Easy Lemon Butterfly Cakes (Fairy Cakes)
Classic British butterfly cakes with a swirl of lemon buttercream on top.
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Servings: 12 butterfly cakes
Calories: 450kcal
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
- 190 g Softened butter
- 190 g Caster sugar
- ½ Teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 3 Medium Eggs
- 190 g Self-raising flour
- Zest 1 Lemon
Topping:
- 160 g Softened butter
- 300 g Icing sugar (plus more for dusting)
- 2 Tablespoons Lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon zest
Instructions
Cupcakes:
- Preheat your oven to 180℃ (160℃ for fan ovens) and line a cupcake tin with 12 cases.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until soft and fluffy. Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Mix in the flour and the eggs, a little bit at a time, until you have a smooth, thick cake batter. Then stir in the lemon zest. If needed, you can add a splash of milk to help loosen the mixture.
- Divide the cake mix between your 12 cases and bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Transfer them to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
- Once the cupcakes are cool, gently cut the tops off using a small serrated knife. Cut the tops in half then set them aside with their matching cupcake.
Topping:
- Add the softened butter to a bowl and slowly stir in the icing sugar, a little at a time. Add the lemon juice and lemon zest and mix until smooth.
- Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and pipe a swirl onto the flat top of each cupcake. Then stick on the two halves of the tops with the flat side down, to create a butterfly shape.
- Top with a dusting of icing sugar and enjoy!
Notes
- Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Serving: 1butterfly cake | Calories: 450kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 17mg | Potassium: 19mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 41g