Hole Food: Going dopey about donuts

Forget your cupcake obsession - make way for artisan doughnuts.

Sticking to the original version of the doughnut, deep fried with a vanilla base, the new kid on the block, Dope Donuts, offers sweet-toothers a wide choice of doughnuts with creative toppings including banana, marshmallow and peanut butter and toast.

Owner Elise Suckerman started baking and selling doughnuts this year.

She makes them in her cosy kitchen in Parktown North, Johannesburg.

The 27-year-old former wedding planner wanted to branch out on her own.

"I wanted to bake but not to latch onto the cupcake obsession - there's nothing niche about them," she says.

Her customers range from mothers who want goodies for children's parties to corporate employees who want to take in a treat for the office.

Dope Donuts doesn't only pile on the creative toppings, but also comes up with unique names.

Choose the Plain Jane, a basic doughnut with cinnamon sugar, if you're a purist and like to play it safe.

The Peanut Butter Legs, only for the daring, is topped with said spread and pieces of toast.

Another popular offering is the Curious George, topped with Nutella and chocolate and banana chips.

Dope Donuts is a play on the word "dope", meaning awesome, but also refers to the slang word for marijuana.

Based on the name, the Dope Donut, which is "completely legal", is another option on the menu topped with a mint flavoured glacé and peppermint crisp topping.

"I wanted to stick to what doughnuts are," says Suckerman.

"They've been around for hundreds of years. Their success comes down to looking and tasting good."

They taste delicious, and, big in size, are worth the extra calories.

In comparison to doughnuts bought from supermarkets that taste like cake or koeksisters, Dope Donuts are deep-fried, soft and moist on the inside.

All doughnuts are freshly made to order and are preservative-free. Customers have a choice of three different types of toppings in a box of 12 for R240.

A single batch of 12 doughnuts takes three hours to make, and most of the effort goes into the glacing.

The recipe?

"I Googled how to make a doughnut. It took six tries to get it right," Suckerman says.

Her worst experiment to date was attempting to bake doughnuts, which made them hard, and putting cream in the centre, which made them soggy.

Her most ambitious creation was a doughnut wedding cake that featured a tower of more than 100 doughnuts - one per guest.

Suckerman's dream is to open a doughnut bar where customers can choose their own toppings.