Krispy Kreme Raspberry Chocolate Truffle

Product name: Krispy Kreme Raspberry Chocolate Truffle
Purchase details: £1.75 for a 59g doughnut (Krispy Kreme Doughnuts)
Calories: 372 per doughnut
Country of origin: UK

With the Krispy Kreme Choco Mania doughnut range coming to an end at the end of the week, I couldn’t not grab a Raspberry Chocolate Truffle whilst I still could!

I’ll let Krispy Kreme's website describe this offering: a ‘chocolate dough shell, dipped in dark chocolate icing, filled with a raspberry truffle kreme, topped with dark chocolate curls and finished with a delicate raspberry drizzle’. It certainly looked good on paper (well, screen!) and it looked just as appetising in the store’s display cabinet. You’ll have to take my word for it or have a look at the website's stock image, though, as the thick icing was so sticky it clung to the paper bag I transported it home in! I particularly liked the chunky chocolate flakes that sat atop the dark topping, and the glossy pink drizzle reminded me a little of lipstick.

Since there was a lot of sticky icing left behind on the packaging, I thought it would be rude not to tackle this with a spoon. And oh. My. Days. The nutritional information told me that 37% of it consisted of Belgian dark chocolate and, I must say, it was divine – just like a rich chocolate fudge cake icing.

The doughnut itself had a dark chocolate aroma mixed with a milder-than-normal sweet Krispy Kreme element. There was also a slightly tangy afterthought to this scent which came from the inner kreme. Speaking of which, I don’t think I’d ever seen a doughnut so full of filling – things got a bit messy when I cut the treat in two!

Bizarrely, when comparing the colour of my doughnut’s dough to the Peanut Butter Kreme, it became clear that it was the standard recipe rather than the chocolate one. This didn’t bother me since I do prefer the lighter version of the dough but it did mean my experience wasn’t of exactly the same doughnut described above!

Anyway, the brown kreme was light and chocolatey with a gentle tartness that was similar to some kind of berry chocolate torte. Combined with the richness of the chocolate icing, the hints of raspberry also reminded me of selection box chocolate fondants, although a much milder and less sickly-sweet version. Of course, the usual Krispy Kreme elements remained, and the chocolate flavours provided by the kreme, icing and flakes were lovely. As for the pink drizzle, this was only really for decoration. I know it was meant to taste of raspberry but, on its own, it was just sugary.

The texture was just as delicious as the taste and provided a fabulous combination of moistness, softness and smoothness.

All in all, this was a really indulgent doughnut – it felt more like a dessert than a cake. If you fancied a giant profiterole and ate this instead, you wouldn’t be disappointed!

Appearance: 8.5/10
Aroma: 7/10
Taste: 8.5/10
Texture: 8.5/10
Overall score: 8.13/10

Krispy Kreme Chocolate Cookie Crunch

Product name: Krispy Kreme Chocolate Cookie Crunch
Purchase details: £1.50 for a 73g doughnut (Krispy Kreme Doughnuts)
Calories: 292 per doughnut
Country of origin: UK

I think the Krispy Kreme loyalty scheme is my new favourite! I received yet another free doughnut as a reward for filling in a short online survey so I decided to try again in getting the Chocolate Cookie Crunch.

This doughnut wasn’t earth-shatteringly innovative in that Krispy Kreme's website stated that it was a twist on the ‘popular’ Cookie Crunch. However, I’d had the older version a few years ago and enjoyed it, so I still wanted to see what difference its ‘chocolate dough makeover’ made. As part of the Choco Mania range, the ring doughnut also featured a ‘chocolate icing and cookie crunch’.

The Chocolate Cookie Crunch was the same in appearance as the Chocolate Iced – it simply had a darker dough and additional topping. I thought it looked great and the sprinkling of icing sugar was a nice touch too. On the downside, I found its delicious Krispy Kreme scent was a bit weaker than normal.

I had a little try of the cookie topping first. This was formed from large, black crumbs that looked like Oreos in style. Whilst crumbly, the cookie’s texture wasn’t crunchy, and I didn’t find it tasted of much either. Instead, the main chocolate flavour came from the icing which, the nutritional information showed, was identical to the Chocolate Iced's.

As a result, the taste of this doughnut was pretty much a repeat experience of the Chocolate Iced, although, all combined, it did seem to have a very slightly stronger chocolatey taste. However, as with the Peanut Butter Kreme, I found the dough tasted a little oily and not really like chocolate, so this additional flavour did seem to be coming from the cookie crumbs, despite their initial apparent blandness.

Where this doughnut differed most from the Chocolate Iced was in its texture. Whilst it didn’t interfere with the soft dough, the crumbly topping added an extra depth, and I loved the ever-present crispiness provided by the moist glaze too. Once more, I really enjoyed the juiciness this created.

All things considered, this doughnut provided a good mix of sweetness from the dough and glaze, and a pleasant chocolate flavour.

Appearance: 8.5/10
Aroma: 7.5/10
Taste: 9/10
Texture: 8.5/10
Overall score: 8.38/10

Krispy Kreme Peanut Butter Kreme

Product name: Krispy Kreme Peanut Butter Kreme
Purchase details: £1.75 for a 91g doughnut (Krispy Kreme Doughnuts)
Calories: 380 per doughnut
Country of origin: UK

For several years I’ve wondered why there wasn’t a peanut butter Krispy Kreme so I was delighted when this Peanut Butter Kreme variety was launched as part of the Choco Mania range of ‘double-chocolatey doughnuts’.

Along with the nutritional information, Krispy Kreme's website gave the long description of a ‘chocolate dough shell’ that contained ‘an indulgent peanut butter kreme’ and was ‘coated in a smooth peanut butter icing, hand decorated with crunchy nuts and finished with a drizzle of dark chocolate icing’. I was left wondering what it didn’t have! 

