Start your Mardi Gras celebration with these KING CAKE DONUTS. Just be sure to enjoy no later than Fat Tuesday!
Did you know that Mardi Gras season is happening now, as it officially started on January 6th? Did you also know that one of the long-standing traditions is to celebrate with a King’s Cake? But today we are putting a new spin on the cake with donuts! Everyone loves donuts, right! Plus they are just as festive looking and are pretty darn tasty!
If you aren’t familiar with this tradition, typically a Mardi Gras King Cake is a dessert that brings families or friends together to start the season of lent that starts after Fat Tuesday. The cake is decorated in three colors – yellow, green, and purple and a small plastic baby is baked in the cake. The saying is the person who finds the “baby” , is crowned the King or Queen of the night and their duty is to provide the cake for the next year. Sounds like my kind of party! These cakes are extremely popular in New Orleans but there is no reason why you can’t celebrate wherever you are and especially with these King Cake donuts! I know they will be just as popular!
Ha – I did not bake my “baby” into the donuts – he (or she) is probably too big anyway. I think the baby is kind of creepy looking – real babies are much cuter! Plus true story, one year when we hosted our annual super bowl party, I made a King Cake with a baby baked in and my neighbor almost choked (and cracked a tooth). So it’s better to place the baby on the outside!
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 egg
- ⅓ cup packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup 1 or 2% milk
- ¼ cup vanilla yogurt
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- purple yellow and green sprinkles for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 and spray a donut pan with non-stick spray
- In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and nutmeg
- In another medium bowl whisk the egg, brown sugar, milk and yogurt until it is very smooth.
- Add the melted butter and vanilla until well combined
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones and stir until it is just combined. You do not want to overmix and the batter will be very thick.
- For easier use, place the batter in a large baggie and clip off the corner. Pipe the batter into the donut cups (about 2/3's full)
- Bake for 9-10 minutes - the edges should be light brown.
- Remove and cool on a rack
- Combine the sifted powdered sugar, almond extract and milk. Dip each donut into the icing and place back on rack (place something underneath to catch any dripped icing). Immediately place each color of sprinkles on (in thirds).
Nutrition
In our family we celebrated on Fat Tuesday with an Italian tradition of Honey Balls. We only ever make them on that night and they are so good. If you are interested in seeing them, please hop over.
kristie says
Love the idea of a King Cake Donut!!! We make a king cake every year. Thanks for sharing this great idea! I already pinned it:)
Rachel @ {i love} my disorganized life says
Such pretty donuts! OMG- the chocking thing- not funny and somehow funny at the same time! Putting baby on the outside is a great idea!