EASY BUTTERFLY RECIPES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line a cupcake tin with 10 cases. To make the sponge, tip the butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour, baking powder and milk into a large mixing bowl and beat with either a hand whisk or electric mixer until smooth, pale and combined. Divide the batter between the cases and bake for 15 mins until golden brown and a skewer inserted in the middle of a cake comes out clean. Leave on a wire rack to cool.
• While the cakes are cooling, make the buttercream by beating together the icing sugar, butter and vanilla until pale and fluffy. Mix in the extra milk if the icing feels too stiff.
• Once the cakes are cool, use a sharp knife to slice off the tops, then cut the tops in half. Pipe or spread the buttercream on top of the cakes, then gently push two semi-circular halves into the buttercream on each cake, doing this at an angle to look like butterfly wings. You can serve the cupcakes at this stage, or decorate them with a little blob of jam in the centre and a scattering of sprinkles, if you like.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C (fan)/200C (electric)/Gas mark 6
• Lay out 12 cake cases in a bun tin
• Mix the sugar, flour and baking powder together
• Add the butter/margarine and eggs
• Whisk all of it together
• Using a teaspoon, fill the cake cases with the mixture (be sure to give them a fair amount)
• Put the tray in the oven for around 15 mins or until they are golden brown
• Take them out of the oven and place on a cooling rack
• Make the icing by whisking the butter and half the sugar together, once they are mixed add the rest of the sugar and a dash of milk, continue whisking
• Use a sharp knife to cut a upside-down, shallow cone shape out the top of the cake, cut this in half. Fill the hole in the cake with icing and then place the cut out cake on top (like wings.) Sprinkle some icing sugar on top of your cakes