Mix together your Corn Starch, sugar and egg yolks in a clean large bowl.

Put your milk in a small saucepan and heat until just before boiling, remove from heat and add to your Corn Starch sugar and egg yolk mixture. Make sure your milk does not scald or form a film.

Slowly add your milk to your egg, sugar and Corn Starch mixture. Start by adding about ⅓ of the milk, mix well, then pour in the remainder.

Strain this mixture and return to heat. Whisk continuously on medium heat until it begins to thicken. Whisk for about 30 seconds to a minute longer, until it becomes very thick and bubbles form.

Vanilla Pastry Cream: Remove from heat, strain into a clean bowl. Whisk in your vanilla extract and butter into the strained pastry cream. Chocolate Pastry Cream: Add your finely chopped semi-sweet chocolate into a clean bowl and strain your pastry cream over the chocolate and leave it for about 30 seconds until the chocolate melts. Use a spatula to fold the chocolate into your pastry cream as it melts.

Cover the pastry cream with plastic wrap directly touching the surface so a film does not form and place in the fridge until completely cooled. Ideally you would make this at least 2 hours ahead so it can fully set but this cream can be made the day before.

When ready to use, it will be set so whisk vigorously until smooth and place in a piping bag to fill doughnuts.

Take a teaspoon of your total sugar and place in the warm milk followed by your yeast. Mix briefly and let sit for 10 minutes until the yeast becomes foamy.

In a bowl mix together salt, flour and set aside.

Beat your two eggs and add this to your flour mixture along with your remaining sugar and yeast mixture.

Mix well until the dough comes together. This should take about 2 minutes of mixing in a bowl and another 3 minutes kneading on a clean surface. You can do this entirely in a stand mixer using the dough attachment, mix and knead in the stand mixer for about 4 minutes.

Next incorporate your softened butter. If kneading by hand, add butter and knead for at least 10-15 minutes. Things will get very messy before the dough comes together, but be patient. If using a stand mixer add butter to dough and knead on low to medium speed until the dough comes together and is smooth and elastic. This will take some time (about 10 minutes) so be patient.

Form your dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl, grease the surface of your dough with butter, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, then a clean kitchen towel over the bowl and let rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours until doubled in size.

Punch your dough down after it has risen and on a lightly flour surface, roll out to about ¼ inch to ½ inch thick. Use a cookie cutter or a biscuit cutter that is about 3 inches wide and cut out 12 circles. Re-knead the scraps, form into a ball and cover with a kitchen towel for 10 minutes so the dough can rest. This will make the dough easier to roll out. Cut out more circles, you should be able to cut out at least 2-3 more.

Place your cut out dough on parchment and cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise again for 30 minutes.

Heat up your oil to about 350F and fry your doughnuts for about 2 and ½ minutes per side until golden brown and cooked. If your dough is browning too fast, reduce the heat. If your dough browns too fast, it will be undercooked and doughy on the inside.

Set the doughnuts on a rack to drain or place on paper towels. Let them cool completely before filling.

Place your sugar and water into a wide and shallow pan

Let simmer on medium until sugar is completely dissolved and becomes light amber in colour and there are small bubbles all around the pan. You do not need to stir.

Remove from heat and use immediately

If it hardens, add a splash of water and return to heat

Once your doughnuts are fully cooled, create a hole at the side with a small knife or chopstick. Try and reach pretty deep into the doughnut or you will have very shallow filled doughnuts.

Place the tip of a piping bag filled with cream in it and squeeze some of your pastry cream into the doughnut.

Repeat with all the doughnuts and when finished, carefully dip the tops of the doughnut in the hot amber sugar and set aside to harden. Be careful not to touch the sugar with your bare hands, it is extremely hot!

Let cool and enjoy!