Go Back
Butterfly cupcakes

Butterfly cakes

Butterfly cakes are a classic children's bake. This recipe is so easy to do kids will love making them as well as eating them.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Decorating time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 12
Course: Afternoon tea
Cuisine: British
Calories: 350
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 100 g (½ cup or 1 stick) butter/margarine
  • 100 g (½ cup) caster sugar
  • 100 g (¾ cup) self raising flour*
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2 eggs
For the icing
  • 175 g (¾ cup) butter
  • 350 g (3 cups) icing sugar

Equipment

  • Digital scales
  • Freestanding mixer
  • Mixing bowl
  • Hand held mixer
  • Wooden spoons
  • Spatula
  • Measuring cups
  • measuring spoons
  • Muffin tin
  • Cupcake cases
  • Wire rack
  • Piping bag

Method
 

Preheat your oven to 200C / 180C Fan / 390F and line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper cupcake cases.
    Mix everything together
    1. Measure out all the ingredients in turn and add them to a free-standing mixer or large mixing bowl.
    2. Once all your ingredients have been measured out mix it all together with the k-paddle of your free-standing mixer, a hand held mixer or even some wooden spoons.
    3. Keep mixing until it has come together in a nice smooth batter. It'll take a few minutes. If you need to, scrape down the sides of your bowl with a spatula.
    Bake the butterfly cupcakes
    1. Fill the paper cases with cupcake batter. Add batter until the paper cases are around ¾ full.
    2. We find the easiest way of doing this is to use an ice-cream scoop. It dispenses the perfect amount of batter and saves a lot of mess. If you don't have an ice-cream scoop, use a large dessert or soup spoon
    3. Bake the cupcakes in the oven for 15-20 minutes. They're ready when they have risen and turned a nice golden brown colour.
    4. Remove them from the oven and leave them to cool in the tin for a few minutes before carefully removing them from the tin and popping them on a wire rack to cool completely.
    Decorate the butterfly cakes
    1. Make the icing by beating the butter and icing sugar together with the k paddle or your free-standing mixer a hand held mixer or wooden spoons.
    2. While the butter icing is mixing (the longer you mix it the softer it will become), cut a slice off the top of each cupcake. Then cut each slice in half. These will form the 'butterflies'.
    3. Put your icing in a piping bag with a large star shaped nozzle. Swirl some icing onto each cupcake and then put the two half slices on top arranged to look like butterflies.
    4. Dust with icing sugar. Serve and enjoy.

    Notes

    If you don't have any self raising flour, use ¾ cup of plain or all-purpose flour and add an extra ¾ tsp of baking powder.