Yeast Donut Vs. Cake Donut Vs. French Cruller: What’s The Difference? (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between a cruller and a cake donut? ›

For example, the Old Fashioned Cake Donut has a mild vanilla flavor with a slight nutmeg finish. These donuts take about 12-15 minutes to create from start to finish. A French Cruller* has a soft, airy texture with a pleasant light “egg-like” flavor. The center of the French Cruller is wet with a crunchy exterior.

While yeast is the leavening agent in yeast doughnuts, cake doughnuts rely on baking powder. Cake doughnuts are typically made with a mixture of butter, sugar, eggs, flour and baking powder.

French Cruller

Generally understood to be a ring-shaped cruller of choux pastry (the same dough used to make profiteroles; those pastries are baked, whereas French crullers are fried). Elsewhere, this might be called a French doughnut or French Twist.

In 2003, the Dunkin' Donuts chain of doughnut shops stopped carrying traditional crullers, claiming that the hand-shaped rectangular treats were too labor-intensive, and couldn't be simulated with new machines for mixing doughnut batter.

Crullers originally came from Germany and the Netherlands but over time have become distinctly American, with proud regional variations such as the Milwaukee kruller and the Pennsylvania Dutch cruller. The term “French cruller” refers specifically to a variation made from choux pastry, a staple of French cuisine.

If you're eating a jelly- or a cream-filled doughnut, you are eating a yeast doughnut. Of course, the pinnacle of the yeast doughnut variety is the Original Glazed made by Krispy Kreme (more below). Cake doughnuts, on the other hand, are denser—dare we say, cakier—and better for dunking in your coffee.

Raised donuts, also called yeast donuts or just "regular" donuts, are light and fluffy with the characteristic honeycomb structure of yeasted dough. They're staples at Dunkin' Donuts and Krispy Kreme, though both chains sell cake donuts, too.

Nineteenth century recipes for "old-fashioned donuts" are made with yeast, but in modern doughnut shops an "old-fashioned doughnut" is usually a cake doughnut. Historically, the terms are used imprecisely, and some controversy has arisen over the meaning of the terms doughnut, cruller and fry cake.

Jelly Doughnut

These classic doughnuts are typically round without a hole in the middle, and generally leavened with yeast. The center is stuffed with jelly, jam, or preserves (and sometimes chocolate!), giving you a burst of flavor with each bite.

'Old-fashioned' donuts are cake donuts, leavened with baking powder. Contemporary donuts (actually, they've been around quite a while, but are just a variant) are called raised or yeast donuts because they use yeast as the leaven.

Does Dunkin Donuts make French crullers? ›

French Crullers are light and airy French donut with a unique twist in the shape. In the US they are popular at Dunkin Donuts.

fashioned cake doughnuts with a sweet glaze over. them. For a denser, cake-like texture and slightly less.

While you might think that the sugar raised donut or the plain glazed donut has the least calories, in fact it's the French cruller that's the least unhealthy. The French cruller contains 220 calories, 15 grams of fat, seven grams of saturated fat, and 10 grams of sugar.

A cake doughnut, on the other hand, is made from what's essentially cake batter, and gets its lift from chemical leaveners (baking powder and/or baking soda). Ideally the inside is moist and crumbly, and either dense like a muffin or fluffy like birthday cake.

fashioned cake doughnuts with a sweet glaze over. them. For a denser, cake-like texture and slightly less.

Nineteenth century recipes for "old-fashioned donuts" are made with yeast, but in modern doughnut shops an "old-fashioned doughnut" is usually a cake doughnut. Historically, the terms are used imprecisely, and some controversy has arisen over the meaning of the terms doughnut, cruller and fry cake.