needs more sugar

I remember my brother making these when I was little, I think he’d brought them home from Food Tech class at school or something. I was amazed, and instantly hooked.

Where’s the sugary icing though? Where’s the hundred’s & thousands? Where’s the sugar hangover?

I’ve had many a dodgy butterfly cake since then. Cakes with the too-yellow mix, the mock-cream (sacrilege!), the teeth-numbing sweetness.

The beauty in a perfect butterfly cake is fresh whipped cream with vanilla scraped from the pod, juicy , sweet strawberries, and a light dusting of icing sugar.

They’re simple and I think that’s why they’re so delicious, and so more-ish.

Ingredients:
(makes 24)

2 3/4 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
200g softened unsulted butter
1 3/4 cups castor sugar
4 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk

Ingredients:
(Topping)

Strawberry jam
500ml tub cream
1 punnet strawberries
1 vanilla pod
Icing sugar

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 170°c. Line two 12 hole muffin/cupcake trays with cupcake papers
2. Sift together the flour and baking powder
3. In a separate bowl, cream the butter for 2 minutes
4. Add the castor sugar a third at a time, beating for 2 minutes after each addition
5. After the last addition, beat the mixture until light and fluffy and the sugar has almost dissolved
6. Add eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition or until mixture is light and fluffy
7. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined
8. Add a third of the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and beat on a low speed until combined
9. Add half the milk and beat until combined
10. Repeat this process
11. Add the remaining third of the flour and beat until thoroughly combined (do not over-beat as it will toughen the mixture)
12. Spoon mixture into cupcake cases, filling each about 3/4 full.
13. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a fine skewer comes out clean.
14. Remove from the tray and cool  for at least 30 minutes

Method:
Topping

1. Take a small, sharp knife and cut on an angle to remove a circle ‘lid’ from the centre of each cupcake, these should be about 3/4 the width of the top of the cupcake so you have enough space for cream etc.. put to side
2. Using a warm butterknife, put some of the strawberry jam at the base of the lid hole you just made
   Note: If you’re making these for something the next day, stop at this step and put the lids back on
3. Cut all the lids in half with a sharp knife (try to keep the halves together)
4. Cut the tops of the strawberries and slice thinly
5. Pour the cream into a stand alone mixer, or you can use a hand mixer.
6. Add the scrapings from the vanilla pod to the cream, beat until the cream becomes fluffy and holds some shape
7. Spoon (or pipe) a tablespoon of the whipped cream into the hole of the cupcake
8. Put the two halves back on the cupcakes on an angle, leaving enough space in the middle to fit more cream and some strawberries
9. Pipe/spoon some more cream down the centre, and poke about 5 slices of the strawberry into the puffy cream bit
10. Put icing sugar in a sifter and tap over the cupcakes to dust
11. Serve immediately – you don’t want your cream to make the cakes soggy

Tags: cream, strawberries

This entry was posted on November 24, 2010 at 6:19 pm and is filed under cupcakes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.