Recipe Idea: Cotton Candy Cupcakes

Cotton candy is a timeless treat that reminds most of us of childhoods spent at a baseball game or hanging out at the local festival. Cupcakes on the other hand, were the popular confection of the uber cool fashionistas like Miranda on "Sex and The City". For those of us who don't want to choose between the two, we've found the perfect recipe that melds together the illustrious cupcake with that cotton candy treat. (Thanks to Becoming Lola for this amazing recipe and visual!)  

cotton candy cupcake recipe

• 3 cups cake flour
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 16 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 5 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1¼ cups buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners. Set aside.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk together and set aside. Add the butter to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Scrape the vanilla bean seeds into the bowl of the mixer with the butter and discard the pod (or reserve for another use.) Beat on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, until light and creamy in color. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for one more minute.
3. Add the sugar to the butter mixture, ¼ cup at a time, beating 1 minute after each addition. Mix in the eggs one at a time until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Combine the buttermilk and the vanilla extract in a liquid measuring cup. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients alternately with the wet ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing just until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for 15 seconds longer.
4. Divide the batter between the prepared paper liners, filling each about 2/3 of the way full (you will likely have batter left over after filling 24 wells.) Bake 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Replace paper liners and bake remaining batter if desired. Frost cooled cupcakes as desired

Cotton Candy Buttercream

adapted via Sugar Sweet Sunshine

• 1/2 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 4 tablespoons milk
• 3 teaspoons vanilla
• pink food coloring (or 1 drop of red)
• Tiffany blue food coloring (or two blue drops, one green drop)
• cotton candy, pulled into small pieces

Using the paddle attachment on a mixer hand beater, cream the butter. Add half of the sugar and half of the milk. Cream these ingredients until well blended. Add the rest of the sugar and the milk and combine. Add the vanilla and mix in. Separate the frosting into two containers. Add food colorings to each bowl and mix until even. Add cotton candy pieces until well combined. Frost cupcakes. Garnish with remaining cotton candy.