Happy Friday! Mardi Gras is right around the corner and I’m excited to share Tiana’s Mardi Gras Cupcakes! King Cake is my favorite Mardi Gras treat and so these cupcakes are a twist on that. These cinnamon swirl cupcakes and topped with cream cheese frosting and purple, green, and yellow sanding sugar!
There are a few different kinds of King Cake, but my favorite kind is the version popular in New Orleans and so that’s what inspired these cupcakes. The New Orlean’s style King Cake has an almost cinnamon roll like dough and a cream cheese glaze that’s covered in purple, green, and yellow sanding sugar. If you’re looking to make one yourself, check out my recipe!
Since this version of King Cake comes from New Orleans, I knew Tiana would be the perfect addition!
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These cupcakes are pretty straightforward to make. I made them as a small batch (6 cupcakes) as I have a few other baked treats to eat this week, but if you’d like to make more, just double the measurements!
First, line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. For these cupcakes, I used my favorite parchment paper liners as I wanted to be able to see the cinnamon swirl in the cake. However, you can use any kind of cupcake liner you’d like.
Start by making the cinnamon sugar, which will be layered with the batter to make the cinnamon swirl. Then, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Add half of the flour mixture and beat until incorporated. Mix in the milk and then the remaining flour mixture.
Place a scoop of batter into each cup of the muffin pan. Sprinkle the batter with a layer of cinnamon sugar. Add another scoop of batter and then another layer of cinnamon sugar. Top with a final scoop of batter.
Bake the cupcakes at 350 F for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool for 2 minutes in the pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
While the cupcakes are cooling, make the cream cheese frosting. In a medium bowl, beat the butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. Add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Stir in the vanilla. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large star piping tip.
To decorate the cupcakes, pipe a swirl of frosting on top of each cupcake. To make the Mardi Gras design, sprinkle green sanding sugar on a third of the cupcake, purple sanding sugar on another third, and yellow sanding sugar on the final third. For this, I used Wilton sanding sugar.
To make the Tiana design, sprinkle the entire cupcake with green sanding sugar and press and Tiana cupcake topper into the center of the frosting. I used Tiana cupcake toppers that I found on Amazon.
Enjoy Tiana’s Mardi Gras Cupcakes! Happy Mardi Gras!
Tiana’s Mardi Gras Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cinnamon Sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Cinnamon Swirl Cupcakes
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 6 tablespoons milk
Cream Cheese Frosting
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 ¼ cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
Decoration
- yellow, green, and purple sanding sugar
- Tiana cupcake toppers
Equipment
- muffin pan
- cupcake liners
- piping bag
- large star piping tip
Instructions
Cinnamon Sugar
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In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and the sugar. Set aside.
Cinnamon Swirl Cupcakes
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Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.
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In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
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In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
-
Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.
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Add half of the flour mixture and mix until incorporated.
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Add the milk and then the remaining flour mixture. Beat until combined.
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Place a scoop of batter into each cup of the prepared cupcake pan. Sprinkle the batter with a layer of cinnamon sugar. Add another scoop of batter on top of the sugar. Add another layer of cinnamon sugar. Top with a final layer of batter.
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Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
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Let cool in the pan for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Cream Cheese Frosting
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In a medium bowl, beat the butter and sugar until smooth and creamy.
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Add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth.
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Stir in the vanilla.
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Transfer frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip.
Assembly
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Pipe a swirl of cream cheese frosting onto each cupcake.
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To make the Mardi Gras design, sprinkle a yellow sanding sugar on one third of the frosting, purple sanding sugar on another third, and green on the remaining third.
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To make the Tiana design, sprinkle green sanding sugar on top of the frosting and add a Tiana cupcake topper to the center of the frosting.