Cotton Candy Cake
Cotton Candy Cake – A light and fluffy, cotton candy flavored cake that will make you think you’re at the summer state fair.
New Cake Flavor
A few months ago my little brother was trying to come up with new cake flavors for me. Among his suggestions was a cotton candy cake. It sounded interesting but honestly, I wasn’t feeling super excited about it. I set the flavor idea on the back burner and continued working on some other new cakes. In the meantime, I actually had several more of you request a cotton candy cake.
At that point, I thought, ‘alrigtht, I’ve gotta try this out!’.
And what better time to give a cotton candy flavored a cake a test run than a kid’s birthday party! I actually had to convince Avery to let me make this cake for her birthday. She originally wanted a pink, blue and purple Red Velvet Cake. I loved the idea of all her favorite colors on the cake, but having a red velvet cake on the inside just didn’t feel right.
Luckily, kids love cotton candy and Avery is no exception. Convincing her to switch cake flavors ended up being easy as pie. We also decided to throw out the purple and stick with blue and pink to match the cotton candy.
COTTON CANDY CAKE
For this recipe, I started with the vanilla cake I use for my Funfetti Cake. In my first round, I used Jelly Belly Cotton Candy Syrup. The cake was a little dense and the flavor was barely noticeable after the cake baked, so I decided to give it another go with the Lorann Cotton Candy Flavoring. The second round was a total winner. Avery devoured the cake scraps!
I used pink and blue food gel to tint the batter. When you do this, just make sure to gently stir the food gel into the batter. You don’t want to over mix the batter or you’ll find it doesn’t rise as well.
Frosting Tutorial
Once you’ve smoothed out the sides of your cake, freeze the cake for about 10 to 15 minutes.
Drip Tutorial
For more tips and instruction on making the perfect drip, check out these two IGTV videos from my feed:
Birthday Cake or Gender Reveal Cake?
So the question is, birthday cake or gender reveal cake? I loved it as Avery’s birthday cake but it also make the perfect gender reveal cake, don’t you think?
The Old Cotton Candy Cake
And rather than wiping this post of all the old photos, I had to keep at least one so you could see the original cake and my cute little Aves!
Tip
One note about the actual cotton candy – don’t add it to the cake until you’re ready to display the cake. The cotton candy won’t hold up well in the freezer, refrigerator or at room temperature for too long.
Tools
Click on the item below to check it out!
Thank you to Trina Harris Photography for the gorgeous photos.
Cotton Candy Cake
Yield 1 4-layer, 6-inch cake or 3 layer 8-inch round cake
Light and fluffy, cotton candy flavored cake and frosting.
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 whole egg (I use extra large), at room temperature
- 3 egg whites (also extra large), at room temperature
- 1 cup (240 g) buttermilk, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon (13 g) Lorann Cotton Candy Flavoring
- 3 cups, plus 2 tablespoons (366.6 g) cake flour
- 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon (16 g) baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon (4.2 g) salt
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- Pink and blue food gel (optional)
For the Frosting
- 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, slightly chilled
- 6 cups (750 g) powdered sugar, measured then sifted
- 3 tablespoons (43.3 g) heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons (8 g) Lorann Cotton Candy Flavoring
- Pinch of salt
- Pink and blue food gel (optional)
- Cosmic Rush Twinkle Sprinkle Medley (optional)
- *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping, you’ll want to make an extra 1/2 batch.
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare four 6-inch round cake pans or three 8-inch round cake pans by spraying each pan with non-stick spray, covering the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and spraying the parchment paper with the non-stick spray as well. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the whole egg, egg whites and Lorann flavoring. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix on low speed for about 30 seconds.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the butter and buttermilk. Continue to mix on low until just combined and then increase to medium speed and mix for 1-2 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the egg mixture in two additions, beating on medium speed for about 20 seconds after each addition until just combined and all the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated.
- Divide the batter in half. Tint half of the batter pink and half of the batter blue. Stir lightly by hand as to not over mix the batter.
- Divide the batter into the four 6-inch pans or three 8-inch prepared cake pans, using a kitchen scale to measure equal parts in each pan. (Use about 11 to 12 ounces of batter in each of the four 6-inch pans or 15 to 16 ounces of batter in each of the three 8-inch pans). I dolloped scoops of batter in each pan, overlapping the colors a little, to create a tie-dye look.
- Bake for 20-23 minutes (my cakes took 20 minutes), or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes and then invert onto wire racks until completely cool.
For the Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the powdered sugar, followed by the heavy cream, Lorann flavoring and salt.
- Continue to beat the frosting on medium-high speed for an additional 5 minutes.
- Divide the frosting in half and tint each batch with blue or pink food gel.
- Stir by hand to push out any air pockets.
Assembly
- After leveling each of the cake layers with a cake leveler or serrated knife, place the first cake layer, top side up (crumb side up) on a cake board or cake plate. For the 6-inch cake, add about 1/2 cup of frosting on the cake layer. For the 8-inch version, add about 1 cup of frosting. Spread over the cake layer as evenly as possible.
- Repeat this step until you get to the final cake layer, which you will lay top side down.
- Apply a thin coat of frosting around the entire cake to lock in the crumbs. Freeze for 10 minutes.
