Custard Doughnuts
Custard Doughnuts (or donuts, as you might know them) are a true indulgence. A soft, pillowy dough filled with rich, creamy custard. These round doughnuts, filled with crème pâtissière, are the perfect treat for anyone with a sweet tooth. Custard Doughnuts are a nostalgic and sophisticated treat. My Lemon Portuguese Tarts are another must-try traditional bakery treat.
The dough itself is soft and airy, balanced perfectly with a crispy fried outside. Once cooked, each doughnut is filled generously with crème pâtissière, a rich and luxurious vanilla custard. The contrast between the crispy outside, fluffy dough and creamy filling is what makes these doughnuts so great… and let’s not forget the delicious taste!
The filling is the star of the show in this recipe. The silky custard is thickened with egg yolks and cornflour and flavoured with vanilla. It has a smooth, decadent texture and a beautifully rich flavour. The custard is sweet but not overly, making it the perfect filling for these doughnuts. The custard is piped into each doughnut while still warm. Ensuring every bite is filled with that delicious creaminess.
To insert the filling, my first choice is to use a meat ‘syringe’. Followed by a piping syringe and then a piping bag. The thin needle point (preferably around 3mm wide) can be moved inside the doughnut to ensure the custard is not confined to one small part. The syringe options give you more control than a piping bag, but use whatever instrument you have. 😊
Custard Doughnut Filling Variations
These doughnuts are easy to mix up, with new and wonderful custard creations. Adding a unique twist each time you make them.
- Orange: Add 1-2 teaspoons of orange rind to the finished crème pâtissière.
- Chocolate: Add 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder with the cornflour (or more if you would like a more chocolatey flavour, but you might need to add a little extra milk).
- Lemon: Like the orange, add 1-2 teaspoons of lemon rind.
- Coffee: Replace ¼ cup of the milk with strong coffee.
- Passionfruit: Add passionfruit 1-2 tablespoons of pulp to the finished custard.
The Custard Doughnuts are best served warm. The outside of the doughnuts will soften slightly once cooled, and lose that crispy texture created from frying. But the coating of sugar on the outside still gives them a little crackle with each bite when served cold. You can also roll them in cinnamon sugar for a different flavour profile.
If there are any doughnuts leftover, store them in an airtight container. They will dry out a little and the sugar will often dissolve. But you can reheat for a few seconds in the microwave and roll in a little extra sugar to bring them back to life.
These custard-filled doughnuts are a crowd-pleaser. They bring together the comfort of a classic doughnut with the elegance of a pâtisserie-style filling. Perfect for sharing, but so good you might just want to keep them all to yourself!
Feedback & More
Did you try the Custard Doughnuts? Let me know in the comments below. Cheers, Elby!
If you liked this recipe, check out some of my other delicious Sweet Treats! Also, follow The Tasteful Pantry on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest for all the latest recipes and info.
Custard Doughnuts
These doughnuts are irresistible. A golden exterior with a light and airy inside texture, filled with a silky vanilla custard.
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Ingredients
- Doughnuts
500 grams bread flour
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup caster sugar
2 tsp instant yeast
1 cup milk
60 grams unsalted butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1½-2 litres canola oil (or similar for deep frying)
1/2 cup caster sugar, for rolling
- Custard Filling (Crème Pâtissière)
5 egg yolks
85 grams caster sugar
40 grams cornflour
2 cups milk, full cream (or 1 cup cream and 1 cup milk for a richer custard)
1 vanilla pod, seeds only (or 3 tsp vanilla extract)
50 grams butter, chopped
Directions
- Doughnuts
- Place the flour, salt, sugar and yeast into the bowl of a stand mixer (see Note 1).
- Heat the milk and butter just enough to melt the butter. The milk should be just warm to the touch, don’t let it boil. If necessary, let it cool for a few minutes. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla.
- Turn the mixer onto low (using the bread attachment) and slowly pour the milk mix in. Continue mixing until all ingredients are incorporated and increase the speed to medium. Mix for 5 minutes. The dough will be quite sticky.
- Lightly oil a clean bowl and scrape the dough in. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a tea towel and leave to rise for two hours. It should increase by about half to double in size.
- Line 2-3 big baking trays with paper and set aside for the rolled doughnuts.
- Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and, with floured hands, knead the dough for two minutes. Divide the dough into small portions, roll into balls, place on the trays and flatten slightly – don’t worry if they bounce back up a little. The balls should be approximately 4cm in diameter when flattened. Make sure to leave spacing between each ball.
- Spray plastic wrap with oil and lie loosely over the top of the dough balls. Leave them to rise for another hour. Make the custard filling while you are waiting.
- Heat the oil in a medium saucepan (350F | 176C), line a plate with paper towel and place the extra caster sugar into a bowl.
- Once hot enough, use a slotted spoon to carefully pick up one dough ball at a time and place into the oil. Do not overcrowd the pan. For a 20cm diameter pan you should be able to cook 4 doughnuts at a time.
- Cook for 1-2 minutes and golden before flipping with the spoon. Cook for a further minute, or until golden brown all over. Transfer to the lined plate and roll as soon as you can in the sugar and set aside. If you’re nervous about whether they are cooked, cut one open. You may need to adjust the heat as you go, reducing if the doughnuts are cooking too quickly (i.e. browning, but not cooking through). And let it heat back up to temperature in between batches. Repeat the cooking and rolling process with the remaining doughnuts.
- Custard Filling
- Place the egg yolks and sugar in a small saucepan and whisk until combined.
- Add the cornflour and whisk together, ensuring there are no lumps before moving to the next step.
- Turn the stove onto a low heat and gradually whisk in the milk (and cream, if using). Increase to a medium heat and stir consistently until the custard thickens. Remove immediately from the heat.
- Add the vanilla and butter, whisking until the butter has melted.
- Leave for 5-10 minutes, for the saucepan to cool. Stir then lie a piece of plastic wrap directly onto top of the custard. This will stop the custard from forming a ‘skin’ on top while you are cooking the doughnuts.
- Assembling
- If you have one, use a meat or piping syringe for this part, rather than a piping bag – I find you have far more control. For a piping bag or piping syringe, use a thin attachment. For the meat syringe use a 3mm attachment if you have one. Place warm or cooled (not hot) custard filling into whatever piping instrument you are using.
- Poke a hole in the doughnut with a chopstick or thin knife and pipe in the custard. Moving the nozzle around a little so the custard doesn’t just sit at one end. When you can’t get any more custard in (it will start to ooze back out if you overfill), set aside and repeat with the remaining doughnuts.
Read the post for more instructions and refer to my Crème Pâtissière post for additional tips and tricks on the custard filling.
Notes
- Note 1: If you don’t have a stand mixer just place into a medium bowl and mix and knead by hand. The mix becomes very sticky but try not to add additional flour, or only add a very little amount.
Lemon Portuguese Tarts
Cooks in 50 minutesDifficulty: MediumA cooked creamy lemon custard filling inside a crisp pastry shell.
Crème Pâtissière
Cooks in 15 minutesDifficulty: EasyA thick and creamy vanilla flavoured custard, perfect for pastry dessert fillings. Or damn good by itself!
