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Cotton Candy Cake Recipe

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★★★★★

4.6 from 66 reviews

This Cotton Candy Cake recipe creates a visually stunning and deliciously moist layered cake with vibrant pastel pink and blue hues. Made with a combination of cake flour, buttermilk, and Amoretti Natural Cotton Candy Artisan Flavor, this cake delivers a unique cotton candy flavor in every bite. It features a light and fluffy texture with a colorful buttercream frosting that’s tinted in soft watercolor tones and topped with fluffy cotton candy for an impressive dessert centerpiece.

Ingredients

Scale

Cake

  • 2 1/2 Cups (265g) sifted cake flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 Cups (300g) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 Cups (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 4 large egg whites, room temperature
  • 1/2 Cup (120ml) vegetable oil
  • 1 Tbsp Amoretti Natural Cotton Candy Artisan Flavor
  • 1 1/4 Cups (300ml) full-fat buttermilk, room temperature
  • 1 drop blue food coloring (optional)
  • 1 drop pink food coloring (optional)

Buttercream

  • 2 Cups (452g) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 7 Cups (840g) powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp Amoretti Natural Cotton Candy Artisan Flavor
  • 4 Tbsp whole milk, room temperature
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 small drop blue food color gel
  • 1 small drop purple food color gel

Decoration

  • 1 Cup cotton candy

Instructions

  1. Prepare cake pans: Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray the sides of three 6-inch or two 8-inch cake pans with baking spray and fit parchment paper circles to the bottoms.
  2. Mix dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the sifted cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, then set aside.
  3. Cream butter and sugar: Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add granulated sugar and mix at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping as needed.
  4. Add egg whites and flavor: Lower mixer speed and add egg whites one at a time, mixing until just combined. Add vegetable oil and Amoretti Cotton Candy flavor, then beat on high speed for 1 minute.
  5. Incorporate dry ingredients and buttermilk: Turn mixer off and add the dry flour mixture all at once. Mix on low speed until just combined, then slowly pour in buttermilk while continuing to mix low speed for about 30 seconds until batter is uniform but slightly thin.
  6. Color cake batter: Divide batter evenly into two bowls. Add one drop pink food coloring to the first and mix until uniform. Add one drop blue food coloring to the second and mix; blue may look purple after mixing due to pink base.
  7. Fill pans with batter: Using ½ cup measuring cups, alternate scoops of pink and blue batter into prepared pans in a random pattern until all batter is used.
  8. Bake the cake: Bake for 28 to 32 minutes, or until cakes spring back to the touch and a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Cool in pans for 5 minutes, then remove to wire racks to cool completely.
  9. Make cotton candy buttercream: Beat butter on medium-high with a mixer until creamy and light in color, about 7 minutes. On low speed, add powdered sugar a few cups at a time, scraping down after each addition. Add milk and salt; mix until combined.
  10. Add flavor and divide colored buttercream: If coloring, reserve 1 cup buttercream plain. Add Amoretti Cotton Candy flavor to remaining buttercream and mix. Use reserved portion for white base to add blue and purple colors later.
  11. Assemble cake: Level cooled cake layers. Place a smear of buttercream on cake circle, add first layer, spread about ¾ cup cotton candy buttercream evenly about ½ inch thick. Repeat stacking and filling layers. Crumb coat the entire cake and chill for at least 30 minutes.
  12. Decorate cake: Divide reserved white buttercream into two bowls; tint one with purple and the other with blue food coloring. Use these and the pink buttercream to frost the cake with a watercolor effect.
  13. Final touches: Refrigerate for 20 minutes until firm. Fill piping bag with remaining buttercream and pipe swirls on top edges. Just before serving, top with a generous amount of cotton candy (lasts about 1 hour before shrinking).

Notes

  • *Cake flour can be made by substituting 2 1/2 cups cake flour with 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour minus 5 tbsp plus 5 tbsp cornstarch, sifted together.
  • **Buttermilk substitute: 1 1/4 cups whole milk plus 1 tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar, let sit 5-10 minutes.
  • Use Amoretti Natural Cotton Candy Artisan Flavor for authentic cotton candy taste.
  • Ensure all ingredients like eggs, butter, and buttermilk are at room temperature for best texture.
  • Food coloring is optional but recommended for visual effect; cake flavor won’t be affected.
  • Allow cake layers to cool completely before frosting to prevent melting.
  • Decorate with cotton candy just before serving to maintain fluffiness.

Keywords: Cotton Candy Cake, pastel cake, colorful cake, buttercream frosting, party cake, celebration dessert, Amoretti cotton candy flavor

Find it online: https://kitchenbyclara.com/cotton-candy-cake-recipe/