Fluffy Cotton Candy Cake (Printable)
A whimsical pastel layer cake bursting with cotton candy flavor and topped with fluffy buttercream swirls.
# What You'll Need:
→ Cake
01 - 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
03 - 1/2 tsp salt
04 - 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 2 cups granulated sugar
06 - 4 large eggs, room temperature
07 - 1 tbsp cotton candy flavoring
08 - 1 tsp vanilla extract
09 - 1 1/4 cups whole milk, room temperature
10 - Pink and blue food coloring, as desired
→ Cotton Candy Buttercream
11 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
12 - 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
13 - 1 1/2 tsp cotton candy flavoring
14 - 2–3 tbsp whole milk or cream
15 - Pink and blue food coloring, as desired
→ Decoration
16 - Fresh cotton candy, to garnish
# How to Make It:
01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and line three 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
03 - In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together using an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes.
04 - Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the cotton candy flavoring and vanilla extract until evenly combined.
05 - With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the whole milk, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix until just combined.
06 - Divide the batter evenly into two bowls. Tint one portion pink and the other blue using food coloring. Drop spoonfuls of each color alternately into the prepared pans for a marbled effect, then swirl gently with a skewer or knife.
07 - Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
08 - Beat the butter until creamy. Gradually add the sifted powdered sugar on low speed, then mix in the cotton candy flavoring and milk until smooth and fluffy. Divide the buttercream and tint portions pink and blue as desired.
09 - Once the cake layers are completely cool, stack and frost with the colored buttercream. Swirl the pink and blue frosting together for a cotton candy effect.
10 - Just before serving, arrange fluffy pieces of fresh cotton candy on top of the frosted cake. Serve immediately to preserve the cotton candy texture.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The marbled batter looks like a dreamscape before it even hits the oven, and slicing into the finished cake reveals gorgeous swirls of pink and blue that make everyone grab their phones.
- That cotton candy flavoring transports you straight to summer fairgrounds and sticky fingers without ever leaving your kitchen.
- It sounds intimidating but the technique is surprisingly forgiving, and the buttercream swirl hides any imperfections beautifully.
02 -
- The cotton candy garnish will dissolve into sticky nothingness within about 30 minutes of touching the moist frosting, so it goes on at the very last second before you carry the cake to the table.
- Gel food coloring is dramatically more concentrated than liquid, and if you accidentally squeeze too much your cake will taste vaguely metallic and look like a neon sign rather than a soft pastel dream.
- Room temperature ingredients are not a suggestion here because cold milk hitting creamed butter will cause the batter to seize and curdle into a separated, unappetizing mess that still bakes fine but stresses you out unnecessarily.
03 -
- Chill your frosted cake in the refrigerator for 15 minutes before adding the cotton candy garnish because a cold, firm surface gives the spun sugar something stable to rest on without sinking immediately into the frosting.
- A turntable is the single best investment for achieving that smooth, swirled buttercream finish, and if you do not have one a lazy Susan from the cabinet works in a pinch.