They might look more like poffertjes than a regular doughnut but these Danish apple bites, known as aebleskivers, are a wonderfully doughy treat. Containing fried apple and dusted with icing sugar, the doughnuts are best served with raspberry jam.
These tofu doughnuts use the silken variety to make a sweet batter that's then deep-fried and dusted with cinnamon, icing sugar or sweetened kinako (soybean) powder.
Tofu doughnuts Source: Danielle Abou Karam
As attention-grabbing as doughnut fries might be, we could still never get enough of classic jammy doughnuts. Instantly bringing back memories of your sweet childhood, you can even go all out and make them with your own homemade blackberry jam!
Source: Brett Stevens
South Africa's vetkoek ('fat cakes' in Afrikaans) are a fried bread usually filled with savoury mince. But here they're converted to a sweet doughnut ready for dipping into the rich chocolate sauce.
Source: Sarah Graham's Food Safari
For a unique doughnut hit in Japan, bypass Tokyo and head to the island of Okinawa. In this former U.S. Navy base, you’ll find Okinawan black sugar doughnuts. 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
Warm, soft doughnuts filled with custard that packs a coffee punch, straight from the kitchen of River Cottage Australia's Paul West. Yes, you can eat them immediately after piping in the filling.
Fresh, hot doughnuts filled with coffee custard. Source: Sharyn Cairns
Doughnuts? Beignets? Pancakes? These gremsjelies are like a Dutch combination of all three, where matzo, spices and dried fruit create a unique Passover dish.
Gremsjelies (Dutch fruit dounuts) Source: David Mane
Condensed milk makes for a really delicious doughnut, as the people of Ghana have discovered. Try it for yourself and enjoy a little 'me' time!
Source: Lara Ferroni
Topped with lemon zest and soaked in a spiced syrup, the Emirates' version of our favourite baked treat is a sticky delight. They're commonly made during Ramadan, but what's stopping you from frying up a batch at any time?
Source: Chris Chen
While not exactly a "health" food, these doughnuts are baked, not fried, and gluten-free (but you wouldn't tell). Dip a few in a shiny mocha glaze and the others in cinnamon for an afternoon treat that looks as great as it tastes.
Source: Samantha Seneviratne
Mung beans can be used in both sweet and savoury dishes and mung bean paste is a common filling for sweet treats in South East Asia. Case in point, these coconut doughnuts. A delight of textures - a crispy outer shell surrounding a springy glutinous rice dough, with a delicious sweet mung bean ball at the centre.
For more hole-y inspired creations check out our doughnut collection here.
