King Cake Donuts Mardi Gras (Printable View)

Soft baked donuts topped with vanilla glaze and colorful Mardi Gras sprinkles for a festive treat.

# Ingredient List:

→ 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 - 1 lemon, zest only

→ Vanilla Glaze

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

→ Decoration

15 - Green sanding sugar or sprinkles
16 - Purple sanding sugar or sprinkles
17 - Gold sanding sugar or sprinkles

# How to Make:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a donut pan with nonstick spray to prevent sticking.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, 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 incorporated.
04 - Pour wet mixture into dry ingredients and gently fold together until just combined. Avoid overmixing to maintain tender texture.
05 - Transfer batter to a piping bag or spoon batter evenly into donut pan cavities, filling each approximately two-thirds full.
06 - Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until donuts spring back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
07 - Allow donuts to rest in pan for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
08 - Whisk powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract together until smooth and pourable consistency is achieved.
09 - Dip each cooled donut into prepared glaze, allowing excess to drain off before placing on rack.
10 - Immediately sprinkle green, purple, and gold sanding sugar in sections onto glazed donuts to create traditional King Cake appearance.
11 - Allow glaze to set completely before serving or storing.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • They taste like celebration but come together faster than you'd expect, perfect for when you want impressive without the stress.
  • The lemon zest cuts through the sweetness in a way that keeps you reaching for another one instead of feeling weighed down.
  • Those Mardi Gras colors make people smile before they even take a bite, turning an ordinary afternoon into something festive.
02 -
  • Don't skip cooling the donuts completely before glazing or the glaze will melt right off and pool at the bottom of the pan—learned this the messy way.
  • Lemon zest is non-negotiable; without it, they taste like generic cake donuts, but with it, they become something special that people actually notice.
03 -
  • Don't skip the lemon zest—it's small but it's literally the difference between a good donut and one that tastes like celebration.
  • If you mess up the piping and some donuts come out lopsided, they still taste exactly the same, so embrace the imperfection.
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