Regional differences in meaning of "doughnut" (donut)?

[needscoffee]

@Chefguy

@GreenWyvern

That’s where we differ. To me a real doughnut must be fried in oil. If it’s baked, they can call it a doughnut, but it’s not a real doughnut. It’s a doughnut-shaped cake.

Hence the name “cake doughnut”. 

No, cake doughnuts are also fried. “Cake” doughnut simply means they’re made without yeast but with a cake batter using baking powder or baking soda as leavening, so they have a cakier texture than a yeast-raised doughnut.
Wikipedia:

There are two types of ring doughnuts, those made from a yeast-based dough for raised doughnuts, or those made from a special type of cake batter. Yeast-raised doughnuts contain about 25% oil by weight, whereas cake doughnuts’ oil content is around 20%, but they have extra fat included in the batter before frying. Cake doughnuts are fried for about 90 seconds at approximately 190 to 198 °C (374 to 388 °F), turning once. Yeast-raised doughnuts absorb more oil because they take longer to fry, about 150 seconds, at 182 to 190 °C (360 to 374 °F).

There is such a thing as doughnuts that are baked in the oven instead of being fried. Those are called “Baked Doughnuts”. They’re usually cake doughnut batter, baked in a doughnut pan. Baked yeast-raised doughnuts seem to be a little less common, at least for home cooks, as they’re more challenging to make.

[burpo_the_wonder_mutt]

needscoffee, I wouldn’t hang around here too long if I were you; you might get “dipped.”

[Colibri]

Which brings up the tradition of dunking donuts in coffee. In 1934, Clark Gable had to teach Claudette Colbert the proper way to dunk a donut in It Happened One Night.

Part of the popularity of the donut shape is that it makes them easy to hold when dunking them in coffee. However, it may be difficult to avoid getting your fingers in the hot coffee. Dunkin’ Donuts used to offer a donut with a dunking handle, but it was discontinued.

[Chefguy]

Consider me chagrined.

[needscoffee]

@Chefguy

Consider me chagrined

Just shows you need more doughnuts. Preferably filled with true Bavarian Cream.

[Chefguy]

Loves me some cream-filleds.

[LSLGuy]

@burpo_the_wonder_mutt

needscoffee , I wouldn’t hang around here too long if I were you; you might get “dipped.”

As long as the right person does the dipping and especially the eating, he/she might not object at all.

[Skywatcher]

This thread looks like a good place for this news.

Dunkin' adds a spicy donut for the first time ever | CNN Business

Personally, I’d be more interested if it were a chocolate donut.