Not many people know this, but I’ve been baking donuts at a competitive level for quite some time. And it is with great pleasure that I can share big news: I’ve officially one the European Donut Baking Championship (EDBC) 2026 held in Milan last month.
Before diving into what I presented to the judges, here is a quick overview of the winners:
- Peter Bihr, Berlin (me! yay!)
Flavor/style: Espresso & Umami Cherry - Jonas Richter, Berlin
Flavor/style: Hyper Strawberry - Oksana Melnyk, Kyiv
Flavor/style: Rainbow Road - Sofia Almeida, Porto
Flavor/style: Quadruple Choc - Matteo Conti, Bologna
Flavor/style: True Vanilla - Elise Van den Berg, Ghent
Flavor/style: Amazing Aquamarine - Lukas Steiner, Graz
Flavor/style: 1956 - Marta Kowalska, Kraków
Flavor/style: Daddy-oh-Donut - Emil Lindström, Malmö
Flavor/style: The Minimalist - Claire Newman, Dublin
Flavor/style: Dark Delight
I wish I had photos, to share – some of these looked amazing. And all of them tasted fantastic, too. One of the boons of participating in culinary competitions is that you get to try everything. So good!
But I promised to share some details about my submission, the espresso & umami cherry donut. Here’s what the official tasting notes from the panel of judges said:
Overall profile: dark roast coffee, sour cherry jam, cocoa nib, subtle smoke, salted molasses, balsamic brightness, and a lingering savory-sweet finish.
Tasting notes: A deep, moody donut built around the tension between bitter roast, dark fruit, and savory depth. The first impression is rich espresso: roasted, aromatic, and slightly smoky, with a cocoa-like bitterness that keeps the sweetness in check. Then the cherry comes through — not bright candy cherry, but dark, jammy sour cherry with a little tart lift. The umami note sits underneath rather than shouting: a subtle savory roundness, almost like miso caramel, aged balsamic, or a whisper of soy-salted molasses. It makes the cherry taste darker and more complex, while giving the espresso a velvety, almost chocolate-truffle depth.
The finish is slightly saline, bittersweet, and tangy.
I couldn’t have described it any better myself.
