Chocolate fairy cakes

Preparation time: less than 30 mins
Cooking time: 10 to 30 mins
Makes 24

Cute as buttons and tasty too, these fairy cakes are children-friendly: easy, light on washing up and made in minutes.

Ingredients

For the sponge

•4 free-range eggs

•225g/8oz sugar

•225g/8oz self-raising flour

•225g/8oz butter, melted

For the chocolate buttercream icing

•110g/4oz butter, softened

•170g/6oz icing sugar

•55g/2oz cocoa powder, sifted

•1-2 tbsp milk

To decorate

•white chocolate buttons

•milk chocolate buttons

Preparation method
1.Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and lin 2 x 12-hole fairy cake tins with paper cases.

2.Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a bowl until light and fluffy.

3.Carefully fold in the flour and butter.

4.Pour the mixture carefully into the paper cases.

5.Bake the cakes for 8-10 minutes, or until golden-brown on top and a skewer inserted into one of the cakes comes out clean. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack before removing from the tin.

6.To make the buttercream, beat the butter in a large bowl until soft. Add half of the icing sugar and beat until smooth.

7.Add the remaining icing sugar, cocoa powder and one tablespoon of the milk and beat until creamy. Beat in more milk if necessary to loosen the icing.

8.Once the cakes are cool, spread the buttercream icing on top of the cakes.

9.Decorate the cakes with the chocolate buttons.

Recommended by Harvey Bertram-Brown

Heavenly Angel Food Cake

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar  
• 1 cup cake flour  
• 1 1/2 cups egg whites (12)  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar  
• 1 cup granulated sugar  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla  
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1.Move oven rack to lowest position. Heat oven to 375ºF.

 

2.Mix powdered sugar and flour; set aside. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until foamy. Beat in granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, on high speed, adding vanilla, almond extract and salt with the last addition of sugar. Continue beating until stiff and glossy meringue forms. Do not underbeat.

 

3.Sprinkle sugar-flour mixture, 1/4 cup at a time, over meringue, folding in just until sugar-flour mixture disappears. Push batter into ungreased angel food cake pan (tube pan), 10x4 inches. Cut gently through batter with metal spatula.

 

4.Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until cracks feel dry and top springs back when touched lightly. Immediately turn pan upside down onto heatproof funnel or bottle. Let hang about 2 hours or until cake is completely cool. Loosen side of cake with knife or long, metal spatula; remove from pan.