Butterfly Cakes -Simple Vanilla Cupcakes with Whipped Cream

A true nostalgic treat, Butterfly Cakes are simply a delicious decorated vanilla cupcake made to look like a Butterfly.  Always a huge hit at children's birthday parties, and not just for the little kids!  So easy to make in less than 30 minutes, with just a handheld mixer, making them super child-friendly.

Butterfly Cakes, also known as Fairy Cakes when we were kids, are one of the greatest things I remember my Nanna Annie making.  They looked so fancy, but were really just plain cupcakes with a little extra love.  All you need to do is cut a circle from the centre of each cake with a small, sharp knife, then cut the circle in half to make butterfly wings.  Fill the centre of each cupcake with some raspberry jam and Chantilly cream, then pop the wings into place.  Finish with a dusting of icing sugar and pipe a line of jam to resemble a butterfly body.  I'm using my Patty Cake recipe for these Butterfly Cakes;  a recipe that my sister Helen shared with me.  It's just a great cake recipe we'd make when we were kids, so I hope you enjoy it as much as we have.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

• They're kid-friendly -to make and to eat!
• There's no fancy ingredients
• No fancy equipment -just an electric hand mixer
• They're such sweet little cakes that are super nostalgic
• It's a simple recipe, but looks so impressive!

Ingredients

• Unsalted butter to give richness to the cupcakes
• Caster sugar or superfine sugar for sweetness -use it in the cakes and in the Chantilly cream
• Whole eggs to give structure and flavour to the cakes
• Vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste for the ultimate flavour in the cake batter and the fresh mcream
• Whole milk rather than skim milk, for a richer cupcake
• Self-raising flour rather than all purpose flour means no need to add baking powder -the rising agent is already in the flour
• Fresh cream: for whipping and then filling the centre of the cake
• Raspberry jam:  also for filling, as well as decorating

Substitutions and Additions

• Cupcake: this is a basic cupcake recipe, so if you want to make these butterfly cakes extra soft and delicious, try using my Vanilla Cupcake recipe -it's just a little fancier
• Jam: not a fan of jam?  Use my caramel sauce or lemon curd instead, for a delicious twist on this childhood favourite.
• Chocolate version:  I'm seriously thinking I should turn these vanilla butterfly cakes into a chocolate butterfly, using my amazing Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

Step by Step Instructions

1. Pre heat oven to 180 celsius or 350 fahrenheit
2. Line a 12 hole patty pan tin or cupcake pan
3. Place the caster sugar and room temperature butter in a large bowl
4. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat on low speed until it starts to combine, then increase the speed to medium for about 2 minutes
5. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix again on low, then medium until well combined.  Don't forget to scrape the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula, to ensure everything mixes in well
6. Stop the mixer, then add the self-raising flour and the milk (unpopular opinion, I know, but that's how we did it as kids and it worked!). With the mixer on low, start mixing everything until it's almost combined.  Stop and finish mixing with you spatula to avoid over mixing the cake batter.
7. Use an ice cream scoop to scoop out the batter, popping it into the cupcake liners
8. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until golden brown.  Check the cakes with a cake skewer, then remove from the oven when done
9. Allow to cool in the tin, before transferring your patty cakes to a wire rack to cool completely
10. Once cool, whip the chantilly cream, caster sugar and vanilla, then place it into a piping bag fitted with an open star tip and set aside
11. Place the jam into another small piping bag and set aside

Assembly

• Use a small sharp knife on a slight angle to cut a circle out of the top of each cupcake.
• Cut each of these circles in half -these are your butterfly wings

• Pipe about half a teaspoon of jam into the centre of each cupcake, then pipe a generous amount of cream on top

• With the straight side of the wings facing in, gently press the wings into the cream, slightly angling them up

• Dust with a sprinkle of icing sugar, then pipe a thin line of jam through the centre of the wings

Tips and Tricks

• Use a large ice cream scoop to scoop out the cake batter, scraping it along the side of the bowl to get the right amount.
• Avoid over mixing the batter by finishing the mixing off by hand
• We always used (patty cake tins -they are more shallow than a regular cupcake or muffin tin).  If you don't have patty tins, just use the cupcake tin you do have.
• Bake time can vary, just as all ovens can vary.  Keep an eye on your Patty Cakes at 15 minutes, to see if they're done.
• When cutting circles from your patty cakes, use a small sharp knife on a slight angle, so you don't cut too deep -just enough to form wings
• When cutting a small hole in the piping bag of jam, leave enough room for the raspberry seeds to escape as well

Serving Suggestions

• Afternoon tea:  serve these with a cup of tea, for a nostalgic, retro treat
• Kids parties:  they will be one of the first things to go!
• Turn them into Jelly Cakes:  use this foundation Patty Cake recipe and make jelly cakes with them!  Both the Jelly Cakes and the Butterfly Cakes are filled with Chantilly cream, so maybe make half and half

Storage

• Room temperature: as these Butterfly Cakes contain fresh cream, don't leave them at room temperature too long.  However, unfilled cakes can be kept in an airtight container for 2 days
• Refrigerate:  they will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.  Keep in mind that refrigerating cakes can dry them out, so leave them at room temperature for about half an hour before serving
• Freezer:  you can freeze these unfilled cakes for up to 3 months -just wrap them in plastic wrap or keep them in an airtight, freezer-friendly container

More Retro Desserts

You know we're all about retro, nostalgic baking at Apple Cake Annie, so grab some more inspiration from some of these:

Mars Bar Slice          Peppermint Slice          Lamingtons          Sponge Cake

Did you try this recipe?  I'd love it if you could  take a minute to leave a review or share your photos on Instagram, tagging @apple.cake.annie