Cotton Candy Cupcake Recipe!

Cotton Candy Cupcakes that look like...
Clouds!  Like when you stare at the sky, and you make all these shapes out of clouds because you are wonderful at using your imagination.  Or Clouds of Cotton Candy, so light and fluffy that you can't believe that they are real (because it does melt in your mouth and disappear after you eat it never to be seen again.).

I'm going to share my bake-at-home version of cotton candy cupcake recipe with you kiddos today (and yes I said kiddos because you are all kids at heart)!

Decor:

I use a Wilton 4B Tip inserted into the end of a disposable piping bag to create the Cotton Candy Dreamy Puffy Fantasy Cloud like swirl effect on top of my cupcake. 

I insert the tip into the end of a disposable piping bag,cut off the end and pipe little multi-color swirls of frosting all over the top of my cupcake.  The best colors to use as a rainbow cotton candy swirl are a dot of Americolor Sky Blue (for a pastel cotton candy blue color), a dot or two of Americolor Electric Pink, and a dot of Americolor Royal Purple.  Think light and fluffy for your colors.  You only need 3 base colors because the colors will mix together once they are in your piping bag and create other light and fluffy colors! To learn how to create the rainbow frosting swirl effect, you can read my Vanilla Rainbow Cupcake blog tutorial here:  Fantasy Vanilla Almond Rainbow Cupcakes!

The actual inside of the cupcake is a rainbow too. And I baked little shreds of cotton candy inside the cupcake. When you bake these, your kitchen will smell so nostalgic.  I wish I could take this scent with me everywhere. I piped little colors on top of each other inside of the rainbow cupcake using 3 different disposable piping bags full of different colors. 

 I always change up the color combos, this one was kind of fun too.
Using Americolor gel pastes, Teal, Fuschia, and Royal Purple♥
(Scratch N Sniff. Just kidding, I wish I could somehow make this happen)!


The number one reason I do these little swirly swirls of cotton candy inspired frosting on top of my cupcakes instead of putting real cotton candy on top...


Which I've also done before and looks amazing at first..


(so pretty, right?!)

Is because.. the cotton candy eventually reacts with the frosting and dissolves into a liquidy sticky mess on top of your cupcake and you'd never know that it once was cotton candy!  However..if you are going to serve your cotton candy cupcakes to be eaten right away, it does looks super pretty when you "float" a piece of cotton candy like a cloud on top of each cupcake.

If you want the clouds to stay puffy for extended periods of fun, I'd recommend my fluffy cotton candy cloud frosting technique!

You aren't limited to only making your cotton candy cupcakes look like cotton candy though! Think of what cotton candy swirls look like in your own imagination.  I came up with purple poodles!

Or Lorax tree cake pops. (Truffula cake pops).  These were made by dipping a cotton candy rainbow cake pop into candy melts of truffula-esque candy melt colors.  Then I took a toothpick and added more candy melt to the outside of the pop, swirling and adding tons o fun texture to the pop.  These look like Cotton Candy too!

You are a cupcake superhero. I believe it.
So here is the recipe.
Pour yourself an epic glitterized superhero coffee, and go for it.

COTTON CANDY RAINBOW CUPCAKES ♥What you will need:

Ingredients: (Makes appx 18 Cupcakes)

1 Box of White Cake Mix

1/3 Cup of Vegetable Oil

1 ¼ Cup Buttermilk (instead of water)

4 Eggs

1 Tsp Cotton Candy Liquid “Extract” (found at local cake supply stores) and/or one packet of blue Duncan Hines Cotton Candy Frosting Flavor

1 small (3 or 4 oz) box of White Chocolate Pudding, Dry in Powder Form

Cotton Candy, ready to tear up into small pieces & bake inside of cupcake.

For Colored Rainbow Batter:

♥Electric Pink Gel Paste Color (I use the brand Americolor in the squeeze bottles)

♥Royal Purple or Electric Purple Gel Paste Colo♥Sky Blue Gel Paste Color (with this color, optional—Blue Cotton Candy Flavor Mix-found in baking aisle at local grocery stores)

For piping the rainbow batter inside cupcake liners: 3 Disposable Decorating Bags

Directions:

1.    Preheat the oven to 325.

2.    Line cupcake tins with cupcake papers.

3.    Blend all ingredients (except colors) together for about 2 minutes in your mixer.

4.    Take out 3 separate bowls and pour about 1 1/2 Cups of white batter in each bowl.

5.    Squeeze three drops of the Electric Pink color into one of the bowls.

6.    Squeeze three drops of the Purple color into one of the bowls.

7.    Squeeze three drops of the Sky Blue color into one of the bowls.  Optional:  Add half a 0.10 oz packet of blue Cotton Candy flavor mix to this color batter during this step. This will give your cupcake a boost of cotton candy flavor.

