Description
These Cotton Candy Cupcakes bring a whimsical carnival vibe to your dessert table with their vibrant pink and blue swirls and light cotton candy flavor. Perfect for birthday parties or any fun celebration, these cupcakes combine fluffy vanilla batter with a creamy, flavored frosting, topped optionally with cotton candy or sprinkles for a playful finish.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Cupcakes:
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter (softened)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon cotton candy flavoring (optional but recommended)
- ½ cup whole milk
- pink and blue food coloring
For the Frosting:
- 1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2–3 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon cotton candy flavoring
- pink and blue food coloring
- cotton candy or sprinkles for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a cupcake tin with 12 paper liners to ensure easy removal after baking.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt to spread the leavening and seasoning evenly through the batter.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, which incorporates air and creates a tender crumb.
- Add Eggs and Flavorings: Beat in eggs one at a time for a smooth batter, then mix in the vanilla extract and cotton candy flavoring to infuse the cupcake with its signature taste.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredients alternating with the whole milk, starting and ending with flour, to maintain a smooth and balanced batter.
- Color the Batter: Divide the batter evenly between two bowls. Tint one bowl pink and the other blue with food coloring to achieve a vibrant swirl effect.
- Fill Cupcake Liners: Spoon small amounts of each colored batter side by side into each cupcake liner, filling about two-thirds full to allow room for rising.
- Bake: Bake for 18–20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the cupcake centers comes out clean, indicating they are perfectly cooked.
- Cool: Remove cupcakes from the oven and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack before frosting so the frosting doesn’t melt.
- Prepare Frosting: Beat the softened butter until creamy, then gradually add powdered sugar. Stir in milk, vanilla extract, and cotton candy flavoring to create a smooth, flavored frosting.
- Color and Pipe Frosting: Divide the frosting into two halves, tint one pink and one blue. Place both colors side by side in a piping bag fitted with a large star tip to achieve a swirled effect when piped onto the cupcakes.
- Decorate: Pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes and finish by topping with a small puff of cotton candy or sprinkles if desired for a fun, carnival-inspired look.
Notes
- Store cupcakes at room temperature in an airtight container for 1–2 days to maintain freshness.
- For longer storage, refrigerate cupcakes but bring to room temperature before serving to enhance flavor and texture.
- You can add a drop of cotton candy flavor to whipped cream if you prefer a lighter alternative frosting topping.
- If cotton candy topping is used, add it just before serving to prevent it from melting.
