When I was very young and first saw butterfly cupcakes, I thought that they were the height of sophistication. Little did I know that with a little deft slicing action, you could easily fashion a butterfly cupcake of your own. Eating them now, there’s something so satisfying and transporting about these pretty winged cakes stuffed with cream and strawberry jam (and it must be strawberry jam) and the cushioney cool, sweet squishiness when you bit into one. The old fashioned bakeries are now giving way to more sophisticated French patisseries but I still love a jam and cream cupcake.
These cupcakes combine the very Australian cake, the Lamington, a chocolate and coconut covered vanilla cake, with the old school butterfly cupcake.
Lamington Angel cupcakes from Women’s Weekly Cupcakes
Vanilla Buttercake
- 90g butter softened
- 1/2 t vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup (150g) Self Raising flour
- 2 tbs milk
Chocolate icing
- 10g butter
- 1/3 cup (80ml) milk
- 2 cups (320g) icing sugar
- 1/4 cup (25g) cocoa powder
Decorations
- 1 cup (80g) dessicated coconut
- 1/4 cup (100g) raspberry jam
- 1/2 cup (125ml) thickened cream, whipped
1. Preheat oven to moderate 180degrees/160 fan forced. Line 6 hole Texas or 12 hole standard muffin pan with paper cases
2. Beat butter, extract, sugar, eggs, flour and milk in small bowl with electric mixer on low until ingredients are just combined. Increase speed to medium, beat until mixture has changed to a paler colour.
3. Divide mixture among cases, smooth surface
4. Bake large cakes about 25 minutes, small cakes about 20 minutes. Turn cakes onto wire rack to cool.
5. Make chocolate icing
Dip into dessicated coconut
Leaving to set
6. Remove cases from cakes. Using a fork, spear the bottom of the cupcakes and dip cakes in icing, drain off excess, dip cake in coconut. Place cakes on wire rack to set (setting it makes it much easier to handle for the next step).
Cut out top with very sharp knife
Fill with dollop of strawberry jam and then cover with sweetened whipped cream
Cut bases off wings so that they are as flat as possible and position wings
7. Cut cakes as desired, fill with jam and cream
Chocolate icing:
Melt butter in medium heatproof bowl over medium saucepan of simmering water. Stir in milk and sifted icing sugar and cocoa until icing is a coating consistency.
From Womens Weekly Cupcakes book
