April 2025 update: Easter is nigh, and with this sacred season comes the sweetest of creations! American Doughnut Kitchen really did just collaborate with Melbourne Cocoa to turn Melbourne's favourite hot jam doughnut into an actual Easter egg. A luxuriously smooth ode to the classic Vic Market treat, it incorporates golden doughnut pieces, freeze-dried raspberry and silky smooth chocolate. From Tuesday, April 8, you can get them online at Melbourne Cocoa's website (set your alarms now) or you can pop into the Prahran Market shop to get your fix.
One nibble of American Doughnut Kitchen's hot jam bliss bombs shows you why generations have been happy to queue for them. This beloved family business has been operating since the ’50s, and on many market mornings, there’s a line of doughnut devotees peering through the windows of the blue and white van. Staff are busy within, cutting dough, frisbeeing it into the fryer and dusting it with sugar – the recipe is unchanged after almost 70 years.
And did you know you can now also buy a bag of these goodies from Prahran Market? Not only has American Doughnut Kitchen just opened a glossy bricks-and-mortar store in its second location, but here you can also get new doughnut fillings beyond raspberry jam! Try salted caramel, Biscoff, vanilla custard doughnuts and a selection of fun milkshakes.
Still, for the nostalgic amongst us, that vintage OG van will alway hold a special place in our hearts.
What makes these doughnuts elite is the heat factor – minimal fryer-to-mouth time keeps them hot and crisp on the outside, soft and pillowy on the inside. Then there’s the shock of molten red jam that threatens to stain your workplace attire. The American Donut Kitchen and its products are authentic classics. May they ennoble the Vic Market for decades to come.