Try some of the most unique Filipino-inspired doughnuts in the five boroughs at Kora Bakery.
Kimberly Camara went from figuring out what to do with her leftover brioche dough in early June to now selling 275 doughnuts a week by September. According to Eater, this bakery is currently on an 800-person waitlist, making Camara’s Filipino-inspired creations nothing short of a hit!
After losing her catering job at Union Square Hospitality Group to COVID-19 shutdowns, Camara decided to embark on a baking journey of her own. She founded Kora, an online-only bakery out of Queens. Encouraged by the finding of her Grandmother’s recipes, Camara knew she had to take the opportunity to expand the options of Filipino desserts in New York.
Kora’s unique palate branches beyond the fan favorite ube. Experimenting with more uncommon Filipino flavors, you can treat your tastebuds to champorado, a chocolate porridge and queso de bola, an edam cheese that serves as a Filipino staple for the holidays. In addition, her unique fillings include saba banana and jackfruit, itlog na pula (a salted egg), and leche flan.
One of their most beloved doughnut flavors features Tanduay buttercream with roasted cashews inspired by sans rival, a popular Filipino dessert made from layers of cashews, buttercream, and meringue. Another fun flavor is their halu-halo doughnut consisting of ube glaze, banana chips, sago, maraschino cherry, leche flan, and pinipig.
These mouthwatering doughnuts are available to order every Monday at 3 p.m. through a google form on Kora’s Instagram. Averaging at $6.50 a piece, these doughnuts sell out within minutes. As a result, Camara created a first-timers waitlist to grant first dibs on any cancelled orders. Delivery or pick-ups are available on Fridays.
With a 10-doughnut limit per customer and an ever growing demand for their products, Camara and her co-founder Kevin Borja have plans for expansion. Although Kora has made recent investments to improve their production capacity, the waitlist continues to increase. Consequently, the owner is still undecided as to whether the bakery will get a storefront, or remain as more of a pop-up in order to meet their demands.
Surely, New York was ready to open Filipino flavors into their lives and their stomachs!
[featured image source: Instagram/@kimberlymcamara /@__keviar]
While your waiting for your doughnut order to be filled, check out the massive boba-filled cream puffs at this cozy Chinatown tea shop.