Does the Portland Cream Doughnut at Voodoo Doughnut Universal Orlando Still Hold Up?
We tried the Portland Cream Doughnut, one of Voodoo Doughnut’s very first creations, at Universal CityWalk Orlando, and dug into the story behind its two candy eyes.
The Portland Cream Doughnut at Voodoo Doughnut in Universal CityWalk Orlando is not the flashiest thing in the display case, but it might be the most important one. This is one of the very first doughnuts Voodoo Doughnut ever created. It is built as a direct tribute to the company’s hometown, which makes it as close to a mission statement as a pastry can get.
A Quick History of Voodoo Doughnut
Voodoo Doughnut started in Portland, Oregon, in 2003, created by Kenneth Cat Daddy Pogson and Tres Shannon, two friends who built a cult following out of deliberately weird flavor combinations. The brand expanded steadily over the following years, and its Universal CityWalk Orlando location, which opened in May 2018, was the company’s first shop east of the Mississippi River. You will find it tucked next to NBC Sports Grill and Brew, easy to spot thanks to the same loud pink branding every Voodoo location is known for. The Orlando shop carries more than 50 doughnut varieties at any given time, everything from a Cap’n Crunch-topped Oh Captain, My Captain to the Texas-sized one, so the Portland Cream Doughnut has plenty of louder, weirder competition on the same menu
What Is the Portland Cream Doughnut?
The Portland Cream is a raised yeast shell filled with Bavarian cream and topped with chocolate frosting, finished with two candy eyeballs meant to represent, in Voodoo Doughnut’s own words, the vision of the great city of Portland. It currently runs $3.50, which puts it right in the middle of the menu’s price range, below specialty items like the Bacon Maple Bar but a bit more than the shop’s basic old-fashioned cakes.
There is nothing chaotic about this one, and that is really the point. Compared to a Grape Ape covered in purple dust and lavender sprinkles, or the Voodoo Doll doughnut with a pretzel stake through its chocolate heart, the Portland Cream reads as almost restrained. The shell has a soft, slightly chewy bite typical of a proper raised doughnut. The Bavarian cream filling is smooth and only lightly sweet rather than being overwhelming. The chocolate frosting on top adds just enough bitterness to keep the whole thing balanced. Those two candy eyes on top do a lot of work for a dish this simple, giving an otherwise classic bakery case doughnut the same offbeat personality as everything else in the shop.
It Is Popular Enough to Hold Up the Furniture
The Portland Cream Doughnut’s status within the brand is significant enough that, along with the Grape Ape and the Bacon Maple Bar, it was chosen to make up the CityWalk location’s exclusive doughnut throne out front, a photo spot built to look like it is made from oversized versions of Voodoo’s classic doughnuts. It is a small detail, but it says a lot that Voodoo picked this one, rather than one of its louder novelty creations, to represent the brand’s foundation.
Should You Order the Portland Cream Doughnut?
We think so! During a recent visit, when we got the Butterfinger Doughnut, we also ordered the Portland Cream Doughnut twice!
If you are visiting Voodoo Doughnut for the first time and only have room for one or two doughnuts, the Portland Cream is a smart pick because it isn’t trying to go viral. It is the doughnut that explains what the rest of the menu is riffing on, a properly made cream-filled classic that happens to wear a set of googly eyes. Guests looking for shock value should still grab a Voodoo Doll or a Bacon Maple Bar, but anyone who wants to understand why this brand has a cult following in the first place should start here.
Voodoo Doughnut at Universal CityWalk Orlando is open daily from 8 a.m. to midnight, does not accept reservations, and offers select items through the Universal Orlando app for mobile ordering, though availability can vary by item. Doughnuts can also be purchased individually, by the dozen, or packed into the shop’s signature wooden coffin box for larger groups.
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