Mardi Gras King Cake Donuts (Printer-friendly)
Soft, pillowy baked donuts with festive icing and colored sugars in traditional Mardi Gras colors. Perfect for celebrations.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Dough
01 - 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
02 - 3/4 cup warm milk, approximately 110°F
03 - 1/4 cup granulated sugar
04 - 1 large egg
05 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
06 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
07 - 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
08 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
09 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
→ Filling
10 - 1/4 cup light brown sugar
11 - 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
12 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
→ Icing
13 - 1 cup powdered sugar
14 - 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
15 - 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
→ Decoration
16 - Purple sanding sugar
17 - Green sanding sugar
18 - Gold sanding sugar
# How to Make It:
01 - Dissolve yeast in warm milk with a pinch of sugar in a large bowl. Allow to stand for 5 minutes until foamy.
02 - Add remaining sugar, egg, melted butter, salt, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg to the yeast mixture. Mix until a soft dough forms.
03 - Knead dough on a floured surface for 5 to 7 minutes until smooth and elastic. Transfer to a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour until doubled in size.
04 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
05 - Roll out dough to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut donuts using a 3-inch round cutter and a 1-inch cutter for centers. Transfer to prepared baking sheet.
06 - Cover shaped donuts and let rise for 20 minutes.
07 - Mix brown sugar, melted butter, and cinnamon. Brush the mixture over the tops of the donuts.
08 - Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until lightly golden. Cool on a wire rack.
09 - Whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth.
10 - Dip cooled donuts in icing, then immediately sprinkle with purple, green, and gold sugar in sections to create traditional King Cake colors.
11 - Allow icing to set completely before serving.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- These donuts give you all the festive joy of a traditional king cake without the intimidating braiding process.
- Baking instead of frying means your kitchen stays cleaner, and you can focus on the fun part - decorating with those vibrant carnival colors.
02 -
- The milk temperature matters tremendously - too hot kills the yeast, too cool and it wont activate properly, so aim for that baby-bottle warm feeling on your wrist.
- Letting the donuts rise a second time after cutting them makes all the difference between dense hockey pucks and light, airy treats.
03 -
- Apply the colored sugars in a triangle pattern on each donut, pressing gently to help them adhere better to the icing.
- Adding just a tiny splash of almond extract to the icing gives these donuts that bakery-quality flavor complexity that makes people ask for your secret.