State Fair Faves: Cotton Candy Cupcake Recipe

I'm back with another Great MN Get Together inspired sweet as Maddy and I get excited about the upcoming fest. Remember those pinky pink cupcakes peeking from behind yesterday's Honey Lemonade? Well, add a whisp of cotton candy and a fun wrapper and they become the star of today's post. Cotton candy is a fair classic, with its super-sugary, fluffy goodness so I know you'll love a cupcake version.

Ingredients:

Cake:
2¾ cups cake flour
1⅔ cups pink vanilla cotton candy sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) softened unsalted butter, cut into ½ sticks
4 large egg whites, plus 1 whole egg
1 cup whole milk3 teaspoons vanilla

Frosting:
3 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cotton candy flavoring
food coloring
1 tablespoon whipping cream

Instructions:

Add the dry ingredients together in the bowl of a stand mixer and combine on a slow speed until well blended.

Add the softened butter, one half stick at a time, allowing the butter to combine before adding the next. With the mixer set at slow, add one egg white at a time, followed by the whole egg, scraping down the sides and ensuring each egg white is completely incorporated before the next addition.

In a small separate bowl, whisk to combine the milk and vanilla extract. Add the milk and vanilla mixture to bowl of the mixer in small portions, allowing the mixer to combine the liquid completely before continuing. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again, and continue to beat for an additional minute or two until the batter is fluffy.

Fill your cupcake liners until they are ⅔ full. Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Bake for 16 – 18 minutes, or until a toothpick just comes out clean, so as not to overbake. Set aside to cool.

In a standing mixer, whisk together the sugar and softened butter on low speed. Once it becomes well blended, increase the speed to medium until the mixture becomes fluffy. Add vanilla, cotton candy flavoring, food coloring, and cream, and beat on medium until well incorporated – about 1 to 2 minutes. Garnish with pre-made cotton candy if so desired./

Yields approximately 24 cupcakes.

pics by Maddy Hague