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The Best Cotton Candy Cupcakes

June 16, 2017 by thedomesticrebel | 25 Comments

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COTTON CANDY CUPCAKES ARRANGED ON A CAKE STAND Calling all cotton candy lovers! The fluffy stuff is now in a moist & tender cupcake! These Cotton Candy Cupcakes taste just like the real deal and are a cinch to make.

Since I was a young little girl, I have always been obsessed with cotton candy and bubblegum flavored anything.

As a tween and teen, I’d beg my grandma to allow me and my best friend, Katrina, to walk up to the local yogurt shop with $5 so we could each get a sky-high snowcone with bubblegum and cotton candy syrup drenching every last ice crystal. We would slurp up the extra syrup until our teeth and tongues were blue and walk home giggling at our gross teeth.

And anytime I went to the California State Fair, I’d always have to get a gigantic bag of cotton candy. Who doesn’t love the stuff? It’s pure sugar! Perfect for anyone with a sweet tooth and a penchant for hand-spun desserts.

A couple months ago, I was visiting Utah for a work-related thing and my friend took me to this shop called Orson Gygi. It’s basically a food and baking warehouse with everything. You can buy cake stands, party supplies, and 20lb bags of chocolate chips under one roof. It was basically my version of heaven, and I had only 20 minutes to shop before we were due at a dinner.

I raced down the chocolate and candy-making aisle first and instantly spied some Cotton Candy Flavoring. This stuff isn’t like your average vanilla extract – it is four times more potent than a traditional extract and is used for really powerfully flavored candies and things. But since extracts can get drowned out in a big batch of cupcake batter, I knew it’d be perfect for these Cotton Candy Cupcakes!

COTTON CANDY CUPCAKE WITH A PIECE OF COTTON CANDY ON TOPYou guys – these cupcakes are serious business. They are INSANELY SWEET, so don’t come back and tell me how sweet they were, ya hear? It’s a cupcake recipe inspired by a dessert that literally has no other ingredient other than pure sugar. What did you expect?

The cupcake itself is so moist and fluffy with a tender crumb and a beautiful swirl of baby blue and baby pink batters. Topped off with a cotton candy buttercream, sanding sugar, and a little cotton candy stick, it’s perfect for baby showers, summer sleepovers, or even a carnival-themed soiree!

COTTON CANDY CUPCAKE WITH PINK SPRINKLES Here’s to blue teeth and cotton candy summers!

COTTON CANDY CUPCAKES ARRANGED ON A PINK CAKE STAND

Print Recipe
4.86 from 7 votes

The Best Cotton Candy Cupcakes

Cotton Candy Cupcakes: fun, unique cupcakes flavored just like cotton candy!
Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time18 mins
Total Time38 mins
Course: Cakes/Cupcakes, Dessert
Cuisine: American, Dessert
Servings: 18
Author: Hayley Parker, The Domestic Rebel

Ingredients

  • FOR THE CAKE:
  • 1 box white cake mix
  • 4 egg whites
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 Tbsp cotton candy flavoring
  • Pink and blue food coloring
  • FOR THE FROSTING & TOPPING:
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 - 1½ teaspoons cotton candy flavoring
  • 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream or milk
  • 3-4 cups confectioners' sugar
  • Blue and pink sanding sugar
  • Blue and pink cotton candy
  • Popsicle sticks

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 muffin tins with 18 paper liners; set aside. Meanwhile, prepare your cake batter: combine the cake mix, egg whites, oil, water, and cotton candy flavoring with an electric mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes. Divide the batter evenly among two bowls and tint each bowl with your desired shade of blue and pink (I only did one drop of coloring per bowl for a more pastel look).
  • Evenly distribute the colors among each muffin cup, filling about 3/4 full. Don't swirl the batters, just layer them. Swirling the batters together may muddy the colors.
  • Bake for approx. 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs. Cool completely.
  • For the frosting, cream the butter, cotton candy flavoring and vanilla extract together in the bowl of a stand mixer until smooth, about 1 minute. Gradually add in the confectioners' sugar, about one cup at a time, alternating with little streams of the heavy cream until the frosting is light and fluffy. Divide the frosting evenly among two bowls and tint each bowl with blue and pink until your desired shade has been achieved. (Again, I did one drop of each color).
  • Using a pastry bag fixed with your desired tip, spoon some of the blue frosting down one side of the pastry bag. Spoon some of the pink frosting down the other side of the bag. It's okay if the frosting colors mix toward the tip portion of the bag; it'll just turn purple 🙂
  • Pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes and top with a sprinkling of blue and pink sanding sugar. To make the cotton candy sticks, rip off a small piece of cotton candy and attach it to the wet end of a popsicle stick (just stick the popsicle stick tip in a little water). Serve immediately with the cotton candy sticks, but keep in mind- cotton candy, once exposed to air, hardens quickly. It's best to make the cotton candy sticks immediately before serving.

BITE TAKEN OUT OF ONE COTTON CANDY CUPCAKEFluffy, flavorful, true-blue (and pink!) Cotton Candy Cupcakes! Everyone of every age will flip for these fun summery cupcakes!

