Mardi Gras King Cake Donuts (Printable version)

Soft, fluffy baked donuts with colorful icing and festive sprinkles for a celebratory treat.

# 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 (optional)

→ Filling (optional)

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

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a standard 12-cavity donut pan with cooking spray or butter.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until well blended.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, milk, melted butter, vanilla extract, and almond extract if using, 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 - For filled donuts, beat softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and lemon zest in a small bowl until smooth and creamy.
06 - If making filled donuts, fill each cavity halfway with batter. Add 1 teaspoon of cream cheese mixture to the center, then cover with remaining batter. For unfilled donuts, fill each cavity about 3/4 full.
07 - Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until donuts are golden brown and spring back when lightly touched. A toothpick inserted should come out clean.
08 - Let donuts cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
09 - Whisk powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract in a small bowl until smooth. The glaze should be thick enough to coat but thin enough to drizzle.
10 - Dip the top of each cooled donut into the icing or drizzle over the surface. Immediately sprinkle with purple, green, and gold sanding sugar or sprinkles before the icing sets.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • These capture all the festive King Cake flavors in adorable individual portions everyone can grab
  • The baked method keeps them lighter than fried donuts while staying incredibly moist
  • You get that perfect swirl of purple, green, and gold without wrestling with a massive brioche dough
02 -
  • Overmixing the batter creates tough donutstreat the stirring like folding laundry, gentle and brief
  • The cream cheese filling sinks to the bottom during baking, which is exactly what you want for that hidden surprise
  • Apply sprinkles the moment icing touches the donut or they will slide right off instead of sticking
03 -
  • Use a piping bag or zip-top bag with the corner snipped to fill the donut cavitiesneater than spooning and prevents mess
  • Let the donuts cool completely before icing or the glaze will melt right off instead of setting perfectly

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