Chocolate Fairy Cakes

Name: Chocolate Fairy Cakes
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 38 min
Ingredients: 100 g Softened butter; 100 g Caster sugar; 1 Teaspoon Vanilla extract; 80 g Self-raising flour; 20 g Cocoa powder; 2 Small Eggs; 60 g Icing sugar; ½ Tablespoon Cocoa powder; 1 Tablespoon Milk; 5 Tablespoons Chocolate sprinkles

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These chocolate fairy cakes are a nostalgic British bake and they're great for kids' parties! They're soft and fluffy bite-sized chocolate cupcakes topped with glacé icing and chocolate sprinkles.

chocolate fairy cupcakes on a white surface

Who doesn't love a classic fairy cake? They were a staple bake in every household when I was growing up in the 90s but I feel like they just don't get enough love these days, so I thought I'd share this chocolate fairy cakes recipe with you all!

If you don't know what a fairy cake is, it's basically a mini cupcake but instead of traditional buttercream, it's topped with glacé icing, or sometimes nothing at all. The most popular flavours are vanilla, chocolate and chocolate chip, and you'll typically find them at kids' parties or afternoon teas.

If you're ready to get baking, keep on reading for my ingredient and equipment notes, top tips and step-by-step photos. For those who prefer the quick, condensed version, you can find it in the recipe card at the end of the post. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Softened butter: Or baking spread, whatever you like! I prefer the flavour of butter but baking spread is a lot easier to mix so I usually alternate between the two when making cakes.
Caster sugar: This is the best type of sugar to use for baking as it dissolves into the fat a lot better than regular granulated sugar. It's also known as superfine sugar.
Vanilla extract: Just a touch. Sometimes I like to add a small splash of coffee to my chocolate cupcakes to enhance the flavours but when making these with kids, vanilla does the job just fine.
Self-raising flour: To create light and fluffy fairy cakes without having to add baking powder separately.
Cocoa powder: For the chocolatey flavour. We'll use this both in the cake batter and in the icing.
Eggs: Two small ones are preferable here. Using eggs that are too large can cause the batter to curdle a little bit, but if that happens you can just add some extra flour to help it come together again.
Icing sugar: For the glacé icing topping.
Milk: Just a tablespoon of milk helps get the icing to the perfect consistency.
Chocolate sprinkles: I used chocolate vermicelli as this is what I used when growing up, but you can use any other type of chocolate sprinkles that you like. You can even use chocolate shavings if you want to be extra fancy.

Equipment

Cupcake tin: One that will fit 12 cupcake cases. I actually like to use a muffin tin as it stops the fairy cakes from spreading outwards when they're baking.
Fairy cake cases: These will be labelled as such and are NOT the same as cupcake cases. Fairy cases are a lot smaller, so make sure to get the correct ones.
Mixing bowl: A medium-sized one for the cake batter and a small one for the icing.
Utensils: You'll need a wooden spoon, a teaspoon and a few teaspoons.
Wire cooling rack: To cool your cakes and prevent soggy bottoms!
Kitchen scale: I recommend using a scale to measure out the ingredients for this recipe as they are more accurate than cups.

overhead image of chocolate fairy cakes with sprinkles on top

How to make chocolate fairy cakes

Step 1: Line a cupcake tin with 12 fairy cake cases and preheat your oven to 160°C (or 140°C if you're using a fan oven).

Step 2: To a medium-sized bowl, add 100g of soft butter, 100g of caster sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Mix well until smooth.

butter and sugar creamed together in a bowl

Step 3: Add in 80g of self-raising flour, 20g of cocoa powder and 2 small eggs. Mix them in a little bit at a time until you have a smooth, thick cake batter. If the batter is too dry, add a small splash of milk. If it's curdled, add an extra spoonful or two of flour.

Step 4: Divide the batter equally between the 12 fairy cake cases and bake for 15-18 minutes on the middle shelf of the oven. You can test for doneness by inserting a toothpick through the middle of one cake- if it comes out clean, they're ready.

Step 5: Transfer the fairy cakes to a wire rack and let them cool completely.

Step 6: Once the cakes have cooled, prepare your icing by mixing together 60g of icing sugar, ½ tablespoon of cocoa powder and 1 tablespoon of milk. If you want it thinner, add more milk, or add more icing sugar if you want it thicker.

Step 7: Use a teaspoon to spread a little bit of icing onto each cake then top with some chocolate sprinkles and enjoy!

Top Tips

Make sure to use fairy cake cases and not regular cupcake cases, otherwise you'll only get 6 cakes instead of 12.
Using a deeper tin such as a muffin tin will help the cakes look more uniform as it helps them to bake upwards rather than outwards.
Butter can be swapped for baking spread if you prefer. It's especially helpful if you're baking with kids as it's easier to mix.

FAQs

How long do chocolate fairy cakes last?

These will keep well for up to 5 days if you store them at room temperature in an airtight container.

Can I freeze them?

Yes, these can be frozen for up to 2 months in an airtight container, either iced or uniced. To defrost, let them sit out at room temperature for an hour or two. Do not refreeze.

Can I use gluten-free flour?

Yes. Simply swap the self-raising flour for a gluten-free self-raising flour blend. You might need to add a bit more milk to the batter as gluten-free flour tends to absorb more liquid.

How can I make this recipe vegan?

There are quite a few swaps needed to make this particular recipe vegan, so I recommend using a recipe that is already vegan, such as this one.

More classic cupcakes:

I hope you like my chocolate fairy cakes recipe. If you make them at home, please leave a comment and rating below to let me know what you think. Enjoy!