Mardi Gras King Cake Donuts (Printable View)
Fluffy baked donuts with colorful icing and sprinkles, perfect for Mardi Gras celebrations.
# Ingredient List:
→ Dry Ingredients
01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
03 - 2 teaspoons baking powder
04 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
05 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
06 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
→ Wet Ingredients
07 - 2 large eggs
08 - 3/4 cup whole milk
09 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
10 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
11 - 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
→ Cream Cheese Filling
12 - 1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
13 - 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
14 - 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
→ Vanilla Icing
15 - 1 cup powdered sugar
16 - 2 tablespoons milk
17 - 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
→ Decoration
18 - Purple, green, and gold sanding sugar or colored sprinkles
# How to Make It:
01 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a standard 12-cavity donut pan thoroughly with cooking spray or butter.
02 - In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until evenly blended.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, milk, melted butter, vanilla extract, and almond extract until smooth and fully incorporated.
04 - Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Stir gently with a spatula or wooden spoon until just combined. The batter should remain slightly thick—avoid overmixing to prevent tough donuts.
05 - In a small bowl, beat softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and lemon zest with a fork until smooth and creamy.
06 - For filled donuts: Fill each donut cavity halfway with batter. Add 1 teaspoon of cream cheese mixture to the center, then cover with remaining batter. For plain donuts: Fill each cavity about 3/4 full with batter.
07 - Bake for 10–12 minutes until donuts are golden brown on top and spring back when lightly touched. A toothpick inserted should come out clean.
08 - Let donuts cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Carefully remove and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
09 - Whisk powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract in a small bowl until smooth and drizzle-consistency. Add more milk if too thick, more sugar if too thin.
10 - Dip the top of each cooled donut into the icing, allowing excess to drip off. Immediately sprinkle with purple, green, and gold sanding sugar or sprinkles before icing sets.
# Expert Suggestions:
01 -
- Everything you love about King Cake but in adorable, portion-controlled form that bakes in twelve minutes flat
- The cream cheese filling creates those surprise pockets everyone fights over in traditional King Cake
02 -
- Overmixing the batter will make tough donuts, so stop as soon as the flour disappears
- Let the donuts cool completely before icing or the glaze will slide right off onto your counter
03 -
- Use a piping bag or zip-top bag with the corner snipped to fill the donut cavities without making a mess
- If you dont have a donut pan, a muffin tin works but bake time increases to 14 to 16 minutes