Sian Welby's butterfly cupcakes

Sian is supporting Give and Bake by sharing her mum's recipe for butterfly cupcakes.

Ingredients

For cupcakes

  • 160g unsalted butter, softened
  • 160g golden caster sugar
  • 3 medium free-range eggs, beaten
  • 160g self-raising flour
  • 2 tsp vanilla bean extract

For buttercream

  • 160g unsalted butter, softened
  • 270g icing sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean extract
butterfly cupcakes

Method

For cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan assisted, 350°F, gas mark 4) and line 2 x 12-hole cake tins with paper cases.

Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until pale. Beat in the eggs, a little at a time, and stir in the vanilla bean extract.

Fold in the flour using a large metal spoon.

Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until they are half full.

Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until golden-brown on top and a skewer inserted into one of the cakes comes out clean.

Set aside to cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack.

For buttercream

Beat the sifted icing sugar and butter together with your vanilla bean extract.

Add 2-3 tablespoons of boiling water to loosen and beat until smooth.

Decoration

Once cupcakes have cooled, use a small sharp knife to cut a circle of cake out of the top of each cupcake leaving a small border.

Cut each cake circle in half to make butterfly wings.

Fill each of the small holes with buttercream and then place your cake wings on top.