Mardi Gras King Cake Donuts (Printable)
Fluffy baked donuts with colorful icing and festive sprinkles, perfect for Mardi Gras celebrations.
# What You Need:
→ 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
→ 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:
01 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Generously grease a standard 12-cavity donut pan with cooking spray or butter.
02 - In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until evenly distributed.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, milk, melted butter, vanilla extract, and almond extract until completely smooth and well incorporated.
04 - Pour wet mixture into dry ingredients. Stir gently with a spatula just until combined—small lumps are acceptable. Do not overmix to maintain tenderness.
05 - In a small bowl, beat softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and lemon zest until smooth and creamy. Transfer to a piping bag or spoon for easy dispensing.
06 - For filled donuts: Fill each cavity halfway with batter, pipe 1 teaspoon cream cheese mixture into center, then cover with remaining batter. For plain donuts: Fill each cavity about 3/4 full.
07 - Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown and tops spring back when lightly touched. Avoid overbaking for optimal texture.
08 - Let donuts rest in pan for 5 minutes to set, then carefully transfer to wire rack to cool completely before icing.
09 - Whisk powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract in a small bowl until smooth and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
10 - Dip tops of cooled donuts into icing or drizzle generously. Immediately sprinkle with purple, green, and gold sanding sugar while icing is still wet to ensure adhesion.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- Each donut bakes up with that signature cinnamon swirl but in adorable handheld portions
- The cream cheese filling stays tucked inside instead of oozing out like traditional King Cake
- Three colors of sprinkles make these look like you spent hours on them when they take 40 minutes tops
02 -
- The cream cheese filling sinks to the bottom if you add it first, so always layer batter underneath
- Sprinkles need to hit the icing immediately or they will slide right off
- Room temperature ingredients prevent lumps in both batter and filling
03 -
- A piping bag makes filling the donut cavities so much cleaner than spooning
- Warm the filled donuts for 10 seconds in the microwave before serving