Cotton Candy Cupcakes

These fun to make cotton candy cupcakes come out looking so beautiful. Everyone at any age adores them. Great for birthday parties or anytime you want a fun and yummy cupcake. 

I love making these cupcakes year round.

Since they are made with a cake mix, the recipe is cut in half the time it would take if making completely from scratch.

However, adding a few or your own ingredients makes them “homemade” and extra special.

Have fun in the kitchen…

They are so much fun to make with the kids or when you want some time in the kitchen to really feel creative.

Everyone will be so impressed when they see these beauties.

 So, if you like making cupcakes, these are sure to become a favorite one with family and friends!

Fun To Make Cotton Candy Cupcakes

Yields: 18 to 24 cupcakes

What you’ll need to make your own batch of cotton candy cupcakes…

Ingredients:

For cupcakes:

• 1 box white cake mix plus ingredients on box
• pink, blue and purple food coloring, or pick your own favorite colors

For frosting:

• 2 cups unsalted butter, softened
• 5 cups sifted powdered sugar
•  1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 tsp cotton candy extract or, just use all vanilla extract
• 1/8 to 1/4 cup heavy cream, more if needed
• containers pink, blue, and purple of cotton candy, or your favorite colors

Supplies:

• 1 disposable piping bag with a star piping tip, found in craft stores
• paper straws for adding cotton candy, found in craft stores or online
• foil or white cupcake liners

Out of the oven and cooling off

Frosting is ready to be piped on these gems

So much fun to frost and look how pretty

Ready to display and eat!

How are cotton candy cupcakes made…

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, line 2 cupcake pans with liners and set aside.
2. Prepare cupcakes as directed on box.
3. When done, divide batter into 3 small to medium bowls.
4. Add a few drops of food coloring into each bowl, mix until desired shade of pink, blue, and purple.
5. You can spray the liners with a fine mist of baking or cooking spray or you can leave as is. Spoon a little of each batter into each cupcake liner. Don’t swirl. Just keep layering until you fill almost 3/4 of the way. You should be able to fill 18 to 24.
6. Bake for about 15 to 22 minutes. This all depends on how hot your oven runs. Check after 15 minutes. Test with a toothpick. Should come out clean or with dry crumbs. Let cool in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes then take out of pan and let cool completely on wire rack.
7. While the cupcakes are cooling, make your frosting. In a stand mixer or hand mixer, add butter and mix for just a few seconds. Add sugar in very slowly. Mix again until fluffy. Add in vanilla and start adding in cream until you have a nice fluffy but stiff frosting. Divine into 3 small bowls. Add in a few drops of food coloring in each bowl like you did with the batter. Mix until desired color.
8. Place the tip into the pastry bag. Now, add each frosting into a side of the pastry bag. (see photo)
9. Squeeze the open end of the pastry bag to push the frosting right to the tip. Keep squeezing and pushing the frosting down until it comes out the tip.
10. To frost, start on the outside edge of the cupcake and work around until you end up in the middle. Do this until you frost all the cupcakes.
11. Open up the cotton candy container and grab a handful. You may want to wet the straw just a little. Stick the cotton candy right on the top of the cut straw. It should stick without any trouble. Do this with all three colors and poke the other end of the straw into each cupcake.  Look how amazing these are!

Recipe Note: Cotton candy hardens once exposed to air after a period of time, I suggest you make the straws right before serving.

Enjoy the sweet deliciousness!

 Before leaving, check out  a couple more yummy recipes that are easy to make…

Copycat Hostess Cupcakes

Simple Strawberry Crush Cupcakes With Buttercream Frosting

Print

Fun To Make Cotton Candy Cupcakes

This recipe is so much fun to make and look how beautiful they come out. Great for birthday parties or anytime you want a fun and yummy cupcake. Enjoy!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword birthday cake, cotton candy, cotton candy cupcakes, cupcakes

Servings 24

Author Pam

Ingredients

• 1 box white cake mix plus ingredients on box
• pink, blue and purple food coloring, or pick your own favorite colors

for frosting

• 2 cups unsalted butter, softened
• 5 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 tsp cotton candy extract or use all vanilla extract
• 1/8-1/4 cup heavy cream, use more if needed
• containers pink, blue, and purple of cotton candy, or your favorite colors

supplies

• 1 disposable piping bag with a star piping tip, found in craft stores
• paper straws for adding cotton candy, found in craft stores or online
• foil or white cupcake liners

Instructions

1. 1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees, line 2 cupcake pans with liners and set aside.

   2.Prepare cupcakes as directed on box.

   3.When done, divide batter into 3 small to medium bowls.

   4.Add a few drops of food coloring into each bowl, mix until desired shade of pink, blue, and purple.

   5.You can spray the liners with a fine mist of baking or cooking spray or you can leave as is. Spoon a little of each batter into each cupcake liner. Don’t swirl. Just keep layering until you fill almost 3/4 of the way. You should be able to fill 18 to 24.

   6.Bake for about 15 to 22 minutes. This all depends on how hot your oven runs. Check after 15 minutes. Test with a toothpick. Should come out clean or with dry crumbs. Let cool in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes then take out of pan and let cool completely on wire rack.

   7.While the cupcakes are cooling, make your frosting. In a stand mixer or hand mixer, add butter and mix for just a few seconds. Add sugar in very slowly. Mix again until fluffy. Add in vanilla and start adding in cream until you have a nice fluffy but stiff frosting. Divine into 3 small bowls. Add in a few drops of food coloring in each bowl like you did with the batter. Mix until desired color.

   8.Place the tip into the pastry bag. Now, add each frosting into a side of the pastry bag. (see photo)

   9.Squeeze the open end of the pastry bag to push the frosting right to the tip. Keep squeezing and pushing the frosting down until it comes out the tip.

   10.To frost, start on the outside edge of the cupcake and work around until you end up in the middle. Do this until you frost all the cupcakes.

   11.Open up the cotton candy container and grab a handful. You may want to wet the straw just a little. Stick the cotton candy right on the top of the cut straw. It should stick without any trouble. Do this with all three colors and poke the other end of the straw into each cupcake. Look how amazing these are! Enjoy!!

Recipe Notes

Just a note...Cotton candy hardens once exposed to air after a period of time. I suggest you make the straws right before serving. 

A yummy work of art!

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