Onwards with the Mardi Gras theme! I can’t help but be happy when I think of Mardi Gras.
I had my first bite of King Cake in the Big Easy at The Court of Two Sisters. Truthfully, there was a slight moment of disappointment, because when one hears the word ‘cake,’ you expect sweet cake. King Cake is more of a yeast bread with a cinnamon swirl and sweet frosting. And there’s nothing wrong with that! Please, love King Cake for what it is, not what you wish it would be.
For these donuts, I converted a baked beignet recipe into donut bars, because let’s be honest: baked beignets taste like baked donuts. The key difference here is that these baked donuts are made with actual yeast, while most baked donut recipes rely on baking powder.
I'm 110% sure you're going to love these.
I scaled down Jenna’s recipe for oven-baked beignets for this application, because Jenna is a girl who really knows her way around yeast---just ask her former culinary instructor! Oh, Jenna, I kid! I love ya!
I love to make this dough because it’s so wonderful to work with. It starts out a tiny bit sticky, but after kneading, it’s supple and easy to knead.
Half a dozen baked yeast donut bars before rising:
Half a dozen baked yeast donut bars after rising:
I topped each donut bar with cinnamon-sugar and sweet glaze with colorful sprinkles. Don't forget to butter your plastic wrap!
Laissez les bon temps rouler!
Yield: 6 donuts As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.King Cake Donut Bars
Ingredients
For the glaze:
Instructions
Recommended Products
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 233Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 201mgCarbohydrates: 42gFiber: 1gSugar: 25gProtein: 4g
Joanne says
I've made Jenna's baked beignets before but didn't give them this King Cake flair! At least now I know what I'll be doing this weekend. :) These are so fun!
Christin@SpicySouthernKitchen says
Yes, you are definitely in for disappointment if you compare King Cake to regular cake, especially if you have a serious sweet tooth like I do :)
I'm loving your King Cake Donut Bars! Just need some cafe au lait to go with them for the perfect New Orleans breakfast!
Litegal1 says
I'm in heaven ... just pulled them out of the oven and they were to die for! So light and moist! I had a horrid time with the dough (probably because I chose to mix it in a food processor) ... ended up having to cut in a good 1/4 cup of additional flour (dough was so wet I ended up using a pastry knife to turn / fold / knead) ... aside from that they were simply wonderful!
My only change was to double the cinnamon/sugar topping and to add a tablespoon or two of cream cheese to the frosting (just enough to take away that powdered sugar taste).
Thank you SO much for recipe!
Christina Lane says
Yay!