How cute are these little butterfly cupcakes?! I remember these from my childhood, my Nana would bake them for afternoon tea or for birthday parties. I use a simple cupcake recipe and fill them with a spoonful of berry jam and a dollop of whipped cream.
Here’s the recipe I use, by Susannah Blake, from her book Cupcakes. I like that the butter, sugar and flour measurements are equal making it easy to remember.
To make these butterfly cupcakes you will need:
- a 12-hole muffin pan
- electric hand mixer
- digital scales
- spatula
- mixing bowl

Butterfly Cakes
A sweet cupcake filled with a spoonful of jam and a dollop of billowy cream. These are a perfect tea time or birthday party treat.
Servings 12
Ingredients
- 115 g unsalted butter, softened
- 115 g castor sugar
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 115 g self-raising flour, sifted
- 30 ml milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
To fill the cakes
- 80 g berry jam
- 200 ml thickened cream, whipped
- icing sugar, to dust
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170C fan-forced. Line a 12 hole muffin pan with paper cases.
- Place the butter and sugar into a bowl and, using a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat for 45 secs to 1 minute or until the egg is fully incorporated before adding the next.
- Add the flour and fold it in by hand, adding the milk and vanilla just before all the flour is incorporated. Mix gently until you have a creamy, spoonable batter.
- Divide the batter evenly between the paper cases, then bake for 15-17 minutes or until the cakes are golden and spring back to the touch. You can also insert a skewer in the centre of the cakes, if it comes out clean they are ready.
- Remove the cakes from the oven and place the pan on a cooling rack and allow the cakes to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove them from the pan and allow them to cool completely.
To fill the cakes
- When the cakes are cool, take a teaspoon or a melon baller, remove a circle of cake from the top of each cake, then cut the circle in half.
- Fill the hole with a teaspoon of jam and a dollop of whipped cream, then place the 2 halves back onto the cake. Dust with icing sugar.