Mardi Gras Bundt Cake

This Mardi Gras King Bundt Cake delivers rich almond flavor and a bourbon-spiked glaze in a show-stopping crown presentation that is far simpler to pull off than it looks.

The perfect almond flavor comes from a combination of almond flour and almond extract. Because the cake is for Mardi Gras, there is Bourbon in the batter and bourbon whiskey in the glaze and the crown cake is topped with the trio of purple, yellow and green. All that is missing for this Mardi Gras King Bundt Cake is the little baby baked inside!

If you love pound cakes and want to keep exploring the format, my cherry almond pound cake uses the same almond base with cherry glaze! Maybe you are looking for a summery cake. Try this strawberry pound cake!

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Unsalted Butter
• Sugar
• Eggs: Eggs provide structure and stability so this rich batter sets evenly in the heavy bundt pan. They also emulsify the high-fat content, which keeps the crumb tight and even.
• Almond Extract: Almond extract is the dominant aromatic note in this batter and pairs with the almond flour to produce a deeper, more rounded flavor. It is highly concentrated, so measure carefully.
• Sour Cream: Sour cream adds moisture and richness, while its acidity tenderizes the crumb when combined with baking soda. Use full-fat sour cream; you can substitute with full-fat Greek yogurt.
• Bourbon or Whiskey: Bourbon adds warm, caramel-vanilla depth that pairs well with the almond and butter. Its small amount of alcohol also loosens the batter slightly and enhances the aroma once baked. Make this apricot brandy pound cake next if you like the texture alcohol gives to the cake.
• Kosher Salt
• Baking Soda
• All-Purpose Flour: All-purpose flour gives the cake its main gluten structure, which lets it hold its shape in the bundt pan and release cleanly. Weighing the flour using a kitchen scale is the only way to guarantee consistent results. Packed flour bakes into a dry, tight crumb that no amount of glaze will fix.
• Almond Flour: Almond flour tenderizes the cake, contributes a rich nutty flavor, and creates a slightly dense, almost frangipane-like texture that is exactly right for a king cake. Its lack of gluten softens the overall structure, so the balance with all-purpose flour is what holds the cake together for a clean slice. If you have extra almond flour, try these almond flour chocolate chip cookies.
• Confectioners’ Sugar (glaze): Confectioners’ sugar dissolves smoothly into the glaze without any graininess. The small amount of cornstarch typically present helps the glaze set to a thin, matte finish on the cooled bundt.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations on This Mardi Gras King Bundt Cake

• Vanilla Glaze. Skip the bourbon in the glaze and whisk confectioners’ sugar with milk and a splash of vanilla extract, or make this donut glaze recipe that keeps the cake family-friendly while still looking festive under the colored sugars.
• Maple Glaze. Replace the bourbon glaze with a maple version: my maple pound cake with maple glaze uses the same pour-over technique, and maple pairs well with the almond base for a warmer, less boozy finish.
• Add mix-ins! You can fold in blanched almonds, dried cherries, fresh berries, or chocolate! Just be aware that some mix-ins will make it harder to unmold the cake.

Professional Tips

• Prepare your bundt pan thoroughly before you do anything else. Grease every crevice of a crown bundt pan with softened butter or shortening, then dust with flour and tap out the excess. A missed spot means a torn cake, and no amount of glaze hides a cracked crown.
• Do not overbake. This is the single most common failure point with any rich pound cake batter. Start checking at 65 minutes and pull the cake the moment a skewer comes out with just a few clinging crumbs. Even with all the butter, sugar, and sour cream in the formula, an extra 10 minutes in the oven will bake out all that moisture.
• Add the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl between each addition. The batter should look smooth and silky before the next egg goes in. Rushing this step causes the emulsion to break, which shows up in the final crumb as greasy streaks or uneven texture.
• Let the cake cool 20 minutes in the pan before unmolding, then cool completely before glazing. Glaze poured onto a warm cake runs straight off the ridges and puddles at the base. A fully cooled surface lets the bourbon glaze cling where it lands, which is what gives you that clean, professional finish. For another boozy glaze done right, my Bacardi Rum Cake follows the same cooling logic.

