The Best Filled Doughnuts Recipe - Vanilla Custard or Strawberry Jam?

David Batala
Oct 4, 2021
2 min read

Updated: Sep 3, 2023

Donuts are one of my favorite desserts to make, they are super easy and bloody delicious so I have to share my recipe with you!

There are plenty of options for filling, you can use perhaps seasonal fillings such as blackberry jam coated with thyme flavored sugar, caramelized apple compote with cinnamon, pumpkin pie and chai spiced cream, chocolate, pistachio cream, etc. but today we are going to fill them with whipped vanilla custard cream because they are simply the best!

INGREDIENTS

Makes 15 doughnuts:

500g Bread Flour

60g Caster Sugar

10g Salt

10g Dried Yeast

4x Eggs

125g Milk/Water

125g Soft Butter

For the whipped vanilla custard filling:

400g Whole Milk

120g Sugar

1x Vanilla Pod

4x Yolks

20g cornflour

20g a.p. flour

Salt

40g Butter

250g Double Cream

METHOD

To make the doughnuts, place the flour, caster sugar, salt and yeast in a large mixing bowl and mix together.
When all the dry ingredients are mixed start incorporating the eggs first then slowly add your water/milk and mix in robot or by hand for 8-10 minutes.
Now is the time to start adding your butter a little bit at a time until the dough becomes smooth and elastic (it takes around 5 minutes)

TIP

It is a little sticky to work with but resist adding too much extra flour.

Form the dough into a smooth ball and place it back in the bow wiped with butter. Cover with cling film or towel and leave in a warm, dark place to rise for about 2 hours until the dough has doubled in size.
When the dough has risen, punch it down and divide it into 15 equal pieces (I did 65g), and shape it into balls. Transfer them to a baking tray dusted with a little flour, cover with oil sprayed cling film and leave to rise again for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, prepare the custard filling. Place the milk and vanilla pod in a saucepan and gently heat until it just boiling, then remove from the heat. Whisk the caster sugar and egg yolks in a bowl until they are pale and then mix through the cornflour and flour. Slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking until it is all incorporated.
Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and simmer over low heat, whisking constantly to avoid lumps, and cook through the starch for a minute or two. Remove from the heat, add the butter and whisk again until combined. Pass through the fine sieve and blend with a hand blender to make it extra smooth. Cover with cling film and leave it to firm up in the fridge.
Cook the doughnuts in batches in a deep-fat fryer or a large saucepan filled with sunflower oil at 150°-160 for 2–3 minutes on either side or until golden brown. Drain on a plate lined with kitchen paper and still warm donuts roll in caster sugar.
When your custard is set, whipped your cream to a soft peak, add the chilled vanilla custard, and whip together until smooth.
Transfer the whipped custard to a piping bag fitted with a plain 5mm nozzle and inject it into the side of each doughnut. The doughnuts are best eaten straight away! Enjoy :)