King Cake Cupcakes Recipe for Mardi Gras
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Today we’re sharing a tasty and easy recipe for Mardi Gras King Cake Cupcakes! King Cakes are a Mardi Gras tradition, but if you don’t have time to put 3-4 hours into making it, this recipe is a great way to get a similar flavor in a fraction of the time! King Cake cupcakes are the perfect treat to take to Mardi Gras parties, too! Keep reading for the recipe!
This post and the photos within it may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one or more of the links, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
After making my homemade King Cake recipe, my kids were begging for more but I didn’t have quite enough time. So I decided to come up with a quick and easy recipe for King Cake cupcakes! They have a great cinnamon sugar flavor and are filled just like a real King Cake!
Related Post: Free Mardi Gras Printable Cupcake Toppers
I used my Free Printable Mardi Gras Cupcake Toppers and set up a cute little cupcake display for the kids to enjoy after school.
Mardi Gras King Cake Cupcake Recipe
Mardi Gras King Cake Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cup cake flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 1/4 cup milk
For the filling:
- 1/2 pkg cream cheese, softened
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
For the glaze:
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp milk (more or less to achieve consistency)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tins with desired paper liners.
- Sift together both flours, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl.
- With an electric mixer on medium-high, cream butter and sugars until pale and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, scraping down sides of the bowl as necessary. Add vanilla and incorporate. Set mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture and milk in alternating batches, combining after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Using a hand scoop, fill the lined cups 3/4 of the way full. Bake for about 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
- Make filling: combine softened cream cheese, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Leave sit for a few minutes, as this will help the brown sugar to combine with the cream cheese.
- When the cupcakes are completely cooled, use a cupcake corer or knife to take out a small amount of the center of each cupcake (approx. 1 teaspoon of cupcake, or more depending on how much you like filling!) and fill with cream cheese mixture! Make sure the filling is even with the top of the cupcake, or your glaze won’t cover as evenly.
- Make glaze: Put the powdered sugar in a small bowl and add milk slowly, whisking until the glaze will run easily out of a spoon. Be careful with the milk and add less or more until you get the desired consistency!! Dip the top of each cupcake in the glaze to coat lightly.
- Use sprinkles, nonpareils or colored sugar to decorate the tops of the glazed cupcakes before the glaze thickens (we used purple, yellow, and green nonpareils in a striped pattern to mimic the look of a King Cake!)
Notes
There are a ton of cute Mardi Gras cupcake decorations on Amazon:
Looking for more Mardi Gras Party Inspiration? I think you’ll like these posts:
Mardi Gras Milk Punch Recipe Ideas
Free Printable Mardi Gras Sign
Mardi Gras Printable Cupcake Toppers
Best Places to Get Mail Order King Cakes
ABOUT CHARYNN
Hi, y’all! I’m Charynn, the owner and designer of Pineapple Paper Co. I’m a mom of four kids (two girls and two boys) living in Pittsburgh. I love hand lettering, anything southern, cocktails, and of course, pineapples! I am excited to share my SVG files, printables, and craft projects with you! The pineapple is a symbol of hospitality, and I welcome y’all to my little corner of the internet. Read more…
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