Butterfly Fairy Cakes Recipes

BUTTERFLY CAKES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line a cupcake tin with 10 cases. To make the sponge, tip the butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour, baking powder and milk into a large mixing bowl and beat with either a hand whisk or electric mixer until smooth, pale and combined. Divide the batter between the cases and bake for 15 mins until golden brown and a skewer inserted in the middle of a cake comes out clean. Leave on a wire rack to cool.
• While the cakes are cooling, make the buttercream by beating together the icing sugar, butter and vanilla until pale and fluffy. Mix in the extra milk if the icing feels too stiff.
• Once the cakes are cool, use a sharp knife to slice off the tops, then cut the tops in half. Pipe or spread the buttercream on top of the cakes, then gently push two semi-circular halves into the buttercream on each cake, doing this at an angle to look like butterfly wings. You can serve the cupcakes at this stage, or decorate them with a little blob of jam in the centre and a scattering of sprinkles, if you like.

BUTTERFLY CUPCAKES (TRADITIONAL BRITISH BUTTERFLY CAKES)

Steps:

• In a stand mixer or using a handheld mixer, cream the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy. It will begin to pale in color, too.
• Add about one third of the beaten eggs, and mix well at medium speed.
• Then add about a third of the sifted flour. Repeat this step. Add the rest of the eggs and mix well, then turn the mixer to low and add the final flour. Just mix until well combined.
• Fill the cupcake liners half full with the batter and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when placed in the center of a cupcake.
• Remove cupcakes from the tin, place on cooling rack and allow to cool completely. When ready to decorate, cut out the center of each cupcake, angling the knife at a 45º angle.
• Then cut the loose piece in half to resemble butterfly wings. Place a small amount of jam in the center. Follow with a dollop of cream (or buttercream, if desired). You can also pipe the cream like I did. Next, place the "wings" on top.
• Repeat with all of the cupcakes, then dust each one generously with powdered sugar. Serve immediately, or refrigerate until ready to serve.

INCREDIBLY LIGHT AND FLUFFY FAIRY CAKES

Steps:

• First, preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line a fairy cake tin with cake cases.
• Take your softened fat and place it in a bowl. Then proceed to beat it as if you were creaming it(DO NOT ADD IN SUGAR AT THIS STAGE).
• Next, add in the sugar (make sure it has been sieved to achieve most air) and cream the two ingredients together.
• Using a separate bowl (this will have to be quite large), beat the egg. To make your cakes extra fluffy keep beating it even if you think it is done. The perfect outcome would be to end up with a "blob" of "froth" but that is not an easy feat. Then, spoon around a quarter of the egg to the beaten fat and beat it in thoroughly. To achieve best results make a well for the egg and when first starting to beat it in, mix the mixtures together like you would cement. After that, pour the mix into the rest of the egg and again, beat thoroughly. if you are adding an extract to this recipe then now is the time to do it, beating into the mix.
• Fold in the flour (after it has been sieved). if you are unsure as to how to do this then draw figures of eight around the bowl, coming up at the top and bottom.
• As with he eggs, beat the milk but this time continue unti it is a "blob" of "froth". Then, fold this into the mixture. the cake mix should be a good consistency, softly dropping off the spoon. Finally, spoon into the cake cases
• Bake for around 10 minutes or until golden brown and when inserted, a skewer comes out clean. Then leave to cool.

GORGEOUS LITTLE BUTTERFLY CAKES OR FAIRY CAKES!

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 190° C or 375°F.
• Have ready between 12 -18 paper cases depending on size. Small pie or cake tins will take standard paper cases. These cakes SHOULD be small and dainty and NOT standard "muffin" size. (However, you can make them bigger and adjust the cooking time by 5 minutes.).
• Cream butter or margarine with sugar until light, fluffy and pale in colour. By hand is best but a hand whisk is fine too!
• Beat the eggs and add them bit by bit with spoons of sifted flour. Bit by bit ensures the mixture does not curdle.
• Gently fold in an any flour left over when the egg is used up.
• Add the vanilla or any other flavourings desired - lemon and orange is good too! If the mixture is a little too stiff add a little milk or juice of orange/lemon.
• Half fill the paper cases with the mixture and bake for about 15 minutes until risen and firm but NOT too dark.
• Cool cakes and then cut a slice from the top of each cake and cut this in half.
• Place a little butter icing of your choice on the top of each cake and arrange the "wings" around the icing - round edge facing the outside and the cut edge to the inside and angled towards the bottom - like BUTTERFLY or FAIRY wings! Dust with extra icing sugar and watch them fly away!
• If you want to add colouring to the vanilla cakes, pink is really good with pink icing too! I once sprinkled on crystallised rose petals for a Christening Party & I also used rose essence in the butter icing, very sophisticated!
• N.B. You can multiply this recipe very easily, e.g: 6 ozs of butter, flour & sugar to 3 eggs; 8 ozs of butter, flour and sugar to 4 eggs & so on! It also makes VERY good big Victoria Sponge cakes - just slice and fill with a filling of your choice -- lemon curd, butter icing, fresh whipped cream & jam -- the list is endless!

BUTTERFLY CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/gas 6. Place fairy cake cases into a 12-hole bun tin, so that the cakes keep a good even shape as they bake. Measure all the cake ingredients into a large bowl and beat well for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is well blended and smooth. Fill each paper case with the mixture. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cakes are well risen and golden brown. Lift the paper cases out of the bun tin and cool the cakes on a wire rack. To make the icing, beat the butter and icing sugar together until well blended. Cut a slice from the top of each cake and cut this slice in half. Pipe a swirl of butter cream into the centre of each cake and place the half slices of cake on top to resemble butterfly wings. Dust the cakes with icing sugar to finish.

BUTTERFLY FAIRY CAKES ...

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180c/350f , prepare the patty tray with 12 paper cases. In a large bowl with an electric mixer ,add the sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and the water together . Until the mixture appears a light mouse colour takes about 3 minutes .
• shift the flour and baking powder into the batter ,fold in with a spatula trying not to flatten the air bubbles too much .
• With an ice-cream scoop ,fill the prepared patty tin , fill each space with a scoop of batter. Then place the tray in your preheated oven for 20 minutes , until the buns are well risen and are a golden brown colour.
• Once buns are done ,leave to cool in the baking tin . Probably take about 15 minutes . Then just cut the bun across the top .
• To make the filling ,in a bowl add the butter ,vanilla and icing sugar and mix together with the electric mixer . With the butterfly bun put 1/2 teaspoon of jam on to the bun ,then a teaspoon of the buttery filling and with the top of bun ,just cut in half and place it on to the bun like wings shape . For decoration ...sprinkle over some icing sugar.. and enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee..