SH Donuts Empire in Mumbai has eggless and vegetarian options on its menu card

Once upon a time there was the humble doughnut. It was a scrumptious ring of baked dough with a sugary or choco-latey coating and the result was usually irresistible.

Cut to an entirely new scenario. The doughnut is now an exotic item on the menu. Would you like to bite into one with a forest berry cream filling or would you prefer dark chocolate ganache? Or would you like an entirely different creation with a gooey cheese filling instead?

“Doughnuts have been around but not in the big and innovative way which is now being loved by Indians,” says Amit Tacker of the Donut Factory in Delhi. The Donut Factory has turned doughnuts into stylish food for the middle class with offerings like Belgian dark chocolate, coconut flakes or even honey almond and caramel.

Pix: Rashbehari Das

You’ll be tempted by a similar mouth- watering spread at Mad Over Donuts, which has 14 outlets spread across Mumbai and Delhi. The doughnut chain serves a total of 25 exotic flavours which are a mix of chocolate, fruit and spicy flavours.

To ensure that the menu is spiced up Mad Over Donuts constantly introduces new and different flavours for its customers. It recently introduced the Frutilicious range with five tropical fruit flavours. For those who like their doughnuts different, it has also introduced a Spice Route range with five savoury flavours. “We keep innovating to make the menu exciting and inviting,” says Lokesh Bharwani, director, Mad Over Donuts.

Even five-star chains are putting doughnuts on the menu. At Taj Bengal’s pastry shop La Patisserie, chef Sujan Mukherjee is rustling up upmarket offerings with flavours like berries and lemon curd. Of course, even at the Taj, chocolate is the hottest selling flavour. But the hotel also offers flavours like cinnamon sugar, vanilla sugar and even something called the Berliner (which is filled with jelly) at its pastry shop and also on its breakfast spread at The Hub coffee shop.

Amit Tacker of Donut Factory is serving up doughnuts with ice creams Pix: Jagan Negi

Head to Mumbai where Tejas Kapadia introduced American Donut Shoppe in 2008 that now has four outlets with fully automated doughnut machines turning out the company’s creations. At the American Donut Shoppe, double chocolate and chocolate chip are the fastest moving flavours though the exotic blueberry is also a favourite. From American Donut Shoppe you can take home doughnuts priced between Rs 20 and Rs 45 per piece.

The new chains are also innovating furiously as they step up the battle for customers. In fact, doughnut fans might be quite amazed at the new flavours that are being conjured up by the new doughnut chains. Get a taste of what’s happening at The Donut Factory which is offering what it calls ‘donut-in-a-bowl’. This consists of a waffle, six small doughnuts and a scoop of ice cream — that might sound a bit excessive but it’s a hot hit with the customers. “The concept’s really picking up with foodies who love the innovative combination of doughnuts with ice cream,” says Tacker. Encouraged by the response he’s introduced a concept called make your own Donut in a Bowl in which customers can pick an ice cream flavour and team it with doughnuts of their choice.

At a different level, the doughnut chains are changing the name of the game with spicy offerings. Mad Over Donuts, for instance, has recently introduced doughnuts with a peppery salsa topping, and others with roasted onions, grated cheese and even crunchy poppy seeds.

Pix: Rashbehari Das

Tejas Kapadia started the American Donut Shoppe in 2008 and now has four outlets each with automated doughnut machines Pix: Gajanan Dudhalkar

The chains are ensuring that there’s something for everyone. So, another newly-launched doughnut outlet SH Donut Empire in Mumbai has a vegetarian line of doughnuts with names like Strawberry Smile, Black and White and Two Hearts. “Doughnuts are popular with people of all ages because of their varied textures and flavoured icings,” says Mahesh Ahuja, marketing manager, SH Donut Empire. He points out that doughnuts are perfect for all occasions — a snack, for a party or just a post-meal dessert.

One of the all-time favourites with regulars at Mad Over Donuts (MOD) is Double Trouble, which has a milk chocolate topping and a dark chocolate ganache filling. Some of the ingredients for the doughnuts are imported from Singapore. Also, customers can watch the entire process of doughnut making from the dough stage onwards at select outlets which have specially designed see-through kitchens. “This has always been a great crowd-puller and gives the consumer absolute satisfaction in terms of product quality,” says Bharwani.

When it comes to prices at MOD a single doughnut is priced at Rs 45 while a box of six doughnuts comes for Rs 225.

A couple of years ago it was almost impossible to get good doughnuts in India. But the country has gone from famine to feast in a remarkably short time.