I must apologise for the photographs of my doughnut as it had got a bit smudged in its paper bag on my way home. However, in-store, it looked the same as the website image. Despite being darker than a normal Krispy Kreme doughnut, the chocolate shell was still a relatively pale shade of brown, and the two types of icing completed the look. I was surprised, though, at how pale the peanut butter centre was – it looked almost the same colour as standard cream!

The base of the doughnut was quite dry to the touch but, inside, it was its usual squidgy self. Again, the dough was a darker shade than most Krispy Kremes and, whilst still attractive, I actually didn’t think it looked quite as nice!

The kreme filling wasn’t as evenly distributed, or perhaps even as plentiful, as the Vanilla Cappuccino, but it certainly wasn’t lacking. I was a little disappointed at the absence of a peanut butter smell too – there was perhaps a very slight nuttiness when holding the kreme right next to the nose but, aside from that, the aroma was simply the standard sweet Krispy Kreme one. That said, I love that smell!

Me being me, I couldn’t resist trying some of the topping first. The nuts were hard and crispy with a lovely, sugary caramelised flavour. I enjoyed the deep chocolatey taste from the drizzle too – like it’s appearance, this reminded me of chocolate fudge cake icing.

The dough itself had a sugary and slightly oily flavour. It seemed to have an extra depth to it, compared to the Original Glazed, but I wouldn’t say it tasted of chocolate. I also found it really hard to detect any flavour from the icing which was a shame since this was also supposed to contain peanut butter. Thankfully, though, the dark chocolate drizzle did manage to add a chocolatey element, and the crunch from the nuts added a great texture too. However, at this stage, there seemed to be a significant lack of a nutty taste.

The kreme itself, like usual, was beautifully smooth and creamy and this went well with the dough which felt a little drier than normal. I could taste a peanut butter flavour in the kreme but it certainly wasn’t rich. There was a milkiness to it as well so the combination made me think more along the lines of General Mills Reese's Puffs. However, it did taste more sugary than the cereal.

You might be shocked to discover that, despite it being peanut butter, this Krispy Kreme was not my favourite variety! In all honesty, I don’t think it lived up to its potential in terms of a rich and nutty flavour. However, it was still absolutely delicious, and it’s definitely fair to say that a Krispy Kreme that’s not my favourite is still a heck of a lot better than most other doughnuts, and I really hope that this is a variety that sticks around!

Appearance: 8/10
Aroma: 8/10
Taste: 8/10
Texture: 8.5/10
Overall score: 8.13/10

The Custom Cupcake Company Berries & Cream Cupcake

Product name: The Custom Cupcake Company Berries & Cream Cupcake
Purchase details: £2.00 for one cupcake (The Custom Cupcake Company)
Country of origin: England

When I reviewed The Custom Cupcake Company Peanut Butter Brownie, I said I was sure I’d be back – and it didn’t take me long! I knew I wouldn’t be doing my diet over the extended Easter weekend so it seemed like a perfect opportunity to treat myself to another one of their filled cupcakes.

Since it was Easter, I deliberately steered away from chocolate, and went for this Berries & Cream Cupcake instead. I must say that the in-store description that included a white chocolate icing was part of the reason for this but since, technically, white chocolate isn’t real chocolate, that didn’t count!

I did my best to carry this cupcake home carefully but the bright pink frosting did look a bit deflated by the time I reached my destination. I still thought it looked very impressive, though – I just wish you could have seen it before I moved it! As well as the thick frosting, the pale golden sponge cake was drizzled with the aforementioned white chocolate, sprinkled with a bit of pink edible glitter, and topped with a deep red, real strawberry. Inside was a berry compote and cream filling that resulted in an appearance similar to a Victoria sponge. The cupcake didn’t smell overly strong but it did have a fairy cake aroma.

Now, I know The Custom Cupcake Company can’t take credit for this, but the strawberry was lovely and juicy! I love strawberries but I do find them a bit hit and miss in terms of their sweetness. This one was good, though, and the white chocolate drizzle helped the sweetness levels too.

I tried the frosting next and this was a massive sugar hit. It tasted a bit lemony but there was a mellower berry aftertaste to it as well. I think there must have a been a lot of icing sugar in there as it was a little bit gritty but this texture wasn’t really noticeable when combined with the cake.

On its own, the sponge tasted quite basic but had a fairly rich buttery flavour. It was, perhaps, a little dry, but I ate this the day after purchase so it wasn’t as fresh as it could have been, and this certainly wasn’t the case when combined with the other elements.

The cupcake’s filling was beautiful. The cream seemed to have a deep vanilla flavour that tasted similar to the creme layers you find in sandwich biscuits. The berry compote was a deep red in colour but also added an extra depth to the flavour (it was more than your average jam) and was very enjoyable.

Combined, the different parts of the cupcake worked very well together. I have a very sweet tooth but I can’t deny that I winced when I first tried the frosting – it was so sweet that it was almost sour! However, the filling distracted from this, and the compote also contained a couple of chewy seeds that gave the treat a more authentic feel.

This Berries & Cream Cupcake wasn’t quite as I was expecting because I’d misunderstood the description in-store. I had thought the pink frosting also contained white chocolate but this certainly didn’t taste like the case. Whilst I did still enjoy the flavour, I would have preferred a smaller quantity of frosting, a larger amount of filling, or both! However, there is no denying that this was another well-presented and tasty offering from The Custom Cupcake Company.

Appearance: 9/10
Aroma: 7/10
Taste: 7/10
Texture: 7.5/10
Overall score: 7.63/10