Novel Bakery

I had to recreate the mushed box of donuts from Beach Read! I created six different types of donuts — glazed, apple fritter, strawberry sprinkle, chocolate sprinkle, cherry filled, and maple bars! It was a busy day in my kitchen!

[Gus] tipped his head, gesturing for me to accept the foam cup and box of donuts the man was holding. To fit twelve into this box, they’d been compacted into one box-shaped mash of fried dough. I grabbed them and plopped into a booth. 

Gus sat across from me, leaned across the table, and pried the box open. He stared down at the donut guts between us. “God, those look disgusting.”

“Finally,” I said. “Something we agree on.”

Beach Read by Emily Henry

Beach Read by Emily Henry is a romcom, featuring enemies to lovers.

January Andrews is in a writing slump so she runs away to the Michigan lake house her father left her after his death in order to escape and focus on writing on her book. The new space is no help, though, as it forces January to confront the many secrets her father kept during his life. 

One day, January’s next door neighbor and former college rival, Gus Everett challenges her. By the end of the summer, Gus must write a rom-com with a happy ending and January must write a serious, literary book. They’ll spend their weekdays writing and their weekends giving each other tips on their genres. But nobody is allowed to fall in love. 

Beach Read is a cute, fun…beach read. The witty banter between Gus and January had me laughing out loud. January’s relationship with her father was complex and while I appreciated her journey, I felt there were aspects of her father’s secrets that didn’t really get resolved by the end of the book. While this book didn’t live up to all the hype for me, it was still an enjoyable and fun read.

I had to make the donuts that January and Gus eat while striking their bet! Making six different types of donuts was no small feat.

I used this donut recipe from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe as my base recipe. It’s an excellent recipe and the apple fritters are phenomenal. I used Mel’s glaze recipe as well and, when necessary, add a bit more powdered sugar for a thicker glaze.

Glazed Donuts – followed Mel’s recipe for the donuts and glaze

Apple Fritters – followed Mel’s recipe for the donuts and glaze.

Maple Bar – cut out Mel’s donuts into rectangles. Added cinnamon and maple syrup to a thickened glaze. Honestly, I couldn’t get the flavor quite right. It didn’t taste maple-y enough.

Chocolate Sprinkle – made my favorite chocolate ganache and allowed it to sit at room temperature until it was thick enough not to run off the donut. Added rainbow sprinkles.

Strawberry Sprinkle – added pureed freeze dried strawberries powder to the glaze. Dipped and added rainbow sprinkles.

Cherry Donuts – Cut out a whole circle of donut dough. I followed Sally’s Baking Addiction cherry pie filling with some changes. I used whole frozen dark cherries, combined all of the ingredients, and then heated it on the stovetop. I allowed it to simmer about 5 minutes and then pureed it with my immersion blender. I filled the donuts with the cherry jelly and then sprinkled the tops with powdered sugar. I love this sifter set for cooking and baking.

Check out my Instagram reel for Beach Read!