- After the crumb coat is set, continue frosting and decorating the cake.
- If using cotton candy to decorate, do not add it to the cake until you're ready to display the cake. The cotton candy will not hold up in the freezer or refrigerator.
This is so beautiful!! Do you have a recipe on the drips? The colors are perfect!
It’s 1 cup white baking chips with 1/4 cup heavy cream and just a drop of pink food gel.
Looks amazing! is the drip from ganache that you colored?? if so, what recipe do you use for it?
It’s 1 cup white baking chips with 1/4 cup heavy cream and just a drop of pink food gel.
Hey! I am going to attempt to make this cake for my daughters bday. I am wondering what you put inside the frosting(sprinkles?) to make it speckled. And if so, what kind? I’m so excited to try this beautiful cake!!
Thanks, Adriana
Hi! Yay, I’m excited for you to make this. I added Sweetapolita sprinkles to the frosting for the outside. I used her Cosmic Crush mix – https://sweetapolitashop.com/products/cosmic-crush-twinkle-sprinkle-medley. I took out the really big silver balls though. You could also just use pink and blue jimmies.
I wondered if you would share the recipe for the pink and blue drizzle that runs down the sides??? Thank you!
Never mind! I just figured out how to read other comments. I see the recipe!
This cake is very dry! It baked up nice and pretty but the flavor and moisture content are off. I could taste the baking powder in this cake after it had baked. Sorry to say, but I do not recommend this recipe.
Susan, I’m so sorry it didn’t work out for you. Often cakes come out dry because we overcook them or because we pack too much flour into our measuring spoons. Tasting the baking powder may have happened because it didn’t get mixed in well enough or it was old.
This looks so fun! Do you think this would work well doing cupcakes? Any advice?
Honestly, I’m not sure. I’ve never tried this as cupcakes. I’ve heard it works from others though.
Gorgeous cake! How do you make the drip?
1 cup white chocolate chips and 1/4 cup cream
If I use all purpose flour rather than cake flour will it be okay?
Not the same.
Hi Courtney! I love the cake, so cute and perfectly decorated. How did you do the frosting colors mixed like this and did you add the same cosmic sprinkles to the frosting? Also what are those cute Hershey kiss looking things on top? Sorry for all the questions, my son loves cotton candy and wants a cake for his birthday. 🙂
Yes I added the sprinkles to the frosting. I just used piping bags to randomly place the frosting and then scraped to blend them.
Hi! On top of the cake – are the “kisses” meringues or just piped icing? Also do you have a good cotton candy suggestion? The bagged or buckets sold in the grocery store are compacted and not nearly as pretty! Would love to order whatever you used … I don’t have a cotton candy machine though….thanks!
I made meringues for those. I used the store bought cotton candy and fluffed it with my hands for this cake.
Thank you for answering my question! I have not made meringues before….do you have a recipe/instructions you may consider sharing or posting? Thank you!!
I just found a recipe on FoodNetwork.com. It was easy to follow.
WHAT IS THE STUFF DRIPPING OVER THE SIDE? AND HOW DO YOU DO IT? ID REALLY LIKE TO KNOW?
It’s a white chocolate drip – 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream with 1 cup white chocolate chips
Is using large eggs do you increase the number of eggs?
No
Hi Courtney, is the cotton candy flavoring super strength or regular? I know the recipe doesn’t say super strength but that is what usually comes up when I look for it.
That will work!
I was going to ask the same thing. The link takes you to Lorann super strength cotton candy flavor. You would use the same amounts with the ‘super strength’ flavor?
If you’re using the super strength Lorann’s Cotton candy flavoring, only use about a quarter of the amount this recipe calls for. If you use too much, it will have a strong, chemical aftertaste. The flavoring used in this recipe is regular strength. More like an extract.
I am wondering if this cake could be made with some type of egg substitute? If so, what do you suggest? I have a friend whose son is allergic to eggs and really wants a cotton candy cake for his birthday! Thanks I’m advance!
Check out my egg free vanilla cake!
I made this cake for my daughter 3rd birthday. Everyone absolutely loved it and was astonished it actually tastes just like cotton candy!
Love that!
I am going to make this for my daughter’s 4th birthday! She wants a cotton candy ice cream cake. Online for ice cream cakes it says to use a stabilized whipped cream as the frosting. Should I omit the butter cream and use whipped cream frosting to cover the cake with cotton candy icecream as the middle cake layer? Would the candy drizzle still work with whipped cream frosting? Thanks for your advice!
Probably best to use whipped cream frosting but the drip probably wont work as well
Beautiful cake im going to attempt to make it for my niece. Do you spoon the flour into the measuring cup ?
Yes, gently and then level it off with a knife.
May I ask how much I would need to make if I want to do a 3 tier cake with 2 layers each? It’s going to be a 6, 8, and 10″.
Three batches
Hello! I haven’t been able to find the cosmic rush sprinkles. Do you have a favorite substitute?
I think a mix of classic pink and blue jimmies would work great.
1 cup of buttermilk is measuring to 120 g, should I still measure to 240, or stay at 120 with 1 cup?
The one cup
Hi there! I’m making this for my daughter’s birthday! 🥳 I also plan to do cake pops… any reason why this recipe wouldn’t work for pops?
Nope!