Butterfly Cakes
Sweet and simple butterfly cakes made with light, fluffy vanilla cupcakes topped with jam and cream and ready in under 30 minutes.
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Servings: 12 cupcakes
Calories: 190kcal
Equipment
- Beaters, stand-mixer or Thermomix
- Oven
Ingredients
- 200 g unsalted butter softened
- 200 g caster sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or essence
- 4 eggs
- 200 g (1 ⅓ cups) self raising flour
- ½ cup (160g) jam raspberry or strawberry (or your choice)
- 300 ml cream thickened, heavy or whipping
- icing sugar to dust
Instructions
Conventional Method
- 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 ⅔ 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).
Thermomix Method
- 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 ⅔ 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).
Notes
RECIPE NOTES & TIPS
For a stronger vanilla flavour, use vanilla bean paste rather than vanilla extract.
Caster sugar is a type of superfine sugar (not granulated). Superfine sugar is best for cupcakes as the sugar dissolves as it's beaten with the butter.
Use room temperature ingredients.
Beat the eggs together before slowly beating them through the butter.
Sift the self-raising flour for lump-free cupcakes.
After adding the self-raising flour, gently stir though (but do not over-mix).
Add rice to the bottom of the muffin tin holes (this stops the cupcake cases from getting greasy).
To stop the cupcakes from cracking when cooked, cook in a medium/low oven of 170 degrees celsius (fan-forced).
Bake until lightly golden and the cupcakes spring back when lightly touched.
Allow the cupcakes to cool before decorating with jam, cream and icing sugar.
As these cupcakes contain whipped cream, they should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge and brought to room temperature before consuming (cupcakes dry out in the fridge so it's important to bring them to room temperature before eating so that they are deliciously moist again!).
Consume within 2 days.
You can freeze the cupcakes without jam and cream in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Allow frozen cupcakes to defrost at room temperature and then decorate with jam and cream. Do not re-freeze once decorated.
Whipped cream can be substituted with buttercream.
Use any flavour jam you like or substitute with lemon curd.
Nutrition
Calories: 190kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 18mg | Potassium: 34mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 432IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg