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Cotton Candy Cake with Fluffy Buttercream frosted in Watercolor Styles Recipe

★★★★★

4.8 from 111 reviews
  • Author: lilan
  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Yield: 12 servings 1x

Description

This whimsical Cotton Candy Cake features vibrant pastel layers and a luscious cotton candy flavored buttercream frosting. Light and moist layers are tinted pink and blue, filled and frosted with a creamy, sweet cotton candy buttercream. Perfect for celebrations, this show-stopping cake is finished with fluffy cotton candy topping for a fun, nostalgic treat.

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 Cup (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 Frosting

  • 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

Topping

  • 1 Cup cotton candy

Notes

  • *Cake flour can be homemade by measuring 1 cup of all-purpose flour, remove 2 tablespoons, and replace with 2 tablespoons cornstarch, then sift together.
  • **DIY buttermilk: combine 1 cup milk with 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar, let sit 5-10 minutes to curdle.

Instructions

  1. Prepare Cake Pans: Preheat oven to 350°F/177°C. Grease three 6-inch or two 8-inch cake pans with baking spray and line bottoms with parchment paper.
  2. Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  3. Cream Butter and Sugar: Using a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the butter at high speed until creamy (~2 minutes). Add sugar and beat at medium-high speed until light and fluffy (~2 minutes), scraping bowl halfway through.
  4. Add Wet Ingredients: With mixer on low, add egg whites one at a time, mixing just until combined, scraping bowl as needed. Add vegetable oil and cotton candy flavor, then increase speed to high and beat for 1 minute.
  5. Combine Batter: Turn mixer off. Add dry ingredients all at once and mix on low until just combined. Slowly pour in buttermilk and mix at low speed for about 30 seconds until uniform. Batter will be slightly thin.
  6. Color Batter: Divide batter evenly into two bowls. Add one drop pink food coloring to first bowl and whisk. Add one drop blue food coloring to second bowl and whisk; blue will appear more purple once mixed.
  7. Fill Cake Pans: Using a ½ cup measuring cup, alternate scooping pink and blue batters randomly into prepared pans, filling evenly.
  8. Bake: Place pans in oven and bake 28–32 minutes until cakes spring back to touch and a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with few moist crumbs.
  9. Cool Cake Layers: Let cakes cool in pans 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks and cool completely.
  10. Make Buttercream: Beat unsalted butter on medium-high speed until creamy and very light in color (~7 minutes). On low speed, gradually add powdered sugar in batches, scraping bowl between additions. Add milk and salt, beat on low speed until fully combined.
  11. Add Flavor and Color Buttercream: For pastel colors, reserve 1 cup buttercream. Add cotton candy flavor to remaining buttercream and mix fully; it will turn naturally pink. Add purple food color to reserved buttercream in one bowl and blue food color to another bowl for coloring.
  12. Assemble Cake: Level cooled cake layers as desired. Place a small amount of frosting on a cake board or plate, then place first layer. Spread about ¾ cup of cotton candy buttercream evenly (½ inch thick). Repeat stacking all layers with filling.
  13. Crumb Coat and Chill: Apply a thin layer of buttercream over entire cake to seal crumbs. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes until firm.
  14. Final Frosting and Decoration: Using the reserved colored buttercreams plus pink buttercream, frost the cake with a watercolor effect. Chill 20 minutes to firm. Pipe decorative swirls with remaining frosting using Wilton Tip 4B around top edge.
  15. Add Cotton Candy Topping: Just before serving or photographing, top cake with a generous heap of cotton candy. Note cotton candy topping will last about one hour before shrinking/drooping.

Notes

  • Use homemade cake flour substitute if cake flour is unavailable: measure 1 cup all-purpose flour, remove 2 tablespoons, replace with 2 tablespoons cornstarch, then sift together.
  • For buttermilk substitution, stir 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar into 1 1/4 cups milk and let sit 5-10 minutes.
  • Make sure all cold dairy and eggs are brought to room temperature for best results.
  • The cotton candy topping is best added right before serving as it will dissolve or shrink over time.
  • Prep Time: 25 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: Cotton Candy Cake, pastel cake, colorful layer cake, cotton candy buttercream, birthday cake, whimsical cake

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Find it online: https://cooklilan.com/cotton-candy-cake-with-fluffy-buttercream-frosted-in-watercolor-styles-recipe/