Description
Delightfully charming traditional British Butterfly Cupcakes feature soft, fluffy cupcakes filled with raspberry jam and topped with whipped cream shaped into delicate butterfly wings. Perfect for children’s parties or any festive occasion, these pretty little cakes combine a light vanilla-flavored sponge with luscious jam and cream for a classic treat.
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
- 10 oz unsalted butter, good quality, at room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups superfine or caster sugar
- 6 eggs, beaten
- 2 cups self-rising flour (or all-purpose flour with 2 tsp baking powder), sifted
- A good pinch of salt
To Decorate:
- 1 jar raspberry jam, good quality (e.g., Mackays or Bonne Maman; you won’t use the entire jar)
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Prepare cupcake tins: Line cupcake tins with paper liners for easy removal and clean-up.
- Preheat oven: Set your oven temperature to 350ºF (175ºC) to ensure it’s ready for baking.
- Cream butter and sugar: Using a stand mixer or handheld mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until the mixture is very light, fluffy, and pale in color. This step aerates the batter for a tender crumb.
- Incorporate eggs and flour: Add about one third of the beaten eggs to the creamed butter mixture and mix well at medium speed. Then add about one third of the sifted flour and mix. Repeat adding eggs and flour in thirds, mixing thoroughly but avoid overmixing at the end to maintain cake texture.
- Fill cupcake liners: Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling each about halfway to allow room for rising.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, indicating the cupcakes are fully cooked.
- Cool cupcakes: Remove the cupcakes from the tin and transfer them to a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before decorating.
- Cut out centers: When cool, use a knife angled at 45º to cut a cone-shaped section out from the center of each cupcake. Remove the cone.
- Create butterfly wings: Slice the removed cone horizontally into two pieces to mimic butterfly wings.
- Fill and decorate: Place a small spoonful of raspberry jam into the cupcake cavity, then add a dollop or pipe whipped cream on top of the jam. Finally, position the two ‘wings’ on top of the cream to resemble a butterfly.
- Dust with sugar: Generously dust the decorated cupcakes with powdered sugar for a delicate finish.
- Serve or store: Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve. If storing for extended periods, consider using buttercream instead of whipped cream to prevent spoilage.
Notes
- If the butterfly cupcakes need to be out for longer than 30 minutes (such as at a bake sale), substitute whipped cream with buttercream frosting to prevent spoilage while still maintaining great flavor.
- Use good-quality raspberry jam for the best flavor impact.
- Be gentle when cutting and placing the butterfly wings to keep them intact and beautiful.
- Ensure cupcakes are completely cooled before decorating to avoid cream melting.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 to 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: British
