During a recent stay in Scottsdale, I had breakfast at the hotel a couple of times and on one visit ordered French toast. The toast itself was fairly ordinary, but it was crowned with a generous spoonful of mascarpone cheese that changed everything. That creamy addition elevated the whole dish—something I hadn’t experienced with French toast before and immediately loved.
That memorable breakfast inspired this recipe, adapted with a playful donut twist in honor of National Donut Day: French toast–style donuts topped with mascarpone and a fresh strawberry drizzle. Below you’ll find the full recipe and method so you can recreate these at home.
Ingredients
- Oil for frying (we used about 48 oz in a large pot)
- 1 can biscuit dough
- 3 cups fresh or frozen strawberries
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar (for the strawberry sauce)
- 3/4 cup sugar (for the cinnamon sugar)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 8‑oz tub mascarpone cheese
- Heavy whipping cream (optional, for a lighter mascarpone filling)
- Powdered sugar (optional, for serving)
Instructions
1. Make the strawberry topping: In a medium saucepan combine the strawberries, 1/2 cup water, and 1/2 cup sugar. Bring to a simmer and cook for 8–10 minutes until the berries break down and the mixture thickens slightly.
2. Remove from the heat and mash the berries with a potato masher or fork to your desired texture. Transfer the strawberry sauce to a bowl and set aside to cool.
3. Heat the oil: Warm oil in a heavy pot or deep skillet to 375°F (190°C). You can also use a deep fryer if you prefer.
4. Prepare the dough: Use a small round cookie cutter to cut center holes from each biscuit to form donuts. Keep the cut-out rounds to fry as donut holes.
5. Make the cinnamon sugar: In a shallow dish mix 3/4 cup sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon until combined.
6. Fry the donuts: Fry no more than two full donuts or four donut holes at a time. Fry, turning occasionally, until golden brown—about 6–8 minutes depending on size and oil temperature.
7. Drain and coat: Transfer fried donuts to paper towels to drain excess oil, then roll them in the cinnamon sugar while still warm.
8. Finish with mascarpone and strawberries: Top each donut with a generous dollop of mascarpone and spoon the strawberry drizzle over the top. Dust lightly with powdered sugar if desired.
Optional creamier filling: For a smoother, pipeable filling, whip about 1 cup heavy cream until soft peaks form, then gently fold in 1/2 cup mascarpone. Be careful not to overmix so the mascarpone doesn’t separate. This mixture fills and pipes into the donut center easily using a piping bag or a plastic bag with the corner snipped off.
Recipe by Anissa Saxton
Photography by Amelia Tatnall
Styling by Brittni Mehlhoff
P.S. I’m currently in Paris, and while French toast didn’t necessarily originate here, serving it with mascarpone feels perfectly fitting for this post.
Will you try this recipe? Are you a French toast enthusiast like me, or is it something you could take or leave? I’d love to hear whether you’ll give these donuts a try.