Description
A magical cotton candy cake featuring pastel-colored layers, fluffy buttercream frosting, and a nostalgic cotton candy flavor. Perfect for birthdays, baby showers, and whimsical celebrations.
Ingredients
Scale
- Cake Layers:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tsp cotton candy flavoring
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup whole milk
- Gel food coloring (pink, blue, and lavender)
- Buttercream Frosting:
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter (softened)
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 4 tbsp heavy cream
- 2 tsp cotton candy flavoring
- Decoration:
- Fresh cotton candy
- Pastel sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and prepare three 8-inch round pans with parchment paper.
- Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.
- Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, then mix in cotton candy and vanilla flavorings.
- Alternate adding dry ingredients and milk to the batter, starting and ending with dry ingredients.
- Divide batter into three portions, tint with pastel pink, blue, and lavender food coloring.
- Pour into pans and bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool completely.
- For frosting, beat butter until creamy, then add powdered sugar, cream, and cotton candy flavoring. Beat until fluffy.
- Layer and frost the cake, smoothing the sides. Garnish with cotton candy and sprinkles just before serving.
Notes
- Add cotton candy garnish right before serving to prevent it from dissolving.
- Freeze cake layers separately for up to 3 months if preparing in advance.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 45g
- Sodium: 150mg
- Fat: 20g
- Saturated Fat: 12g
- Carbohydrates: 58g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 85mg
Keywords: cotton candy cake, pastel cake recipe, whimsical cake, carnival cake