What surface is typical of an old-fashioned doughnut?

A cracked surface is typical of an old-fashioned doughnut. This cake doughnut usually has a ring shape, tapered edges, and a rough pattern of cracks and pores that may hold glaze or cinnamon sugar.

Old-fashioned doughnuts are generally made with flour, sugar, eggs, butter, sour cream or buttermilk, and chemical leaveners such as baking powder or baking soda. Unlike a yeast-raised doughnut, the batter rises through chemical leavening, producing a denser, crumbly interior and a characteristically crisp exterior.

Frying technique helps create the surface. Old-fashioned doughnuts are often fried at a comparatively lower temperature and may be turned several times while cooking. That process contributes to their crunchy texture and irregular cracking. The finished doughnut may be glazed, coated with sugar, covered in cinnamon sugar, or served plain.

The name has a complicated history. Nineteenth-century recipes using the phrase “old-fashioned donuts” could describe yeast-raised foods, while modern doughnut shops usually use it for the cracked cake style. It is also sometimes confused with a cruller or buttermilk doughnut, but the cracked, tapered appearance is the identifying visual clue.