Sometimes I think with baking its nice to revisit something you loved as a child. Everyone remembers having these beauties at birthday parties or when your mum or grandma fancied doing a spot of baking. Sometimes going back to old school baking is best (and makes you very popular with all involved). As a coincidence this is also one of those recipes that is ingrained into my memory (including Yorkshire puddings and oaty biscuits).

To make your own butterfly cakes you will need:

For the cakes

4 eggs

225g butter

225g flour

225g caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the filling

Your favourite jam

140g butter softened

280g icing sugar

A splash of milk

Food colouring (optional, but fun)

(Makes approximately 22 cakes)

 

Line a cupcake tin with cake cases. Preheat your oven to 180°C. In a large mixing bowl use an electric whisk to whisk up your eggs and sugar into a thick pale yellow mixture.

Melt your butter and leave to one side. Fold in your flour and vanilla. Slowly add your melted butter.

Fill your cake cases around 3/4 full. If you don’t have a enough room in your cake tins do 2 batches. Try to keep the level of cake mix consistent so they cook evenly.

Bake for 17 – 20 minutes or until golden brown and so that a skewer comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool before you decorate them.

To make your buttercream beat together your butter, milk and icing sugar until no lumps of butter remain. Then if using add your food colouring.

To make the butterflies cut a small circle out of the top of each cake and cut the circle in half. Fill the hole with your jam and buttercream and use the cake pieces to make butterfly wings.

Serve with a cup of tea or as part of an array of party food. (Presence of children entirely optional).