I'm definitely craving warmer weather now; Christmas has passed and it was a decidedly cosy affair, although I was working Christmas Eve, during the day we had a roast dinner and watched a hell of a lot of movies. The snows from the past few weeks are somewhat of a distant memory, the nights have finally started to get longer and I've ultimately excepted that the end of the year is pretty much here (I think this year passed by far too quickly). I always feel quite melancholy come late December, but right now I'm counting my blessings and الØمد لله its all good. Speaking of, we have a wedding to go to later tonight and I'm yet to locate my dress, but I'm still hoping to whip up a batch of these fairy cakes before all that #priorities.
This is a standard Mary Berry recipe, meaning that its both quick and easy to make - she literally says that in the recipe header and I can confirm that is an accurate statement. Funnily enough I ended up getting a second copy of her '100 Recipes' book as a Secret Santa gift, I guess I unknowingly exude MB fangirl vibes (p.s. might do a little baking giveaway soon, follow me on Instagram to find out). Her recipe also indicates that these cakes are 'very effective for a children's party', so grab some children, throw a party and eat cake (or skip the first two steps, they'll taste good either way). I remember that a constant feature on the menu at our kiddy parties was decorated cupcakes, pilled with lots of Jelly Tots, chocolate and 100s & 1000s. These were the shop-bought bakers dozen cupcakes because ain't nobody got time for baking back then. Although this recipe is so easy I don't see why not! another noteworthy observation is that I opted for a more subdued colour palette and flavour profile (no offence to Jelly Tots), even though the rustic hand-made appearance is ever present.
So to make these Chocolate and Vanilla Frosted Fairy cakes you will need the following ingredients:
- Margarine
- Caster sugar
- Self raising flour
- Eggs
- Baking powder
- Milk
- Vanilla essence/extract
- Cocoa powder
For this double batch of 24 fairy cakes begin by measuring out 200g of margarine and 200g of caster sugar. Beat both together until pale and fluffy.
Crack in four large eggs and mix until well incorporated (take care not to overbeat, the mixture may curdle at this stage but the addition of one spoon of flour can amend this).
Sift in 200g of self-raising flour and 2 level tsp of baking powder, along with a dash of milk to loosen up the mixture. Mix until well incorporated.
To make the chocolate fairy cakes, in a separate bowl mix together 2 tblsp of cocoa powder and 3 tblsp of hot water.
Add half of the cake batter and stir until mixed. To the remaining half mix in 1 tsp of vanilla extract.
Spoon the batter into paper cases fitted into a bun tin - fill each case until 3/4 full.
Place into an oven preheated to Gas Mark 6 and bake the fairy cakes until well risen and springy to the touch (approximately 15-20 minutes). Take out of the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.
To make the vanilla frosting measure out double the amount of icing sugar to butter (200g sugar - 100g butter), then beat until pale and well blended. The longer you beat it for the better.
As for the chocolate frosting, dissolve 2 tblsp of cocoa powder in 3 tblsp of hot water, then as with the other frosting beat together 200g of sugar and 100g of butter. Stir in the chocolate mixture.
Spoon or pipe the frosting onto the cooled fairy cakes.
Decorate with sprinkles, chocolate chips, edible glitter (or Jelly Tots!) - boxed up these fairy cakes also make a pretty homemade gift.
😋
Enjoy!
Q x
