Cotton Candy Pound Cake
This Cotton Candy Pound Cake is ultra-buttery, tender, and delicately sweet with a nostalgic cotton candy flavor. Soft pastel swirls make every slice whimsical and eye-catching—perfect for birthdays, baby showers, and kawaii dessert tables.
Servings 12 slices
Calories 380kcal
Cost $10 for entire recipe
Equipment
- 9×5-inch loaf pan
- Parchment paper
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Large mixing bowl
- Medium mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Rubber spatula
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Toothpick or cake tester
- Butter knife or skewer (for swirling)
- wire cooling rack
Ingredients
Cotton Candy Pound Cake
- 1½ cups 340 g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2¾ cups 550 g granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs room temperature
- 3 cups 375 g cake flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ¾ cup 180 ml whole milk, room temperature
- 1½ tsp cotton candy extract
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Pink gel food coloring
- Blue gel food coloring
Cotton Candy Glaze
- 1½ cups 180 g powdered sugar
- 2–3 tbsp heavy cream or whole milk
- ¼ tsp cotton candy extract
- Pinch of fine sea salt
- Pink or blue gel food coloring optional
Instructions
Make the Pound Cake
Prepare the Pan
- Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C). Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang, and lightly grease.
Cream Butter & Sugar
- Beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 4–5 minutes, until very pale, fluffy, and aerated. This step is key for a light crumb.
Add Eggs
- Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed.
Combine Dry Ingredients
- In a separate bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, and salt.
Build the Batter
- Add dry ingredients to the butter mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk. Begin and end with dry ingredients. Mix just until combined—do not overmix.
Flavor the Batter
- Mix in cotton candy extract and vanilla extract until evenly incorporated.
Create the Pastel Swirl
- Divide batter evenly into two bowls. Tint one pink and one blue using gel food coloring.
- Spoon alternating dollops into the prepared loaf pan, then gently swirl with a skewer or knife.
Bake
- Bake for 75–85 minutes, tenting loosely with foil after 50 minutes if the top browns too quickly.
- The cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Cool Completely
- Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then lift out and transfer to a wire rack. Allow to cool completely before glazing.
Make the Cotton Candy Glaze
Prepare the Glaze
- In a bowl, whisk powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons cream, cotton candy extract, and salt until smooth.
- Add remaining cream a little at a time until a thick but pourable glaze forms. Tint lightly with pink or blue if desired.
Glaze the Cake
- Drizzle glaze over the cooled pound cake, allowing it to drip naturally down the sides. Let set for 15–20 minutes before slicing.
Notes
- Cake flour is essential for a soft, bakery-style crumb. All-purpose flour will make the pound cake noticeably denser.
- Fully cream the butter and sugar until very pale and fluffy—this step creates lift in an otherwise heavy batter.
- Room-temperature ingredients (butter, eggs, milk) ensure a smooth batter and prevent curdling.
- Cotton candy extract strength varies by brand. Start with the listed amount and adjust slightly to taste if yours is especially strong or mild.
- Use gel food coloring only. Liquid food coloring can thin the batter and muddy the pastel swirls.
- Swirl gently. One or two passes with a skewer is enough—over-swirling will blend the colors instead of marbling.
- Tent with foil if needed. Pound cakes bake long; loosely cover after about 50 minutes to prevent over-browning.
- Cool completely before glazing. A warm cake will absorb the glaze instead of allowing it to set on top.
- For extra nostalgia, sprinkle pastel sanding sugar or cotton-candy-colored sprinkles over the glaze before it sets.
- Flavor improves overnight. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature and enjoy the next day for the best texture and flavor.