You’ll love these buttery vanilla cupcakes topped with swirls of creamy cotton candy frosting. These gorgeous Cotton Candy Cupcakes will be a hit at your next party or celebration.
Hello cupcake!
Soft and fluffy vanilla cupcakes, piled high with rainbow-coloured, cotton candy-flavoured buttercream. Can you even?
They’re pretty as can be, and oh-so-tasty!
These gorgeous Cotton Candy Cupcakes were actually posted on Sweetest Menu over two years ago but they were in desperate need of a reshoot. So when I made them again this weekend, I took some new photos to do them justice.
When I first developed these vanilla cupcakes, I went a little crazy with the cupcake-making. I made five batches in one week, just to make sure these ones were the easiest and the best. And I love them.
save this recipe
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
So let’s talk cake. I have a few tips to ensure your cupcakes turn out every time – most of which I have learnt the hard way.
1. When the recipe requires your butter, eggs and milk to be at room temperature, try and make sure they are actually at room temperature. I know it’s not rocket science but sometimes these little steps can make a big difference!
2. When it comes to creaming the butter and sugar, make sure your butter is soft, but not melted at all. Take time to cream the butter and sugar. Put your timer on and beat for 3 or 4 minutes and you’ll notice the difference in the texture of your cake.
3. When incorporating dry ingredients into wet ones, it’s best to add it in parts to prevent over mixing. I once read that starting with dry ingredients and ending in dry ingredients is best and I have found this to be true. Have you ever added milk or a wet ingredient at the end and found it hard to mix through? This should solve that problem.
Well that’s enough serious cake talk, let’s get our carnival hats on and eat Cotton Candy Cupcakes!
Let’s Bake
Cotton Candy Cupcakes
Buttery vanilla cupcakes topped with creamy cotton candy buttercream.
Ingredients
Vanilla cupcakes
- 190 grams (1 and 1/3 cup) plain flour
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 115 grams (1/2 cup or 1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 150 grams (3/4 cup) caster sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 125 ml (1/2 cup) milk, room temperature
Cotton candy frosting
- 115 grams (1/2 cup or 1 stick) butter, room temperature
- 500 grams (4 cups) icing or powdered sugar
- 2–3 tablespoons milk
- A few drops of cotton candy flavouring
- A few drops of food gel – I used teal, purple and violet
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) standard / 160 C (320 F) fan-forced. Line a 12-hole muffin tray with cupcake liners.
- Sift flour, baking power and salt in a bowl and whisk together. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric beater for about 3-4 minutes or until pale and creamy.
- Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until combined. In a separate jug, add vanilla extract to milk.
- Add approximately one third of your flour mixture and half of your milk mixture. Gently fold with a spatula, then add another third of flour and the rest of your milk .Finally, add final flour mixture. Your cupcake batter should be nice and creamy. Try not to over mix.
- Fill your prepared cupcake cases. Pop into the oven for approximately 16-18 minutes or until cakes are golden on top and spring back when lightly touched. Transfer cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the icing, cream the butter with an electric mixer until creamy and pale. Sift in half the icing sugar and one tablespoon of milk.
- Beat until combined and then add remaining icing sugar and milk. If you feel the mixture is too dry, add another tablespoon of milk. Just be careful because you want the icing to be thick enough to hold its shape when piped. Add a few drops of cotton candy flavouring – to taste.
- Dish out the frosting into three separate bowls. Add a few drops of food colouring to each bowl and stir with a spoon until you achieve your desired colours.
- Grab your piping bag and insert a large star tip into the end. Very gently add spoonfuls of one icing and try keep it to one side of the piping bag. Repeat with remaining colours. Essentially you’re trying to make the colours sit vertically in the piping bag. You don’t have to be exact, just do the best you can.
- Gently press down to remove any air bubbles and force the icing down to the tip. Twist the top of the bag and pipe icing onto the cupcakes. The first one probably won’t have all three colours so use that one as a test run.
