King Cake Donuts Mardi Gras (Print Version)

Soft baked treats with vanilla glaze and colorful Mardi Gras sprinkles, inspired by New Orleans flavors.

# What You’ll Need:

→ For the 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 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
06 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
07 - 2 large eggs
08 - 3/4 cup whole milk
09 - 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
10 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
11 - Zest of 1 lemon

→ For the Glaze

12 - 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
13 - 2 to 3 tablespoons whole milk
14 - 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ For Decoration

15 - Green, purple, and gold sanding sugar or sprinkles

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 12-cavity donut pan with nonstick spray.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and salt until evenly distributed.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, whole milk, melted butter, vanilla extract, and lemon zest until fully combined.
04 - Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not overmix to avoid developing gluten.
05 - Spoon or pipe batter evenly into each cavity of the prepared donut pan, filling approximately 2/3 full.
06 - Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until donuts spring back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
07 - Allow donuts to cool in the pan for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack and let cool completely before glazing.
08 - Whisk together powdered sugar, whole milk, and vanilla extract until the mixture reaches a smooth, pourable consistency.
09 - Dip each cooled donut into the vanilla glaze, allowing excess glaze to drip off before placing on a wire rack.
10 - Immediately sprinkle each glazed donut with green, purple, and gold sanding sugar in sections to create the traditional King Cake appearance.
11 - Allow glaze to set completely before serving, approximately 15 to 20 minutes.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • These bake instead of fry, so your kitchen stays grease-free and your hands stay clean while you sneak bites.
  • The lemon zest gives a subtle brightness that keeps them from feeling too heavy, even with the generous glaze.
  • They're ready in under an hour from start to finish, making them perfect for impressing people without spending all morning in the kitchen.
  • The Mardi Gras colors make them look like you spent hours decorating when really, it takes minutes.
02 -
  • The lemon zest is not optional; it's what prevents these from tasting like plain grocery store donuts, and it changes everything about how people perceive the flavor.
  • Overmixing the batter is the number one mistake that will give you rubbery donuts instead of tender ones; your instinct will be to keep stirring until everything looks perfect, but stop yourself.
  • The glaze-to-donut timing matters; if you glaze them while they're still warm, the glaze won't set properly and everything becomes a mess.
  • Those sanding sugars must go on while the glaze is still wet, or they'll slide right off and you'll have sad plain donuts.
03 -
  • Weigh your flour if you have a scale; measuring by cup can pack too much flour and make your donuts heavy and tough.
  • Make the batter and glaze ahead of time but don't dip the donuts until serving day or the glaze softens from moisture in the air.
  • If you want to get fancy, add a pinch of ground cardamom to the batter for a more authentic King Cake depth, but start small because it's potent.
  • Some people fill these with cinnamon cream cheese before glazing for a special surprise bite; if you try it, use a small piping bag and don't overfill or they'll split.
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