Introduction

This Cotton Candy Cake is a whimsical delight with its vibrant pastel colors and light, fluffy texture. Infused with cotton candy flavor and layered with a silky buttercream, it’s a fun dessert perfect for celebrations or anyone with a sweet tooth.

A tall, round cake with three visible layers is covered in smooth white frosting with soft pastel smudges of pink, blue, and purple around the sides. Small white pearl-like sprinkles are scattered all over the frosting. The bottom and top edges have a neat row of round frosting dots. On top of the cake, fluffy clusters of cotton candy in pastel pink, blue, and purple rise in a soft cloud shape. The cake sits on a simple white cake stand with a broad flat top and a wide base, placed on a white marbled surface. More pieces of cotton candy in similar pastel shades are scattered around the base of the stand. Photo taken with an iphone --ar 4:5 --v 7

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs (room temperature)
1 1/2 tsp cotton candy flavoring
1 cup whole milk (room temperature)
Fuchsia color gel
Sky blue color gel
Violet color gel
6 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (for buttercream)
2 cups unsalted butter (room temperature, for buttercream)
1 tsp cotton candy flavoring (for buttercream)
Cotton candy (for garnish, optional)

Instructions

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease and flour three 6-inch cake rounds, then line the bottoms with parchment paper.
Step 2: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt until combined. Set aside.
Step 3: In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes until pale and fluffy.
Step 4: Reduce the mixer speed and add eggs one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Mix in the cotton candy flavoring.
Step 5: Alternate adding the flour mixture and milk to the batter, starting and ending with flour, mixing well after each addition.
Step 6: Divide the batter equally into four bowls. Add fuchsia, sky blue, and violet color gels to three of the bowls, leaving one uncolored.
Step 7: Spoon the colored batters randomly into the three prepared cake pans. Swirl once or twice with a bamboo skewer to create a marbled effect.
Step 8: Bake for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
Step 9: For the buttercream, combine egg whites and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer.
Step 10: Place the bowl over a double boiler and whisk constantly until the mixture is hot to the touch and no longer grainy (about 3 minutes), or reaches 160°F.
Step 11: Transfer bowl to the mixer and whisk on medium-high until stiff peaks form and the bowl is cool to the touch (5-10 minutes).
Step 12: Switch to the paddle attachment. Gradually add cubed butter and mix until smooth and creamy.
Step 13: Mix in cotton candy flavoring and whip until fully combined.
Step 14: Place one cake layer on your serving plate and spread about 2/3 cup buttercream over it. Repeat with remaining layers, then apply a crumb coat and chill for 20 minutes.
Step 15: Frost the top and sides of the cake smoothly with remaining buttercream using a bench scraper.
Step 16: Divide remaining frosting into four portions. Leave one white, and color the other three with fuchsia, sky blue, and violet gels.
Step 17: Using a small offset spatula, randomly apply colored frosting patches onto the cake, repeating until colors are evenly dispersed.
Step 18: Smooth the sides of the cake again with the bench scraper, adding more color or white frosting to fill gaps as needed.
Step 19: Pipe a pearl border around the top and bottom edges of the cake using the remaining white buttercream and a small round piping tip.
Step 20: Garnish with cotton candy on top if desired for an extra whimsical touch.

Tips & Variations

Use an instant-read thermometer to ensure the meringue reaches 160°F for safety and stability.
Try substituting cotton candy flavoring with vanilla and add a touch of fruit extract like raspberry for a fun twist.
For a larger cake, double the recipe and bake in larger pans, adjusting bake time accordingly.
To make swirling easier, gently marble just a couple of times to avoid overmixing the colors.

Storage

Store the cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Bring to room temperature before serving for the best texture and flavor. Leftover buttercream can be refrigerated and slightly softened before reuse. If freezing, wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 1 month; thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

How to Serve

A slice of four-layer pastel rainbow cake is placed on a white plate with a silver fork beside it. Each layer alternates soft shades of purple, pink, cream, and blue, with thin white cream filling between each layer. The outside of the cake is coated in smooth white frosting decorated with small white sugar pearls on its edge. Around the plate, there are small tufts of pastel-colored cotton candy in purple, pink, and light blue. The background shows a white marbled textured surface. photo taken with an iphone --ar 4:5 --v 7

Serve this delicious recipe with your favorite sides.

FAQs

Can I use any other flavor instead of cotton candy?

Yes, you can substitute the cotton candy flavoring with vanilla, almond, or fruit extracts to suit your preference, but note the cake’s unique charm comes from the cotton candy flavor.

How do I prevent the buttercream from being too soft?

Make sure your butter is at room temperature but not melted. If the buttercream is too soft, chill it briefly in the refrigerator and then re-whip before frosting the cake.