British Butterfly Cakes Recipes

BRITISH BUTTERFLY CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease or line 20 muffin cups with paper liners.
• Beat white sugar and 7 tablespoons butter together in a bowl using an electric mixer until smooth and creamy; add eggs, vanilla extract, and baking powder and beat until smooth. Sift flour into creamed butter mixture until batter is smooth. Spoon 2 tablespoons batter into each muffin cup.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Cool cupcakes in the tin for 3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Mix confectioners' sugar and 1/2 cup butter together in a bowl until frosting is smooth; spread onto cooled cupcakes.

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.

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 CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line two 12-hole cupcake tins with paper muffin cases. Put all the cake ingredients in a large bowl and whisk with an electric whisk for 3-4 mins or until pale and light. Divide the mixture evenly among the 24 cases and bake for 20 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre of a cake comes out clean. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
• While the cupcakes bake, make the syrup. Put the sugar, lavender and 300ml water in a medium pan over a low heat. Bring gradually to the boil, cook for 2 mins, then turn off the heat and leave to infuse. When cold, strain through a sieve into a small jug.
• To make the icing, put the butter, icing sugar and 100ml of the syrup in a large bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon, then switch to an electric whisk and whisk until smooth and fluffy. Divide the mixture between three bowls. Add a tiny dot of food colouring gel to each bowl to make three different colours of buttercream - stir to mix, then transfer half of each colour to disposable piping bags.
• Use a cocktail stick to poke a few little holes in the top of the cupcakes, then drizzle each with 1 tsp of the syrup. Put 1 heaped tsp of icing onto each cake (do eight of each colour) and swirl it round with the back of the spoon to completely cover the top. Next, use the matching piping bag to pipe a straight line about 2-3 cm long across the middle of each cake.
• To make the wings, melt the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Divide into three smaller bowls and add the same gel colours as before. Cut 8cm squares of baking parchment and, using a pen, draw a pair of butterfly wings on each square so that the design shows through on the other side or, if you prefer, trace the design below. Turn the paper over and, using the line as a guide, paint on the melted chocolate. Sprinkle crushed biscuits on the edges to create patterns, then leave to set. Once set, gently push the wings into the cupcakes at a 45-degree angle.