Notes
- If you are visual person, check out this video by Cupcake Jemma which shows how to pipe Rainbow Buttercream. For tips on piping check out my post on how to decorate cupcakes.
- I purchased the cotton candy flavouring from a specialty cake store.
Nutrition Information
Serving Size: 1 cupcake Calories: 423
Hi, I’m Jess, the creator of Sweetest Menu and the author of Something Sweet. A self-taught baker and published recipe writer who can’t stop making easy and delicious baking recipes.
Mai says
how many drops is a few drops of cotton candy flavoring? I noticed you need to put a ton to overpower the taste of butter.
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Mai, it really depends on the type/brand you are using. Mine is quite strong so I just use a few drops (maybe 3-4) to taste!
Eva Watson says
wow lovely cake. looks so delicious.
Zoe says
can you use self raising flour instead
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Zoe, I haven’t tried myself but self raising flour has roughly 1.5 teaspoons of baking power per 1 cup so you probably could in this case.
Bella Hardy says
These are so Instagrammable and adorable! These cotton candy cupcakes look yummi! Can i post it on my blog?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Bella, thank you so much! You can blog about this recipe if you link back to the full recipe on my website. Thanks!
Jill Roberts @ WellnessGeeky says
Gorgeous pictures. I made these cotton candy cupcakes for the super bowl party and it was a crowd favorite. I’m also gonna pin this post on my Pinterest board my followers will love it. Thanks for sharing, Jess!
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Jill! Thanks so much for stopping by! So glad you and your friends enjoyed these cupcakes – they’re one of my favourites! 🙂
Chelle says
Can Cake flour be used instead of all purpose?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Chelle, I haven’t tried this myself but I think it would be ok. Let me know how you go!
Kay says
I love your tips for better cupcakes! Thanks!
Jessica Holmes says
Wonderful, thanks Kay!
Salma says
I made these cupcakes for a picnic and they came out delicious! They were so light, fluffy and easy to make. I decorated them with edible butterflies to go with the whole Spring theme. I will definitely be making these again as well as experimenting with different flavoured frosting!
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Salma, I am so glad to hear you enjoyed these cupcakes! Thanks so much for letting me know – you’ve made my day! 🙂
Jennifer says
When I want swirl frosting, I put the frosting on plastic wrap, wrap it up, twist the ends , then place in the piping bag. Actually, I do this with all frosting… It makes for an easier clean up.
Jessica Holmes says
That is a brilliant idea Jennifer! Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
Pierre says
Hi Jessica I want to comment that these cupcakes look fantastic , I could only imagine right now how they taste too. It is going to be my first attempt at making cupcakes and frosting. Your pictures helping me I think and they look also great and beautiful
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Pierre, thank you so much for leaving such a lovely comment. I hope you get a chance to make these cupcakes – please let me know how you go if you do. Have a great weekend!
Lindsey says
That frosting is amazing! I didn’t even know they made cotton candy flavoring! Great cake tips, Jess! The one about actually creaming is so true. I’ll add on to your third one to say that if you do alternate, do it quickly and always add the next addition when the batter is still very streaky to prevent over mixing. If you over mix you will end up with tough, not tender, cake; tunneling; and a dome in the center. Pinned!
Jessica Holmes says
Thanks so much Lindsey the cake master! That’s a great tip, I didn’t even think of that. Love it!!
Hayley says
These look SO pretty and phenomenal, Jessica! I adore cotton candy flavoring and love using it whenever possible. On top of a fluffy, moist vanilla cupcake is the perfect way to eat it, methinks! 🙂
Jessica Holmes says
Thanks so much Hayley! It was a new find for me and I love it too! 🙂
Bindy says
These look so cute! I love the pastel coloured frosting. I didn’t know you could get cotton candy flavouring either.
Jessica Holmes says
Thanks so much Belinda! I know right? Such a neat find! 🙂