Method
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and line a 12-hole bun tin with 12 paper fairy cake cases. (Or deep American-style cupcakes, line a 6-hole muffin tin with bigger muffin cases.)
Put the softened butter inside a large bowl then beat by having an electric hands-whisk until pale and fluffy. Progressively add some sugar and then beat until fully combined.
Add a bit of the beaten egg towards the butter mixture, then whisk again. Progressively add some egg, slowly and gradually, whisking after each addition. It’s vital that you go gradually here, as adding an excessive amount of egg at the same time may cause this mixture to separate. Whether it does split, simply give a tablespoon from the flour and whisk before the batter is smooth again.
Sift the flour in to the bowl. Utilizing a large metal spoon or spatula, fold the flour in to the cake mix.
Add some vanilla and also the salt and stir to mix. Add some milk to obtain the cake mix to some soft shedding consistency, in which a heaped spoonful of mixture falls from the spoon after tipping it for couple of seconds.
Using two dessert spoons (someone to scoop and yet another to push this mixture in to the tin), fill the paper cases half full using the batter, filling them equally.
Bake the fairy cakes for fifteen minutes in the center of the oven, until golden-brown and also the cakes spring when pressed gently. (Bake cupcakes for 18-twenty minutes.)
When awesome enough to deal with, lift the cakes onto a cooling rack and then leave to awesome completely. The cakes could be frozen for approximately per month, or could keep fresh within an airtight tin for any couple of days.
To help make the buttercream, place the butter right into a large bowl and beat with electric hands beaters until smooth and creamy. Sift within the icing sugar, then arrange it in to the butter, beginning gradually initially, then beating more intensely once all of the sugar is combined. Add some milk and also the vanilla, then beat until creamy and smooth. When the mixture is simply too stiff, add a bit more milk. You are able to colour the buttercream at this time.
To create butterfly cakes, cut the fill up each cake utilizing a small serrated knife – angling the knife in slightly so you create a concave cut. Cut the tops in two, to create two ‘wings’. Spread or pipe a heaped teaspoon of buttercream in to the dip you earn in the top of the each cake, and spoon on the little lemon curd or jam. Put the wings in to the buttercream, and mud after some icing sugar.