in Japan
For a unique doughnut hit in Japan, bypass Tokyo and head to the island of Okinawa. In this former US Navy base, you’ll find Okinawan . These cake-y balls are made with the island’s famed black sugar and hence carry a rich, molasses-like sweetness you won’t find elsewhere.
Okinawan black sugar doughnuts
Tofu is a versatile ingredient which can be adapted to many recipes, including doughnuts! The silken variety is used in this recipe for a sweeter batter. These are deep fried and dusted with sweetened kinako (soybean) powder, for a very Japanese finish.
Tofu doughnuts Source: Danielle Abou Karam
Next stop: Europe
They might look more like poffertjes than a regular doughnut but these , known as aebleskivers, are a wonderfully doughy treat. Containing fried apple and dusted with icing sugar, the doughnuts are best served with raspberry jam.
Source: Adam Liaw
Keen for a different kind of doughnut? This Croatian specialty, is made of potatoes (Desiree or Sebago) and laced with nutmeg, dark rum, vanilla, plus lemon and orange zest. Interestingly, these sugar-coated delights are more commonly served as a welcoming snack – with dried figs and grape brandy – rather than dessert.
Traditionally eaten as a New Year's treat, these Dutch doughnuts known as are bejewelled with currants, raisins and bites of granny smith apple.
Source: John Laurie
Next on the itinerary: Mediterranean meandering
These Italian are made from a sweet yeast dough of honey, instead of sugar. Filled with vanilla bean custard and dusted with icing sugar, they’re as visually appealing as they are tasty.
Source: Petrina Tinslay
, known as bola de Berlim, ticks all the right boxes. Fluffy dough, sugar crusting and a luscious filling of crème pâtissière. The secret to this formidable custard is the generous amount of egg yolks, yielding a rich, pleasing result.
Portuguese doughnuts (bola de Berlim). Source: John Laurie
Across to the Americas
The is a descendant of Spanish churros and comes in many forms: a flat disc of dough, a classic ring-shaped doughnut or a simple ball. Usually scented with anise and soaked in brown sugar syrup, this twist on the recipe and adds pecans and coffee Anglaise to wonderful effect.
Source: SBS Food
You may think of as a Spanish speciality, but these cinnamon-coated sticks are adored in Brazil, too. Serve with the sweet, thick caramel called dulce de leche – or doce de leite in Brazil – for a doughnut dipping dream.
Source: Feast magazine
One more for the road...
Strawberry gum churros and white chocolate dipping sauce
And landing in the United States
Named after the Hebrew word for sponge, sufganiyot, these are fluffy and light. Spiked with cinnamon and lemon zest, these dough balls are traditionally filled with raspberry jam and commonly served at Hanukkah.
For those who like edible experimentation, here’s the Hanukkah with a twist. Coated in chocolate, like a classic American candy, these baked treats are filled with raspberry jam by way of an injector syringe – available from all good cake shops.
Mini chocolate doughnuts, filled with raspberry jam using a syringe. Source: Chanie Apfelbaum
Fans of sweet-salty-meaty combos will adore these with ‘bacon chips’ on top. Use thinly sliced, streaky bacon here for extra crunch.
Source: China Squirrel
Made with copha (vegetable shortening) and evaporated milk, these American doughnuts, or , are an absolute deep-fried joy. Dust generously with icing sugar and enjoy warm.
In these , oat and almond flours come together for the batter, while psyllium husk delivers fibre and structure in the absence of gluten. Use gluten-free icing sugar for the glaze.
Source: Samantha Seneviratne
An ode to the coffee-doughnut combo loved by American cops, sees coffee-flavoured ice-cream sandwiched between two deep-fried doughies.
Cop coffee ice-cream sandwich Source: Roland Persson
Laced with nutmeg and cinnamon, these cakey, are perfect for the cooler months. It can take some effort to deep-fry your doughnuts at home, but the result is always worth it!
Yeasted apple cider doughnut stack Source: Linda Xiao
Coffee jelly, chocolate custard and buttermilk doughnuts come together for this . For an extra caffeine hit, dust your balls in cinnamon and instant coffee sugar.
