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

Soft and Fluffy Fairy Cakes - US Cups

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
  

  • 3¾ oz butter softened
  • ½ c caster sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
  • ⅔ c self raising flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 1-2 tablespoons milk

Icing

  • ¾ c 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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