How to Make Mardi Gras King Bundt Cake

The batter comes together quickly with a stand mixer, so having your ingredients measured and your pan prepared before you start makes this process smooth from beginning to end.

Prepare the Pan

Step 1: Prepare the pan. Spray your bundt pan thoroughly with cooking spray, then add a handful of flour. Tap and rotate the pan until every ridge, curve, and crevice is coated in a thin, even layer of flour. Tap the excess out onto a piece of parchment. What you want to see is a uniformly white interior with no bare spots — any gap is where the cake will stick.

Miz and Bake the Cake

Step 2: Preheat and mix your dry ingredients. Preheat your oven to 325°F convection or 350°F conventional. Whisk together the flour, almond flour, salt, and baking soda in a bowl and set aside. In a separate small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the sour cream and bourbon until combined.

Step 3: Cream the butter and sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together just until a thick paste forms. A dense, cohesive paste is exactly right.

Step 4: Add the eggs. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after every two or so eggs. Add the almond extract with the last egg. The batter may look slightly broken or curdled at this point, which is completely normal — it will smooth out once the flour goes in.

Step 5: Alternate the flour and sour cream mixtures. Switch the mixer to low and begin adding the flour mixture and the sour cream mixture alternately. There is no need to wait for full incorporation between each addition — keep both coming in a steady, unhurried rhythm. Stop the mixer to add the last of the sour cream mixture so you can scrape every bit from the bowl with a rubber spatula. When you are done, you should have a silky, smooth batter that falls in a slow, thick ribbon from the spatula.

Step 6: Fill the pan. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Give the pan two or three firm taps on the counter to release any air pockets trapped in the ridges. The batter should sit level and fill the pan evenly.

Step 7: Bake the cake. Slide the pan into the preheated oven and bake until a cake tester inserted into the thickest part comes out with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. This takes anywhere from 60 to 85 minutes depending on your oven — mine went for 70 minutes, so start checking at 60.

The edges will pull slightly from the sides of the pan and the top will feel set when you press it gently. Pull it the moment the tester reads clean crumbs, not wet batter. Even with the sour cream, butter, and sugar in this recipe, overbaking will dry it out.

Step 8: Cool in the pan, then turn out. Set the pan on a wire rack and let the cake rest for 20 minutes.After 20 minutes, run a thin paring knife around the outer and inner edges to loosen any spots that have clung, then invert the pan onto the rack. Lift the pan away slowly. Allow the cake to cool completely before glazing.

Do not skip this step — turning the cake out too soon means the crumb has not set and you risk tearing.

Make Glaze and Decorate

Step 9: Make the whiskey glaze. Whisk the whiskey into the confectioners’ sugar until the glaze flows freely from the whisk in a slow, steady stream. If it is too thick, add a little more whiskey. If you got heavy-handed with the pour — which happens, and that is completely fine — add more sugar a tablespoon at a time until you reach the right consistency. There are no precise measurements here, just a glaze that drips in long, generous ribbons when you lift the whisk.

At this point, you can divide the glaze and color it if you want! Colored glaze with the colored sugar is truly beautiful.

Step 10: Finish and serve. Pour the glaze over the cooled cake, letting it run down the ridges and pool slightly at the base. Finish with a generous scatter of purple, gold, and green sugar or sprinkles across the top. Slice and serve at room temperature.

Recipe FAQs

Before You Go

This Mardi Gras Bundt Cake brings together a tender cream cheese-swirled interior, vibrant purple, gold, and green sugar, and a glossy white glaze in one showstopping celebration cake. If you want to keep baking, browse more Cake Recipes or make this lemon pound cake next!