Cakeboy
Donuts

Jan 2019
$6.00
Donut from Cakeboy Donuts

We had been to Cakeboy Donuts, at Plant 4 Bowden, well over a year ago, before they had really taken off on social media. I’d heard about them from a friend of a friend – one of those friends who seem to know about the latest craze or phase before anyone else. She had told us that this little donut shop sold vegan donuts, an idea which seemed unique, so heading along one night we got some of Cakeboy’s to try.

The donuts looked great, the team seemed lovely and enthusiastic, but unfortunately, the donuts were a real disappointment. My husband and I put it down to us not being used to such exclusive, vegan donuts. And thinking that it would be unfair to rate them beside non-vegan donuts, I decided not to review them for the blog. However, I then started talking to some other bakeries. Turns out a lot of bakeries have vegan donuts – <a href="https://theholeygrail.blog/adelaide-north/bakery-on-oconnell-donut/">Bakery on O’Connell</a> for one, and there are many more. This got me thinking; what in a donut would make it un-vegan? Perhaps it’s the use of eggs, but not all donut recipes call for eggs. Or perhaps it’s the use of dairy in the icing, but most icings seem to be just icing sugar and flavouring. So actually, a vegan donut isn’t the most difficult thing to come across.

Cakeboy Donuts, Plant 4 Bowden
Cakeboy Donuts,
Third Street, BowdenView on Map

Knowing this, the playing field had been levelled. We went a couple times to Plant 4 Bowden, to try out the donuts again, but every time they were sold out. Their Instagram-able nature, combined with the vegan factor, seemed to have elevated this little bakery into the realms of popularity.

Eventually one Friday evening, I managed to find them with full shelves of donuts, having beat the dinner and dessert time rush. With a plethora of donuts to choose from I chose the most appealing and interesting one: the rose and pistachio flavoured donut. One thing I have to credit to Cakeboy’s is their unique, delicious sounding and looking choices. However, as with the previous donut from there, it was a disappointment – and an expensive one at that.

Aesthetics — 8

It should be noted that the picture above was taken after a car journey in a warm car, so the icing had melted everywhere! I've reviewed it pre-melting when it was much more aesthetically pleasing – and it was a great looking donut. I loved the pink and green contrast. The donut was of average size, with equal diameters. The only real downside was the unequal distribution of icing and that the dough was very dark, as if overdone.

Topping — 7.5

The light pink icing had a nice hint of rose flavour – not overpowering and delicious. The icing was very thin, more like a thick glaze, and was falling off the donut in a crumbly fashion. Unfortunately, the pistachios weren't the crunchiest or the most flavoursome.

Dough — 4

The dough was not at all salty. It really needed a bit of salt for balance to bring out any sweetness that was there, which it was also lacking in. The dough was really just a bit of yeasty blandness. It tasted “healthy” – impressive considering a donut is sugar topped, fried dough. The end taste on the palate was of cinnamon, and I couldn't tell if it was from the dough or if it was transported next to a cinnamon sugar donut.

Texture — 4.5

The icing was too thin and crumbly. The dough was very dense but had a slightly crunchy shell. The dough also had an odd chewy texture, like a moist sponge. Not the good, cake-type sponge, but rather a yellow, slightly damp, kitchen sponge.

Overall

6.0

Almost Wonderful

The idea of a vegan donut is not unique but discoverable in many bakeries across Adelaide. For sure the donut was aesthetically pleasing and suitable for Instagram, but I personally probably would prefer to spend my calories and money elsewhere.

  • Aesthetics: 8
  • Topping: 7.5
  • Dough: 4
  • Texture: 4.5
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