Easy Cotton Candy Cake {With Cake Mix}

Easy cotton candy cake recipe, homemade with simple ingredients. Starts off with yellow cake mix. This layer cake is filled with whipped cream frosting and decorated with colorful rainbow fluffy cotton candy.

I really enjoyed going to carnivals as a kid and I still love going now as an adult but this time, my kiddo joins me as well. One of our favorite carnival food is cotton candy. The colors, flavors, and overall appearance just portray fun and excitement. It's like eating fluffy pieces of cloud.

I had to find a way to incorporate that into beautiful desserts and that led to these Cotton Candy Cookies and these Cotton Candy Cupcakes and today's dessert of course. For more fun, especially with when it comes to baking with kids, check out this Easy Candy Cake with Halloween Leftovers and these Leftover Halloween Candy Cookies as well as this Best Birthday Cake. These are all fun and simple ways to use candies in desserts to make people say, "Wow!" 

Jump to:

• Key ingredients
• Variations
• How to make easy cotton candy cake recipe with cake mix?
• Tips and techniques
• Storage
• Recipe FAQs
• More candy desserts
• Recipe

Key ingredients

• Eggs- Use large ones that are room temperature.
• Milk- Whole milk will make a creamier batter.
• Butter- Always use unsalted in sweet baked goods.
• Yellow cake mix- This just makes things easier for you.
• Gel food coloring- You will need yellow, turquoise, and pink.
• Whipped cream- The perfect pairing to offset the bright colors.
• Cotton candy- In colors pink, yellow, and blue.
• Sprinkles- These always add a fun touch.

Variations

• Try other cake flavors such as- White, lemon, Cherry Chip, Funfetti, Butter Pecan, or Butter Golden. Just keep in mind that the batter must be either pale yellow or white so that it can be easily colored. You can even make a homemade cake using my Best Vanilla Cake Recipe.
• Add other sweet decorations- Along with the fluffy cotton candy such as edible pearls, Nerds, mini marshmallows, mini gummy bears, mini chocolate chips, mini Starbursts, or coconut flakes.
• Use a different frosting flavor- Such as Funfetti Frosting, Marshmallow Frosting, White Chocolate Frosting, or American Buttercream. If you want to try a chocolate version you could use Chocolate Ganache Frosting, Chocolate Buttercream, or Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting.
• Try other cotton candy flavors- There are so many flavors to choose from and the colors vary as well.
• Add extracts to your cake batter- For a different flavor profile such as almond, peppermint, lemon, coconut, or raspberry.
• Ice the entire cake- Rather than doing this Naked Cake design that I have done.
• Add more cake layers- Make another batch of this recipe to make a tall double barrel layer cake. Remember to use dowels for support.
• Pastel version- You can use less coloring to make the colors more pale in the cake.
• Decorate- With Fondant Flowers, Easy Fondant Bows, or Wafer Paper Flowers.
• Fill the center of the cake- With a fun surprise that falls out upon cutting into the middle, such as sprinkles and edible pearls or mini candies like Nerds. Get more tips and ideas from this post on How to Make a Pinata Cake.

How to make easy cotton candy cake recipe with cake mix?

1. Make the batter- By combining eggs, milk, butter, and then stirring in the cake mix.
2. Divide batter- Into three separate bowls (Image 1).
3. Add food colorings- One color to each bowl, mixing until evenly distributed (Image 2).
4. Spoon the batter randomly- From bowls into prepared pans and swirl together (Image 3).
5. Bake until done- Then allow cakes to cool while you prepare the whipped cream.
6. Trim the cakes- And place on a cake stand (Image 4).
7. Spread whipped cream- On the top of the first cake. (Image 5)
8. Place the second cake- On top of that, then top with more whipped cream. (Image 6 and 7).
9. Stick cotton candy to the top- And toss some sprinkles around the base (Image 8).

Tips and techniques

• Don't add the cotton candy until just prior to serving- Or else it will dissolve and you won't have the fluffy pretty cake imagined.
• Use gel food coloring over liquid food coloring- Because the colors are more concentrated and vibrant and the liquid can make the batter to runny.
• The cotton candy will stick- To the frosting below, so no need for special glue or anything.
• Be sure your hands are dry- When you handle the cotton candy, because you don't want it to dissolve or get so moist that it becomes hard.
• Don't stir the batter too much- When mixing the colors or else you will end up with one big brown colored mess. It won't be as magical as you dreamed. Don't say I didn't warn you.
• Keep the cotton candy in the container- You purchased it in until ready to decorate and serve, because this will keep it fresh and help it not to dissolve or harden.
• Use separate bowls for all frosting colors- Don't try to save yourself from washing more dishes or else you will get colors mixing together and you won't get those clean, bright hues.
• Wait until the cake is fully cooled- Before frosting and decorating or else you will end up with a melty mess.
• Use full fat ingredients- For the best flavor and texture.
• Be sure all ingredients are at room temperature- Because this allows them to mix more fluidly together.

Storage

• Room temperature- I don't recommend letting this sit out for more than 2-3 hours, because of the dairy products in the frosting as well as the potential for the cotton candy to melt or harden.
• Refrigerate- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. 
• Freeze- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the freezer for up to 1 month. Thaw and decorate with the cotton candy per instructions below.
• Make ahead- Leaving off the cotton candy until ready to serve, you can make the cake up to 3 days before and store it in the fridge in a sealed container. You can also freeze the cake for up to 1 month before needed. When ready, thaw, decorate, and serve.

Recipe FAQs

More candy desserts

• Easy Kit Kat Cake (With Strawberries)
• Christmas Fudge (Candy Cane Fudge)
• Peppermint Cake (Candy Cane Cake)
• Halloween Treat Bags (Candy Goodie Bags)
• Chocolate M&M Cookies (With Cake Mix)

Recipe