8.    Fill one disposable decorating bag with Electric Pink Batter and cut a small hole at the end for piping.

9.    Fill a second disposable decorating bag with your Purple batter and cut a small hole at the end for piping.

10.  Fill a third disposable decorating bag with your Sky Blue Batter and cut a small hole at the end for piping.

11.  Cover the bottom of your cupcake liner with a small amount of pink cupcake batter, using your piping bag to pipe the batter out neatly.

12.  Tear a piece of cotton candy off and place on top of pink batter, this will bake inside the cupcake and give your cupcake flavor.

13.  Repeat by piping purple batter on top of cotton candy & pink batter.

14.  Repeat by piping sky blue batter on top of your purple batter.

15.  Continue to repeat alternating between rainbow color batter until your cupcake liner is about ½ full.

16.  Bake at 325 for about 20-25 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

17.  Let cool before decorating, but if the temptation strikes-cut into the cupcake! A beautiful rainbow cotton candy surprise inside of the cupcake!

COTTON CANDY FROSTING:

Ingredients: (Frosts appx 18-20 Cupcakes)

7 oz Marshmallow Cream at room temperature.
2 Cups Unsalted Butter, softened but not melted.
3 Teaspoons liquid Cotton Candy “Extract” (found at local cake decorating supply stores)
and/or Duncan Hines Cotton Candy Frosting Flavor
6-8 Cups Powdered Sugar

For Decorating:
Piping Bags & French Pastry Tip.
Optional: Cotton Candy & Hologram Silver Disco Dust

Colors needed to make your frosting look like puffy cotton candy peaks on top of cupcake:Electric Pink Color Gel

Sky Blue Color Gel(add one whole 0.10 oz packet of Blue Cotton Candy Frosting Flavor Mix to this color).
Plain White Frosting

Instructions:
1.  In stand mixer using flat beater attachment,  whip Marshmallow Cream & Unsalted Butter until creamy.

2.  Add Cotton Candy Flavoring to Butter & Marshmallow Cream base.

3.  Gradually add Powdered Sugar until you reach desired frosting thickness (less for creamier frosting, more powdered sugar for stiffer frosting—better for piping ).

4.  Separate Frosting into 3 bowls, just like you did with the cupcake batter.  In one bowl, add 2-3 drops of electric pink. Repeat in 2^nd bowl with Sky Blue but make sure you add one whole .10 oz packet of Blue Cotton Candy Frosting Flavor Mix to this color.  Add already made white frosting to 3^rd bowl.   If you want colors to be brighter-add more color per bowl. This is up to you!  You don't need purple color here because pink, sky blue & white will eventually pipe out a purple color as you decorate.

5.  To pipe a rainbow colored “cotton candy” inspired peak on top of cupcake:  Cut opening at the end point of disposable piping bag and slide French pastry tip down through the hole.

6.  Stack each color of frosting on top of each other inside of the piping bag. (Pink, Sky Blue, White).7.  Pipe little peaks as shown in picture to resemble Cotton Candy Peaks!8.  Optional:  Tear off pieces of cotton candy and set on top of frosting swirls. Serve immediately if decorating with real cotton candy, since cottoncandy will wilt into the frosting.

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes♥

Amanda Cupcake & Strawberry Shortcake.

 ♥

BFFS.

Made possible by a cupcake dream that came true.

I sandwiched summery strawberry hopes and wishes in between layers of vanilla deliciousness.  The pink sprinkled dots were definitely an Amanda Cupcake touch.  But I have to give the credit to Strawberry Shortcake for the delicious strawberry sandwich idea.

See what I mean?

This is inspiration for my strawberry shortcake cupcake creation.

It's kind of like my mission of uniting cupcakes & pie.

When I finished decorating the cupcakes...

I couldn't help but notice that the pink swirl on top sprinkled with pink dots looked just like one of my fave celebrities from the 1980s.

My childhood in a cupcake, that is now in my hand.

♥

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcake-how to bake it yourself ♥

(If you really want to channel your childhood, dust off that EZ Bake Oven)!

To keep it simple, you can doctor up a cake mix:

The Best Vanilla Cake Mix (if I use cake mixes at all, I use Duncan Hines).

1 or 2 Vanilla Beans

1 1/4 Cup of Buttermilk (in place of water)

1/3 Cup Oil

4 Eggs
1 3.9 or 4 oz box of White Chocolate or Vanilla Instant Pudding

• Pre-heat oven to 350.    Line Cupcake Pan with appx 24 Cupcake Liners.
• Mix Cake Mix, Buttermilk, and Vegetable Oil in Stand Mixer.
• Open and scrape vanilla beans into batter. ♥
• Gradually add Eggs into mixture until well blended.
• Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl so all ingredients are incorporated.
• Fill Cupcake Liners about 2/3 full and bake for appx 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cupcake comes out clean.

