Description
Baked King Cake Donuts are a festive and flavorful twist on the traditional Mardi Gras dessert. These cake-style donuts are baked with warm spices, glazed with a sweet vanilla icing, and topped with colorful purple, green, and gold sanding sugar, making them perfect for celebrations or sweet snacking any time of year.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg (optional)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/4 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- For the glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2–3 tbsp milk or heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- For topping:
- Purple, green, and gold sanding sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a donut pan or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- In another bowl, mix granulated sugar, brown sugar, egg, milk, sour cream (or Greek yogurt), vanilla, and melted butter until smooth.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined—do not overmix.
- Spoon or pipe the batter into the donut pan, filling each cavity about 2/3 full.
- Bake for 10–12 minutes or until lightly golden and springy to the touch.
- Let the donuts cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, milk or cream, and vanilla to make the glaze. Adjust consistency if needed.
- Dip each cooled donut into the glaze and let excess drip off.
- While the glaze is still wet, sprinkle each donut with purple, green, and gold sanding sugar in alternating sections.
- Let glaze set before serving or storing.
Notes
Use a piping bag or zip-top bag to easily fill the donut pan.Add a filling like cinnamon cream cheese after baking for a surprise center.Store unglazed donuts in the freezer for up to a month and glaze before serving.For a colorful twist, tint the glaze instead of using sanding sugar.Use full-fat sour cream or Greek yogurt for a tender crumb.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 donut
- Calories: 210
- Sugar: 18g
- Sodium: 105mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 32g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 35mg
