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 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

Krispy Kreme Vanilla Cappuccino

Product name: Krispy Kreme Vanilla Cappuccino
Purchase details: £1.75 for a 94g doughnut (Krispy Kreme Doughnuts)
Calories: 409 per doughnut
Country of origin: UK 

I must confess that I was lucky enough to receive this Krispy Kreme Vanilla Cappuccino for free as a thank you for registering my reward card – I promise I’ll start paying for them again from now on!

 

I was really looking forward to trying this new variety but, as my first review of a filled doughnut, I was also a bit gutted I was going to have to cut it open and miss the magic of finding out where the filling was hiding! Prior to this, though, I was impressed by its outer appearance – it was decorated with swirls of vanilla and coffee flavoured icings as well as ‘crunchy shortcake crumble’. 

 

The Krispy Kreme website informed me that this doughnut contained a ‘smooth coffee kreme’ and, on opening it up, I could see that there was a lot of this pale substance. Of course, this excitement came at the cost of calories, but the good thing was that all of the nutritional information was available online so I was able to intentionally have a lighter dinner in order to accommodate this evening treat!

This doughnut wasn’t coated in the famous Krispy Kreme glaze and, as a result, its aroma was more like that of a standard doughnut – sweet and doughy. I found it to be less powerful, and there was no hint of a coffee scent, but it was delicious nonetheless. 

Before diving in, I couldn’t resist trying the different topping components on their own. The shortbread was quite soft but it was crumbly and I thought it tasted like Fox’s Party Rings. The sugary icings had a great texture – slightly crispy on the outside but soft in the centre. The vanilla was very sweet but, alone, had a slight chemical taste to it. The coffee one was better, though, with a decent but not-too-strong flavour. 

The coffee kreme centre tasted just like buttercream but with a hint of coffee thrown in for good measure. It was thick and very smooth. In fact, it tasted so beautiful I would have happily just eaten a jar of it on its own! 

The dough was the same as the Original Glazed (and the majority of other Krispy Kreme doughnuts) and, when everything was mixed together, it was a very tasty experience. It maintained the delicious sweetness that I’ve come to love about Krispy Kremes but added a bit of added interest with a mild coffee flavour. I say ‘mild’, but this was definitely stronger than the Caramel Macchiato that I’ve previously reviewed. 

I had been a little disappointed when I first noticed the absence of a glaze but it definitely wasn’t needed on this particular doughnut. The Vanilla Cappuccino was both sweet and crispy enough from the filling and the topping. 

Now...which one shall I have next?! 

Appearance: 9/10
Aroma: 7.5/10
Taste: 9/10
Texture: 9/10
Overall score: 8.63/10