Mardi Gras King Cake Donuts (Print Version)

Soft, sweet baked donuts with cinnamon sugar filling and vibrant Mardi Gras sprinkles.

# What You Need:

→ Donuts

01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
03 - 2 teaspoons baking powder
04 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
05 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
06 - 2 large eggs
07 - 3/4 cup whole milk
08 - 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
09 - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
10 - Zest of 1 lemon

→ Cinnamon Sugar Filling

11 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
12 - 1/4 cup light brown sugar
13 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

→ Glaze & Decoration

14 - 1 cup powdered sugar
15 - 2 tablespoons whole milk
16 - 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
17 - Purple, green, and gold sprinkles

# How to Prepare:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a standard donut pan thoroughly with cooking spray or butter.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and lemon zest until well combined.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract until smooth and fully incorporated.
04 - Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Fold gently until just combined—batter should remain slightly lumpy. Avoid overmixing to prevent dense donuts.
05 - Stir together melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl until sugar begins to dissolve into a paste-like consistency.
06 - Spoon half the donut batter into prepared donut pan molds, filling each about one-third full. Add a small swirl of cinnamon sugar filling to each mold, then cover with remaining batter to fill molds three-quarters full.
07 - Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until donuts spring back when lightly touched and edges are golden brown. Cool in pan for 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack.
08 - Whisk powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract in a small bowl until completely smooth and free of lumps. Glaze should coat the back of a spoon.
09 - Dip tops of cooled donuts into glaze, allowing excess to drip off. Immediately decorate with purple, green, and gold sprinkles while glaze remains wet. Let set for at least 10 minutes before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The cinnamon sugar ribbon running through each donut creates those signature King Cake flavors in every single bite
  • Baked instead of fried means you can eat twice as many and still feel virtuous about your life choices
  • That moment when you dip them in glaze and the sprinkles catch the light like confetti at a parade
02 -
  • Do not overfill your donut pan or they will bake into one giant cakey mass instead of individual rings which I learned through unfortunate experience
  • The glaze needs to be the right consistency too thick and it looks weirdly opaque too thin and it slides right off the donut entirely
  • Sprinkle immediately after dipping because once that glaze starts to set those little colored sugars will bounce right off instead of sticking
03 -
  • Room temperature ingredients create a smoother batter and help prevent overmixing which is the enemy of tender baked donuts
  • If your glaze starts to firm up while you are working simply microwave it for 5 seconds to bring it back to the perfect consistency

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