Brioche Donuts with Raspberries & Orange Blossom Chantilly Cream

All that is tender and light.

I’ve been in the mood to make donuts and wanted to write a recipe that felt vibrant and spring-y. I’ve often made donuts with various fillings, which I quite like, but I noticed a surprising amount of hostility toward them online.

case in point.

While I don’t typically take culinary cues from Twitter, it did lead me to think outside my usual box. Not so long ago, I tried a pązcki from a pop-up here in Austin, Custard Prison (Sarah is a lovely person and an extremely hard worker. I recommend supporting her!) that was a raspberry and cream flavor, and it really lingered in my mind.

This is my own rendition, which builds upon my Mother Brioche recipe and features fresh raspberries and orange blossom chantilly cream. It’s delicate and light against all odds.

This recipe includes precise instructions for frying to yield the most tender, fluffy results. It also illustrates how to stabilize whipped cream, which fortifies it against weeping and deflating.

Because these donuts feature fresh fruit and cream, you’ll want to store any leftovers in the fridge. While brioche is typically best enjoyed as fresh as possible, I was surprised and delighted by how pleasant the texture was straight from the fridge — not that they’ll be likely to stick around that long.

Recipe:

Active time: 1.5 hours

Inactive time: Overnight proof plus 2 hours

Makes: 10 donuts