Butterfly Cake

I made this a few weeks ago for a colleague's leaving do. We went out for dinner and drinks the night before so I had to make something quick and simple.  I knew I wanted to make a cake but wouldn't have time to make a fancy layer cake so I decided to jazz up a sponge cake with jam filling to look like a butterfly. 

I used to make these quite often pre-blog which is why I'm only sharing this with you now. Since starting my blog, I've tried many new recipes and tend to make something different each time so I can blog about it. This cake has brought back memories of my early baking days and I will try to share a few other tried and tested recipes with you on my blog in the coming months. 

 leftover blackcurrant jam from we should cocoa challenge last month 

 fill the cake with jam 

 spread buttercream frosting on top 

 

 add a little glitz and glamour 

 slice the cake in half and turn them around as shown to create the butterfly wings 

 add a giant twix bar in the middle 

For the sponge

250g butter

250g caster sugar

250g self raising flour

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the buttercream

100g butter

200g icing sugar

few drops of food colouring 

• Preheat the oven to 170C.
• Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
• Add in the vanilla extract and flour.
• Divide evenly between 2 round sandwich tins.
• Bake for approximately 15-18 minutes or until it's golden brown and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
• Allow to cool completely before assembling.
• Place 1 cake on a plate. Spread jam evenly over the top.
• Sandwich with second cake.
• To make the buttercream icing, mix all the ingredients until smooth.
• Spread the icing on top of the cake and add sprinkles.
• Slice the cake in half and turn both halves around as shown.
• Add a twix bar in the middle. 

Toblerone Cupcakes

I've been wanting to make these cupcakes for the longest time so I'm pleased that AlphaBakes this month is T. I love toblerone chocolate and I love cupcakes so this really was a no brainer :)  It's essentially a basic vanilla sponge with bits of chopped toblerone in the batter. After my sweet and savoury combination, I decided to make this super sweet and paired the cupcake with a honey buttercream frosting. It was actually too sweet for most people but I enjoyed it :) You may want to pair it with a sour cream chocolate frosting or maybe a toblerone chocolate ganache. 

As mentioned these were made for AlphaBakes which is a monthly challenge hosted by myself this month and by Caroline from Caroline Makes on alternate months. The letter this month is T for Toblerone.  

I'm also entering them to Cupcake Tuesday hosted by Liz from Hoosier Homemade

 the star ingredients 

 adding chunks of toblerone to the batter 

 ready to bake 

 ready to frost 

 feels like something is missing... 

 ... another triangle of toblerone!

 cross section 

Makes 18 cupcakes

For the cupcakes

250g butter

250g caster sugar 

250g self raising flour

3 large eggs (or 4 small eggs)

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (optional)

4 tablespoons milk

170g bar of Toblerone chocolate, chopped (if you are using the small 100g bars, use 2 x 100g) 

For the frosting

275g butter

400 - 450g icing sugar

2 heaped tablespoons of honey (adjust to taste) 

To decorate

18 triangles of toblerone chocolate

• Preheat the oven to 170C.
• Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
• Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Add the vanilla bean paste and milk.
• Mix in the flour.  
• Finally, stir in the chopped chunks of toblerone chocolate.
• Spoon into cupcake cases and bake for approximately 15 - 18 minutes until the tops are golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• Allow to cool completely.
• Make the frosting by mixing all the ingredients in an electric mixer until smooth.
• Pipe the frosting on top of the cake and finish with a triangle of toblerone.

Jubilee Vanilla Sponge Cake

My final Jubilee Bake which was supposed to be one thing but turned out to be another. Never waste good cake is all I can say :) I planned to make a Jubilee checkerboard cake with red, white and blue. I bought the checkerboard pan from America and it feels like I'm destined not to make one as the first time I used it I failed and this is an epic fail too ....hmmm... maybe third time lucky? 

If you want to make a proper checkerboard cake without fancy equipment, check out this awesome cake by Dom from Belleau Kitchen. Pure genius! That was what I imagined in my head but let's just pretend I set out to make exactly this cake in the first place :) 

I used a basic vanilla sponge and divided the cake batter evenly into 3 - I left one plain, coloured one red and the other blue. So far so good.

Got my nifty checkerboard cake pan out and starting filling the batter. When I got to the second pan, I only managed to fill half the tin so clearly this was not going to work (you need to fill 3 tins). I scooped out the batter from the second tin and made 6 large cupcakes which I filled with strawberry jam and added to the street party cupcakes. 

I did however bake the first cake and ended up with this....

I debated what to do with the cake and in the end decided on this simple yet effective decoration. I've seen them everywhere and had wanted to make a traybake but ran out of time. Do you believe that things happen for a reason? 

Cover with vanilla buttercream... 

 Decorate with strawberries and blueberries in the Jubilee spirit :)

I was really impressed with the cake slice! Special thanks to J who bought me this cool cake board - thanks :)

Jubilee Vanilla Sponge cake - enjoy!

As this is a vanilla cake with vanilla bean paste and vanilla extract and a vanilla buttercream, I am entering it to this month's Alphabakes hosted by myself. I'm sure you can guess that the letter is "V" 

If you want to join in, make sure you email your entries by the 25th June.

As Karen has pointed out, these would also be perfect for this month's Tea Time Treats table as they are covered in berries. The theme is 'summer fruits'.  Tea Time Treats is a monthly blogging challenge hosted this month by Kate from What Kate Baked and on alternate months by Karen from Lavender and Lovage.