THE BEST COTTON CANDY CUPCAKES COLLAGEHave a super sweet weekend!

xo, Hayley

Disclaimer: this post contains an Amazon affiliate link. If a purchase is made using my link, I receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for keeping my blog alive! 

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Comments

  1. Katherine says

    June 16, 2017 at 5:24 pm

    Wow! These look amazing. Love the colors! 🙂

    Reply
  2. cakespy says

    June 17, 2017 at 10:08 am

    UNICORN APPROVED

    Reply
  3. Diana says

    June 23, 2017 at 8:26 pm

    w
    Where do you get cotton candy flavoring at?

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      June 26, 2017 at 11:07 am

      Hi Diana, I found it at a local baking supply store, but it’s available on Amazon! I believe I linked to it in the post 🙂

      Reply
      • Glenda Phillips says

        August 15, 2021 at 5:34 pm

        You can also find it at any Michaels

        Reply
  4. Melissa says

    March 8, 2018 at 7:39 am

    I saw on another cotton candy recipe that if you put the pink icing in one tube, blue icing in another tube, and put them both inside a bigger tube with a tip that the colors won’t mix and turn purple! I also cannot find cotton candy flavoring and I don’t have time to order it online. Going to get Bubble Gum flavoring at Hobby Lobby. I hope it works!

    Reply
  5. ilana Tzur says

    May 24, 2018 at 5:58 pm

    Hi Where i can get the cotton candy flavour?

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      May 25, 2018 at 8:11 am

      Hi Ilana! You can find it online – within the post I have a link that will take you to the flavor!

      Reply
  6. Hallie says

    May 28, 2018 at 9:03 am

    5 stars
    I make these all the time now. They are one of my go-to cupcake recipes. I use Bickford flavors for my cotton candy flavoring. https://www.bickfordflavors.com/products/cotton-candy-flavor

    Reply
  7. Nicole says

    June 12, 2019 at 9:23 am

    Could I use this same recipe for a cake?

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      June 13, 2019 at 7:12 pm

      Sure can! Just increase the baking time depending on the size of your pan.

      Reply
  8. Nikita says

    June 19, 2019 at 6:16 pm

    4 stars
    Hello! These look beautiful!!! To fill the liners properly, I know you say 3/4 full. However, would you say you put about two tablespoons each per layer. I fear overfilling the liners way too much?? Thank you! These are next on my list to try!

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      June 20, 2019 at 11:38 am

      Hi Nikita, everyone’s muffin tins are different so if you can only squeeze in a couple Tablespoons, that’s fine! I would err on the side of caution, too, and fill 2/3 – 3/4ths full, even if it means the cupcakes don’t get equal colored layers if that makes sense!

      Reply
      • Nikita says

        June 21, 2019 at 12:43 pm

        Thank you!

        Reply
  9. Elsie says

    October 27, 2019 at 6:51 am

    5 stars
    I made these for my daughter’s class cour her birthday and they were a HIT! THANK YOU SOOOOOO MUCH for this recipe!

    Reply
  10. Elsie says

    October 27, 2019 at 6:53 am

    5 stars
    I made these for my daughter’s class for her birthday and they were a HIT! THANK YOU SOOOOOO MUCH for this recipe!

    Reply
  11. cupcake girl says

    November 5, 2019 at 4:31 pm

    5 stars
    so cute using them for a cupcake challage at school love frosting and cake o m g !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply
  12. Shaely says

    May 3, 2020 at 9:01 pm

    5 stars
    I love this recipe!!! They turned out amazing and tasted delicious!! The frosting and cupcakes were perfect and not too sweet?Thank you

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      May 4, 2020 at 8:50 am

      Thanks so much, Shaely!

      Reply
  13. Briana says

    May 4, 2020 at 7:56 pm

    5 stars
    These cupcakes were perfect! I made them for my nieces 1st birthday cupcake smash and she loved the icing. Everyone raved about them and they were just so pretty! What a fun recipe and idea! Thank you!

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      May 5, 2020 at 9:46 am

      Briana, so glad you and your niece enjoyed them! Love the idea of making these into a smash cake!

      Reply
  14. mimi says

    June 9, 2021 at 5:47 am

    have you tried to make funnel cakes with this recipe?

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      June 9, 2021 at 8:37 am

      Hi Mimi, I’m not sure how you would make funnel cakes with this recipe.

      Reply
  15. Cassie M Zalewski says

    September 15, 2021 at 4:25 pm

    Can you also use the same recipe for a chocolate cupcake? Thank you.

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      September 15, 2021 at 7:54 pm

      You mean make cotton candy chocolate cupcakes? I don’t know that it would taste cotton candy-ish. I think the chocolate would overpower it.

      Reply

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About me

Welcome to The Domestic Rebel! My name is Hayley and I am the 28-year old writer, photographer, recipe developer, taste-tester and creator of this blog. I’m so glad you’ve stopped by my little slice of sprinkly, butter-laden heaven on the interwebs. If it wasn’t apparent, I like to bake… a lot. Read More…

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