Friday, August 21, 2009

cotton candy cupcakes


blue, please.

when i purchased the teaberry oil to make ice cream, i snuck in some cotton candy and bubble gum flavors as well. i can't help it; i'm a child at heart with an insatiable sweet tooth. i love candy flavored ice creams and figured both flavors would be perfect. but while thinking for little thank you treats to make for a few friends, i realized ice cream just wouldn't work. as a fall back, i decided on cupcakes.

i had a number of people to thank for watching the dogsons (and upstairs neighbors for moving a TV bigger than me) and it's hard to please everyone with just one flavor. i set out to find a basic chocolate based cupcake and wanted to match that with a white cake counterpart. i wasn't feeling any of the fruity options and then i remember the cotton candy oil. the perfect complement to a rich chocolate cupcake? little white cupcakes flavored slightly and topped with cotton candy buttercream and sugar sprinkles.




i used a really basic recipe after searching for white cakes. i made a few changes to it, so i'm calling this one my own.

cotton candy cupcakes
3/4 c self rising flour
5/8 c all purpose flour
1/2 c butter
1 c sugar
2 eggs
1/2 milk
few drops cotton candy oil

1. cream butter and sugar
2. add eggs and beat until combined
3. sift together dry ingredients
4. starting and ending with flours, alternate adding dry ingredients and milk
5. add 1-2 drops cotton candy oil
6. scoop into cupcake liners and bake for about 20 minutes at 350F


i used large and small liners and watched them carefully. they puff up quite nicely. this recipe made about 15 mini cupcakes and 5-6 regular.


cotton candy buttercream
1 c butter
5-6 c powdered sugar
1-2 tbsp milk
few drops cotton candy oil
blue gel dye

1. cream butter
2. add in powdered sugar and mix until completely combined
3. add in milk until desired consistency
4. carefully add a few drops of cotton candy oil - this is strong, taste test between each few drops
5. add gel until desired color is reached


to frost and decorate, pipe a ring around the outside edge of the cake. gently roll into colored sugar crystals. finish by piping a swirl inside the decorated ring.



best cupcakes in a long time

i'm not kidding, these are worth the wait that you had to endure for this post. the cupcake itself was fabulous, even without frosting. it was like vanilla...but better. if you tasted it alone, i don't think you'd guess cotton candy. you'd guess...perfection? and the frosting! it was straight up cotton candy sugar fest.

i seriously loved these cupcakes. i even put one on a stick for the full cotton candy effect. i shall never be without this flavor again. i can't wait to make cotton candy ice cream.

5 comments:

Maryanna said...

Mmmm. I bet these would bring me right back to my childhood days.

FIL said...

You are a gastronomic temptress! I think you should try to sell the cupcakes on a stick at State Fairs. Seriously.

Thomas said...

So yummy. When you visit, we'll have to try some. When do you add the cotton candy oil to the cupcake mix? I didn't see that in the steps. Maybe I'm blind.

alauna said...

thomas- good catch. i edited to add step 5 - add a 1-2 drops oil before baking. thanks!

fil- maybe someday :)

What's Cookin Chicago said...

I love this flavor! Great job!!