Gorgeous Little Butterfly Cakes Or Fairy Cakes Recipes

BUTTERFLY CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 170 degrees celsius (fan-forced).
• Place cupcake cases into the holes of a 12-hole muffin tray.
• Place the butter, caster sugar, salt and vanilla extract into a bowl.
• Beat together with a stand-mixer or hand-held beaters until pale and fluffy.
• Add the eggs one at a time and continue to beat until well combined.
• Sift in the self raising flour and stir with a spoon until just combined (don't over combine).
• Place the cupcake mixture into the cupcake cases - filling them to 2/3 full.
• Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until golden and when they spring back when touched in the centre.
• Leave cupcakes in the baking trays for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Using beaters or a stand mixer, whip the cream until firm. Set aside.
• Cut a small round circle in the middle of each cupcakes. Cut each of the circles in half.
• Add a teaspoon of jam into the cupcake hole. Top with whipped cream and two of the circle halves (to resemble butterfly wings). Dust with icing sugar (optional).
• Preheat oven to 170 degrees celsius (fan-forced).
• Place cupcake cases into the holes of a 12-hole muffin tray.
• Place sugar and butter into the Thermomix bowl and and mix for 15 seconds, Speed 5.
• Add the eggs, salt, vanilla extract and self-raising flour and mix for 15 seconds, Speed 5. Scrape down sides of mixing bowl with spatula, then mix for a further 10 seconds, Speed 5.
• Place the cupcake mixture into the cupcake cases - filling them to 2/3 full.
• Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until golden and when they spring back when touched in the centre.
• Leave cupcakes in the baking trays for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Insert the butterfly into the Thermomix bowl. Pour in the cream and mix on Speed 3 until whipped and firm (keep an eye on it and stop mixing as soon as the cream is whipped).
• Cut a small round circle in the middle of each cupcakes. Cut each of the circles in half.
• Add a teaspoon of jam into the cupcake hole. Top with whipped cream and two of the circle halves (to resemble butterfly wings). Dust with icing sugar (optional).

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!