Minimum Effort Maximum Output: Nostalgic Butterfly Cakes

Butterfly Cakes

These cakes are so nostalgic to me. Perfect for parties and celebrations. Children love them but adults enjoy them too. You can keep them simple, or be adventurous with fillings and decorations.

This is my simple recipe for the cakes and buttercream. Adulterate as you wish!

Recipe:

Fairy cakes (makes approx 24)

3 medium free range eggs

6 oz self raising flour

6oz margarine (I use stork)

6oz Caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

1tsp baking powder

24 cupcake cases

Method:

Firstly place your cake cases in your cupcake tins.

Pre heat your oven to 160 C fan

Weigh the ingredients and add to a large roomy mixing bowl. Make sure you sieve the flour into the bowl.

Mix well by hand or use an electric hand whisk.

Using a dessert spoon to scoop and a tea spoon to scrape: Divide the mixture evenly into the cake cases. They should be just over half full.

Place your cakes into the oven and set timer for 16 mins. My oven is particularly quick, so if you regularly make fairy cakes you will know exactly how long your oven takes to cook them.

If not. Check them after 16 mins. They should look well risen, brown and springy to the touch if they are ready.

Place cakes to cool on a wire cooling rack.

Meanwhile make your buttercream:

Ingredients:

6oz icing sugar

3oz margarine (or soft unsalted butter)

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

* You may want to add flavouring. Examples are Cocoa Powder/Lemon juice or Coffee.

Or colouring. Pink food colouring looks great for a girl's birthday party (not meaning to gender stereotype!)

Weigh the ingredients and place in a bowl. By hand or with an electric hand whisk, mix until smooth and free of lumps. Make sure you try it for flavour and texture. If your butter was a little soft you might want to add more icing sugar to stiffen up.

Place in the fridge until needed.

Now your cakes will be cool.

Using a tea spoon, scoop out the tops of your fairy cakes. Cut the top into two pieces to resemble wings and set aside.

Then, if your motto is not minimum effort maximum output you may want to pipe your buttercream onto the cakes in a swirl fashion. But scooping a generous blob of butter icing onto the top of the cake is absolutely fine! :-) Then place the 'Butterfly wings' on top.

Dust with icing sugar or cocoa powder. Or sprinkles/sugar stars. Whatever you like! You can even buy edible glitter.