For the vanilla sponge
(makes 1 large 23cm cake and 6 large cupcakes)

500g butter
500g self raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
500g caster sugar
6 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Food colouring - I used paste colouring - red and blue

For the vanilla buttercream


250g butter
500g icing sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

To decorate


Fresh strawberries (or raspberries)
Fresh blueberries

• Preheat the oven to 180C.
• Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
• Add the eggs, one at time.
• Stir in the vanilla bean paste and vanilla extract.
• Add the flour and baking powder.
• Divide the cake batter evenly into 3 (I weighed them out on a scale).
• Colour 1 red, 1 blue and leave the third portion plain.
• Bake using a checkerboard pan as shown.
• Bake for approximately 35-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. 
• Allow to cool completely before decorating. 
• To make the buttercream, mix all the ingredients in a mixer until smooth.
• Spread the buttercream on top of the cooled cake and decorate with fresh fruits as shown. 

Jubilee Strawberries and Cream Cupcakes

Yes it's another Jubilee bake - I can't help it! My street had a street party today so I got up early to bake these little treats for my neighbours. It's my first street party and I've never seen anything quite like it. There's a lovely community atmosphere. It looks extremely festive with all the bunting and fancy dress. There's food, drinks, games, raffles, prizes... a really fun day! My cupcakes went down a treat and they disappeared within the first 15 minutes!! 

The cupcakes have fresh strawberries in the batter which give them a lovely juicy, moist flavour. It has a strawberry jam centre, finished with a vanilla buttercream and a fresh strawberry slice. I especially liked the Lakeland 'It's British' cupcake set which a colleague bought for me as a gift - thank you J!! :)

I'm sending these to the Tea Time Treats table hosted this month by Kate from What Kate Baked and co-hosted by Karen from Lavender and Lovage. The theme for June is summer fruits so I'm sure these strawberries and cream cupcakes count! 

 My Sweet Party hosted by Johanna from Me and My Sweets has also chosen summer fruits as the theme for June so I'm adding them to her party too! 

As these are cupcakes, I'm also sending them to Cupcake Tuesday hosted by Liz from Hoosier Homemade

I'm also entering them to the #oneingredient challenge hosted by Nazima from Working London Mummy and co-hosted by Laura from How to Cook Good Food

 Cupcake set from Lakeland - contains 24 cupcake cases and 24 flag toppers. Perfect for the occasion. 

 Adding fresh strawberries to the batter 

 Decided to try out my new cupcake plunger. I couldn't quite get the hang of it so I used a melon baller for most of the cakes. Has anyone else used this before? I followed the instructions but I couldn't seem to get the core of the cake out and I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. Any advice would be much appreciated :) 

 Fresh cupcakes ready to fill and frost

 Make a hole with a cupcake corer (or melon baller)

 Fill with strawberry jam 

 Replace the cake 

 Pipe frosting on top 

 Add a slice of fresh strawberry on top

I couldn't resist getting out my new cupcake stand which I found in Camden market yesterday. It has strawberry charms which are perfect. I have the exact same stand with cupcake charms but this is so cute and perfect for summer! I'm sure you'll be seeing more of this in the coming months :)

 Big ben 

 London Taxi 

 Soldier

 Red bus 

Which topper is your favourite? 

Strawberries and cream cupcakes - makes 22 of the size shown (I made 1.5 recipes - the recipe below is for 1 recipe ie 22 cupcakes) 

For the cupcakes

225g butter

225g caster sugar

4 eggs
210g self raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
25g cornflour
180g fresh, ripe strawberries, hulled and chopped

For the filling

Strawberry jam - approximately 1 teaspoon per cupcake

For the vanilla buttercream frosting (enough to frost ~25 cupcakes)

250g butter

500g icing sugar, sifted

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1-2 tablespoons milk

• Preheat the oven to 160C.
• Cream the butter and sugar then beat in the eggs, one by one. 
• Add the flours and baking powder and beat well together. 
• Finally stir in the chopped fresh strawberries. 
• Scoop the cake batter into the cases using an ice cream scoop (or just use a spoon), filling them to about 2/3 full. 
• Bake in the oven for about 20 -25  minutes.
• The cakes will be fairly moist even when cooked. 
• Remove from the oven and leave in their tins for about 10 minutes before placing on a wire rack to cool. 
• Once completely cool, carefully make a small hole in the centre of each cupcake using a cupcake corer or melon baller. 
• Fill the hole with 1 teaspoon of strawberry jam then replace the sponge.
• To make the vanilla buttercream - beat all the ingredients together in an electric mixer until smooth. 
• Pipe the vanilla buttercream on top of the cupcakes.
• Decorate with a slice of fresh strawberry and cupcake toppers. Alternatively, you can use sprinkles. 

Spring Cake Pops

I hope everyone is having a good Easter weekend! A quick post from me today - no baking involved. Just cake and buttercream and sprinkles on a stick otherwise known as cake pops. I had quite a bit of cake leftover from making my easter eggs with a twist. The cakes overflowed over the egg shells and I kept the cake crumbs with the intention of just eating them but then I thought why not make some cake pops? I thought about making cute easter chicks/bunnies or easter eggs but in the end decided to just use some sprinkles as it was much easier and less time consuming! 

I'm sending this to Frugal Food Fridays run by Helen from Fuss Free Flavours and hosted by Utterly Scrummy this month. Cake pops are a great way to use up leftover/stale cake and is a fun project to do with the kids. You can make it as fancy or simple as you like. Here I've used leftover cake, candy melts and sprinkles (I had an odd assortment of sprinkles which had just a small amount in each box).

I'm also sending this to Bunny hop, an Easter link party hosted by Mrs Fox's Sweets 

 cake crumbs, candy melts, buttercream

 shape cake pops, then chill in the fridge for approximately 15 minutes or until firm

 dip the cake balls in candy melts and pour sprinkles over them before the candy melt sets. Allow to dry completely.