Soft, pillowy, and filled with rich vanilla custard, the custard bombolone is Italy’s beloved take on the doughnut — and it’s quickly become one of the sweetest reasons to stop by Little Loaf in South Fremantle. Unlike a standard ring doughnut, a bombolone is round and fully filled, meaning every bite delivers that same generous hit of custard.
Bomboloni (plural) have roots in Tuscan and broader Italian baking traditions, where fried dough pastries filled with cream, custard, or jam have long been a staple of bakeries and street food stalls. The name comes from the Italian word for “little bomb” — a fitting description once you take that first bite and the custard filling makes itself known.
A handful of details separate an average version from a genuinely great one:
At Little Loaf, our bakers prepare this pastry fresh, ensuring the dough stays light and the custard inside stays properly generous, not just a token filling.
This pastry works beautifully alongside a coffee — the richness of the custard pairs particularly well with something like our long macc or a simple flat white, where the bitterness of the espresso balances the sweetness of the filling. It also makes a great mid-morning treat alongside our cinnamon scroll if you’re stopping by with friends and want to share a few sweet options.
Mass-produced versions of this pastry often sit for hours before being sold, losing that fresh-fried texture and leaving the custard tasting flat. At Little Loaf, everything on our sweets counter — including this one — is prepared fresh, so what you’re eating hasn’t been sitting around since early morning. That freshness is the difference between an average sweet treat and one worth coming back for.
Stop by Little Loaf at 2/390 South Terrace, South Fremantle WA 6162 to try our custard bombolone fresh from the bakery. Reach us on 08-9336-4472, email Littleloaffreo@outlook.com, or order online for pickup. Find us easily via Google Maps.
It’s an Italian fried dough pastry, similar to a doughnut, typically filled with custard, cream, or jam and dusted with sugar.
Not quite — while both are fried dough pastries, this style is traditionally round and fully filled rather than ring-shaped, giving a more generous filling in every bite.
Yes, our bakery team prepares sweet treats fresh daily, so availability can vary depending on the time of day.
A coffee such as a flat white or long macc pairs particularly well, balancing the sweetness of the custard.
Yes, our fruit and custard danish is another popular custard-based option worth trying.
