Easy Cotton Candy Cupcakes

Today is National Cotton Candy Day! Woo hoo!! I never knew national food days were a thing until I started this blog, but I’m so glad they are because it gives me an excuse to make more and more creative desserts! I had a gazillion recipe ideas for National Cotton Candy Day, but in the end, I found that cupcakes were the easiest and best choice. So here we are!
These cotton candy cupcakes are so delicious, moist and fluffy, and have real cotton candy inside of the cupcake AND the frosting!

I’ve been a huge fan of cotton candy since I first tasted it at an amusement park when I was a child, so these cupcakes were my inner kids dream come true. Not only are they super tasty, but they’re so adorable!

The cupcakes are made entirely from scratch, no box mix in sight. When it comes to most of my cupcake recipes, I like to use my Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes or Perfect Chocolate Cupcakes recipes as a base and change up or add certain ingredients to make a new flavour.

This time I decided to do something different. Instead of my usual “2-step wet ingredients mixed into dry ingredients” recipe, we’re gonna be using the butter/sugar creaming method. The main reason for this is because I wanted my batter to be nice and thick since we’ll be adding some real cotton candy to the batter!

Easy Cotton Candy Cupcakes
Prep Time30 mins
Cook Time22 mins
Total Time52 mins
Servings: 30 cupcakes

Ingredients

For The Cupcakes

•     3 cups (360 grams) cake flour
•     16 tbsp. (226 grams) unsalted butter at room temperature
•     ½ tsp. salt
•     1 tbsp. baking powder
•     1¼ cups (336 grams) buttermilk at room temperature
•     5 large eggs at room temperature
•     2 cups (396 grams) granulated white sugar
•     2 tbsp. vanilla extract

For the cotton candy buttercream

•     2 1/2 cups (5 sticks, 565 grams) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
•     2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
•     4 Tablespoons heavy cream
•     4 teaspoons cotton candy flavoring
•     5 cups (568 grams) powdered (confectioners or icing) sugar
•     food coloring
•     optional: cotton candy for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°/180oC F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners. Set aside. This recipe makes about 30 so you will need a third pan with 6 liners or simply reuse one of your first cupcake pans once the first pan is done.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk together and set aside.
3. Add the butter to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, until light and creamy in color. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for one more minute.
4. Add the sugar to the butter mixture, ¼ cup at a time, beating 1 minute after each addition. Mix in the eggs one at a time until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Combine the buttermilk and the vanilla extract in a liquid measuring cup. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients alternately with the wet ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing just until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for 15 seconds longer.
5. Divide the batter between the prepared paper liners, filling each about 2/3 of the way full (you will likely have batter left over after filling 24 wells.I managed to make a full 3 dozen cupcakes) Bake 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Replace paper liners and bake remaining batter if desired. Frost cooled cupcakes as desired.
6. To make the cotton candy buttercream frosting: Cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add in your powdered sugar 1/2 cup at at time with mixer on low. Cream until combined. With mixer off, add your heavy cream, vanilla extract, cotton candy flavoring and then mix on low until combined. Then mix on medium to medium high speed for 8 minutes until light and fluffy. If coloring frosting, add your gel food coloring now. I made a two-tone frosting. If you want two-tone frosting, seperate out half the buttercream and color one half baby blue, the other half light pink. Use right away on cooled cupcakes. If not using right away, then store in a closed container in the refrigerator. You will need to mix the frosting again when ready to use to bring it back to that light and fluffy texture!

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