First it was the cronut, the townie and now the duffin. Every foodie has their own opinion when it comes to the trend of hybrid cakes – the hottest things to hit bakers and bakeries since sliced bread. I decided to find out what all the duffin fuss was about and make my own opinion by popping into Starbucks.

The Starbucks Duffin

A duffin, for those unaware, is a cross between a traditional jam donut and a muffin. Muffin shaped and covered in caster sugar, you can pick one up from Starbucks for £2.20. This recent launch by the American coffee chain was talk of the town as it appears that famed London tearooms, Bea’s of Bloomsbury had beaten the Starbies to it and Bea’s utlimately waged war to reclaim the duffin name as their own. Personally, I prefer ‘Muff-Nut’ – think they missed a trick not renaming it that instead! You can read about the saga here

What I would say on first inspection, is that this is a perfect cross between a donut and a muffin – the characteristics aren’t biased towards one or the other but equally balanced. A light, buttery muffin texture with a pleasant hint of vanilla and nutmeg does catch you unawares after biting through the crunchy sugar coating.

The Starbucks Duffin (copyright Starbucks)

The raspberry jammy middle is where they have gone wrong – it was decidedly cheap and super sweet. It would have been far more enjoyable with a tart jam inside, or just a little quality wouldn’t have gone amiss. No soggy bottoms though which is commendable.

Would I buy one again? No probably not. This isn’t a partnership that will last, merely a gimmick. Max points for novelty factor but it won’t be something that would have me going back for more.

On to other hybrids.. I can’t say I have ever tried a cronut (croissant and doughtnut), nor would I want to as I’m not particularly keen on croissant pastry… BUT in a few weeks I will be trying the brand new Goanut at the Tower Hotel. A savoury take on the latest bakery trend by the Brasserie’s head chef, Christian Rozsenich. Watch this space!

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