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–+ servings
Overhead photo of iced fairy cakes on a metal baking tray.

Soft and Fluffy Fairy Cakes

Robyn
This easy fairy cakes recipe is so light and fluffy, and the cakes stay moist for days! They are fun for birthday parties, and a great baking recipe for kids!
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 17 minutes
Total Time 32 minutes
Course baking, party food
Cuisine British
Servings 12 cakes
Calories 187 kcal

Equipment

  • 12-hole cupcake / muffin tin
  • 12 cupcake cases

Ingredients
  

  • 110 g butter softened
  • 110 g caster sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
  • 110 g self raising flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 1-2 tablespoons milk

Icing

  • 125 g icing sugar
  • 2-3 tablespoons water
  • sprinkles

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 160℃ fan / 180℃ / 350℉.
  • Line a 12-hole cupcake / muffin tin with 12 cupcake cases.
  • Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla together in a stand mixer or electric beaters for 3-5 minutes until light and fluffy - this is what gives you light fairy cakes.
  • Mix the flour with the baking powder.
  • Add one egg to the butter-sugar mixture and beat in, then add half the flour and stir to combine.
  • Repeat with the other egg and rest of the flour.
  • Gently mix in the milk - you want to have a dropping consistency, where the batter just drops off the spoon. You may not need to use all the milk.
  • Spoon into the cupcake cases and bake for 15-17 minutes until they spring back when touched, or a toothpick inserted into the middle of them comes out clean.
  • Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then carefully lift the fairy cakes out of the tin and leave to cool completely on a wire cooling rack.
  • Once completely cold, make the icing.

Make The Icing

  • Sift the icing sugar into a large bowl.
  • Add the water a little at a time, stirring in between until you get a smooth icing.
  • Spoon the icing on to the top of each cooled cake, then sprinkle with the sprinkles and set aside for the icing to harden.
  • Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days.

Notes

STORAGE / MAKE AHEAD
Store the iced fairy cakes in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.
You can freeze the un-iced fairy cakes for up to 2 months.
 
INGREDIENTS NOTES AND SUBSTITUTIONS
  • Butter - room temperature butter is really important for being able to easily beat it together with the sugar.
  • Caster sugar - also known as superfine sugar. This finer sugar dissolves easier when mixed with the butter, creating a lighter cake.
  • Self raising flour - if you only have plain flour / all purpose flour, add an extra 1 ¼ teaspoons of baking powder.
  • Icing sugar - if you are in Australia, I recommend using pure icing sugar rather than soft icing sugar, for that retro water icing that is classic on a Fairy cake.
  • Sprinkles - it wouldn't be a fairy cake without sprinkles! (If you are thinking of a cupcake with 'wings' it's a butterfly cake, and I should really bake those too!)

Nutrition

Calories: 187kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 2gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 47mgSodium: 88mgPotassium: 24mgFiber: 0.2gSugar: 20gVitamin A: 271IUCalcium: 19mgIron: 0.2mg
Keyword fairy cakes, fluffy fairy cakes

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