Mardi Gras King Cake Donuts

Last February, my apartment smelled like cinnamon and lemon zest for three straight days. I had discovered baked donuts were actually possible in my tiny oven, and suddenly I was experimenting with every combination imaginable. When I stumbled across the idea of King Cake flavors in donut form, something clicked. These have become my go-to for bringing Mardi Gras energy to brunch tables.

I made these for a brunch potluck last year and watched my friends faces when they bit into that cinnamon center. Someone actually asked if I had flown them in from a bakery in New Orleans. The best part was how quickly they disappeared while the coffee was still hot.

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour: The structure that holds everything together without getting tough
• Granulated sugar: Sweetens the tender crumb and helps create that beautiful golden top
• Baking powder: Gives these donuts their lift so they are light instead of dense
• Salt: Balances sweetness and brings out the warm cinnamon notes
• Ground cinnamon: The spice that makes these taste like King Cake crossed with morning coffee
• Whole milk: Creates richness and tenderness in the batter
• Large eggs: Bind everything together and add structure
• Unsalted butter melted and cooled: Adds buttery flavor without making the batter greasy
• Vanilla extract: Rounds out all the flavors with warm sweetness
• Lemon zest: Brightens the whole donut and adds that authentic King Cake essence
• Unsalted butter melted for filling: Creates the luscious cinnamon sugar ribbon
• Packed light brown sugar: Melts into gooey pockets of caramelized sweetness
• Powdered sugar: Forms the perfect white canvas for those festive colors
• Purple green and gold sanding sugars: The essential Mardi Gras crown that makes these instantly recognizable

Instructions

Preheat your oven:

Get it to 375°F and grease your donut pan like your morning depends on it because sticking will ruin everything

Whisk the dry ingredients:

Combine flour sugar baking powder salt and cinnamon in a large bowl until they are one happy family

Mix the wet ingredients:

Whisk milk eggs melted butter vanilla and lemon zest in another bowl until smooth and combined

Combine batters:

Pour wet into dry and mix gently until just combined because overmixing makes tough donuts

Make the filling:

Stir melted butter brown sugar and cinnamon until it forms a paste that will become the magic center

Layer it up:

Spoon half the batter into the pan add a ring of cinnamon filling then top with remaining batter and smooth it out

Bake until perfect:

Pop in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes until they spring back when touched

Cool them down:

Let rest in the pan for 5 minutes then move to a wire rack because glazing warm donuts is a messy mistake

Make the glaze:

Whisk powdered sugar milk and vanilla until smooth and pourable like liquid glass

Decorate like carnival:

Dip tops in glaze then immediately shower with purple green and gold sugars in sections

Save

My sister hid a tiny plastic baby in one of these last year and forgot to tell anyone. Watching everyone carefully eat their donuts made brunch feel like the most delicious game of roulette. That baby is still somewhere in our kitchen story.

Getting The Filling Right

The cinnamon sugar ribbon needs to be placed carefully or it will sink straight to the bottom. I use a small spoon to create a circle in each donut cavity then pipe the filling into the groove. This keeps it centered so every bite has that gooey surprise.

Making These Dairy Free

My friend who cannot eat dairy made these with oat milk and vegan butter and she said they were just as tender. The cinnamon filling actually sets up slightly firmer which some people prefer. Just make sure your vegan butter is at room temperature before melting.

Decorating Like A Pro

The secret to professional looking stripes is working with one color at a time while the glaze is still wet. I pour each sugar into a small bowl and use a spoon to sprinkle it in sections. The glaze acts as glue so the sugars do not fall off later.

• Work quickly because once the glaze starts to dry the sugars will not stick
• Hold the donut over a bowl when decorating to catch the excess sugar
• If you run out of one color just switch the pattern because nobody will know

Save

These brighten up the grayest winter morning and somehow make regular coffee taste like a celebration.

Recipe Questions & Answers

→ What gives the donuts their cinnamon flavor?

Cinnamon is added both into the batter and the cinnamon sugar filling, creating a warm, spiced flavor throughout.

→ How do you achieve the Mardi Gras colors on the donuts?

After glazing, the donuts are sprinkled with purple, green, and gold colored sanding sugars in alternating stripes to mimic classic Mardi Gras decorations.

→ Can these donuts be made dairy-free?

Yes, plant-based milk and butter substitutes can be used in place of dairy ingredients without compromising texture.

→ What is the best way to prevent overmixing the batter?

Combine wet and dry ingredients until just mixed; small lumps are fine to ensure tender, light donuts.

→ How should the donuts be baked for best results?

Use a 12-cavity donut pan, preheat the oven to 375°F, and bake for 10-12 minutes until they spring back when lightly pressed.