For Strawberry Goodness Sandwiched into your cupcake:

Strawberry Gelee (recipe adapted from Sticky Gooey Chewy Creamy)

1 Cup Strawberry Puree

¼ Cup Sugar

1 T Lemon Juice

2T Cold Water

3 T Strawberry Jello

½ Cup  fresh summery strawberries, diced!

1.  Puree your strawberries (I use a blender and that works wonderfully).

2.  Now you can heat your strawberry puree & sugar in a small saucepan.

3.  Add lemon juice-then remove from heat.

4.  Combine cold water and gelatin in a small bowl.

5.  This water and gelatin combo will need to sit for 5 minutes.

6.  Add your strawberry puree/sugar blend to the water/gelatin combo and stir until gelatin dissolves.

7.  Stir strawberries into mixture and let this chill for 1-2 hours before sandwiching into your cupcake.

Strawberry Buttercream Frosting Recipe:

by Amanda Cupcake.

1 lb unsalted butter

5 T of strawberry jelly or you can use 5 T of the strawberry gelee that you already made.

1 T of Vanilla Extract

3Tof Heavy Whipping Cream

6-8 Cups Powdered Sugar

**To help blend the strawberries into the frosting, use the whisk attachment on your stand mixer for this recipe.

Directions:

1. Using your stand mixer,  mix your unsalted butter until it looks fluffy and creamy.

2.  Gradually add strawberry gelee, vanilla extract, and heavy whipping cream.

3.  Once all ingredients are incorporated gradually add powdered sugar until you reach the consistency desired (the more powdered sugar you add the thicker the frosting will be).

Share your dreams, and they will come true.

I've always been a really big advocate of writing down my goals & dreams.
And I've *always* promoted the sharing of dreams.
If you share your dreams, you are automatically handed a responsibility to make them happen.
Then they become real.

Dreams can change, or unexpected things can happen.
But that is what gives life color and meaning.

I didn't really have a "final" plan for this cupcake. ♥
So did it turn out how I expected?
Not really. But it was a very much loved cupcake.
Loved by me and the family who ate it.

I have created cupcakes since I was 16 years old.
I remember the first cake I made for my brother.
It was a fun mess.

But I was experimenting.....and sharing my dreams with my brother.
And we partied with Toastman, Pokey, Gumby and friends.
The cake was like a dream to my brother.
And he was one of the first people who told me that one of the favorite things I ever made for anyone was my cakes.

He gave me the confidence to keep creating....making mistakes..practicing..
I don't think I've ever told him this before.

Most of the time my cakes looked really cute, but didn't taste very good.
(They were overly sweet).

I just knew that cake was this "medium" for me to create the most amazing form of art.
The kind of art that can make you laugh.
But also the kind of art that can warm your stomach, body, and soul. ♥

I remember when I came up with my first real "beauty" that tasted delicious as well.
The first success of a birthday cake I made for my mom.

She still tells me this is the favorite cake I have made her.
And this was made about 10 years ago. ♥



So you see.. you don't need to always follow the rules.
Follow your own pattern, be proud of who you are, and find comfort in your soft skin.
Nothing works better for *you* than being..well..*you*

I've had people giggle at me because I do things "differently."
I've dropped things.
Made messes that were difficult to clean up.
Felt a little more like "I Love Lucy" than Martha Stewart (which I still do to this day!)

But it all seems to work and come together beautifully.

I think after years of sharing my dreams, I've found one that really fits me.
If I can finally piece together everything I love in life on top of ..or as a surprise in the middle or on the bottom of a cupcake, I know there are millions of people who can find that one thing that makes them special too.

A handwritten "love" letter I received from a new friend this week.
We met through a cupcake delivery.
This shows what can happen if you share your dreams.♥

Rosewater Cupcakes

My friend Amy was having a little party at her house this last weekend.
It was a candle party.
So I thought I should make something elegant..and pretty.
But still delicious.

Rosewater Cupcakes!
What do they taste like?
Like you are picking a rose out of your garden and eating it with some sugar, lemon, and fluffy-ness.
Sort of makes me think of a fairy tale..or something Alice In Wonderland would do.
Eat Rose flavored cupcakes!

It was a different endeavor for me, but nonetheless-a success!

Amy devoured her mini rosewater cupcake and I heard a muffled "MMMMMMMmmMMMM" in a mouth that was full of cupcake and lemon-y buttercream frosting.

My favorite part of creating cupcakes for people is watching them get lost in this cupcake trance as they enjoy the fabulous delish.

Let me describe this cupcake trance:

The eyes glaze a little and stare into space.
Suddenly, beautiful music plays in your head.
All you care about  is the "oh" moment of the indulgence. ♥
This is one reason out of thousands to love life.

Tastes like a rose with light lemony frosting & a sparkly rose petal floating on top.