The Doughnuts: Donut stop believin’ trend in Australia has gone insane. Threaded onto ‘FreakShake’ straws, decorated to resemble poké balls and stuffed with syrup-filled syringes, the public love them for their novelty as much as their taste and quirky flavour combinations. But, how did we get here from the humble cinnamon darling we know and love? Baking Business investigates.

Doughnuts have been around for centuries, but they have a disputed history. Dough balls have been fried and sweetened by many different cultures since the dawn of time (nearly). But the hole in the middle is, of course, the quintessential doughnut trait, and a contested invention.

By the 1800s, egg yolks were added to doughnut recipes to make them richer and firmer, but it also meant they didn’t cook properly in the middle. The hole innovation is generally attributed to Dutch sailor Captain Hanson Gregory whose mother packed him some fried dough balls for a long voyage (nice).

Legend has it the ship hit a sudden storm with Captain Gregory at the wheel with a Doughnuts: Donut stop believin’ in hand. He’s said to have impaled it on the ship’s steering wheel spoke to keep his hands free to steer through the chaos. This popped out the raw centre, and he liked them better this way. That story’s probably not true, but one thing’s for sure – after the Dutch introduced them to America, they became one of the nation’s favourite sweet treats.

During World War I, millions of doughnuts were served to homesick American soldiers in France to give them a taste of home and when they did come home, they had a desire for them. Increasing demand led to Adolph Levitt, a refugee from Russia, inventing the first doughnut machine in New York City in 1920. Thus we had the transition of the doughnut hole being cut out to being built in.

At this time, doughnuts were still fairly basic, sprinkled in cinnamon and sugar. As their popularity grew, iced versions and flavour variations became increasingly popular, and were picked up by large chains, such as Krispy Kreme and Dunkin’ Donuts, who popularised flavour variations.

Doughnuts found their way to Australia and perhaps Australia’s most popular early doughnut chain, Donut King, opened in the 1980s. American doughnut chains emerged in Australia also, but despite a growing love for doughnuts, popular chain Krispy Kreme went into administration in 2010. Some speculated this was because they opened too many stores too quickly, but it did show demand for their product was not as high as anticipated.

In the past few years, the dessert trend in Australia has reserved a prominent place in popular culture with sweet creations being made to the excess in order to gobsmack in real life, and arguably just as importantly to consumers, on social media. Well-liked shows such as Masterchef exacerbated the trend, and foodie markets are bigger and better than ever.

This time it wasn’t necessarily the big-time chains making waves, but local heroes, new kids on the block and renowned pastry chefs leading the way. In 2015, we saw several examples of the little guy (now turned big) take the sweet scene by storm, including FreakShakes by Patissez and the advent of Doughnut Time.

The image of decadent milkshakes in mason jars with a handle, topped with brownies, ice cream and doughnuts, is burned into the retinas of anyone with social media. The overloaded milkshake trend started here in Aus with Patissez in Canberra. Their mission was to take the humble milkshake and turn it into something special – and now it’s a worldwide phenomenon.

Doughnut Time is perhaps the best example of decadent doughnuts taking Australia by storm. Opening in 2015 as a tiny hole-in-the-wall in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley, Doughnuts: Donut stop believin’ Time now has more than 20 locations across Australia.

Their mantra is to use locally sourced ingredients and make, glaze and fill their artisan product by hand, free from trans-fat, few preservatives and have them delivered to stores every few hours so they’re fresh. They have an ever-changing menu that is responsive to popular culture (think their Slim Shady, Sia Later, The Emma Stone and The Cate Blanchett doughnuts). As well as their interesting creations, perhaps another key to their success is their social media marketing, which encourages sharing.

A trend in the baking industry in general in recent years is the artisan trend, with products being made with expert skill, in smaller batches and with premium products. Brewbakers in Brisbane are a prime example of this, taking the artisan obsession a step further by offering sourdough doughnuts, earning them a popular following.

Young success stories Morgan Hipworth of Bistro Morgan and Sina Klug of Nutie Donuts are prime examples of the success of the doughnut being made with quality and love. Sina says not only are doughnuts delicious, but they’re also incredibly photogenic and made for sharing on Instagram. She says everyone from bloggers to big brands are doing it, as we all eat with our eyes first. She believes that while doughnuts may be a trend, Nutie is here to stay because they aim to create a product that differs from everything else on the market. That’s good advice for any business.

Although we often see trends come and go, the humble doughnut made with love and premium ingredients appears to be one that is sticking around for a while. It has long been a popular sweet treat in Australia and abroad, but its reinventions – be it flavours, healthier ingredients or less healthy quantities, keep the public interested and creatives producing.