Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and line a 12-hole bun tin with 12 paper fairy cake cases. (Or for deep American-style cupcakes
line a 6-hole muffin tin with larger muffin cases.)
Place the softened butter in a large bowl then beat with an electric hand-whisk until pale and fluffy. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until fully combined.
Add a little of the beaten egg to the butter mixture
then whisk again. Gradually add the egg
little by little
whisking after each addition. It’s important to go slowly here
as adding too much egg at once can cause the mix to split. If it does split
simply add a tablespoon of the flour and whisk until the batter is smooth again.
Sift the flour into the bowl. Using a large metal spoon or spatula
fold the flour into the cake mix.
Add the vanilla and the salt and stir to combine. Add the milk to get the cake mix to a soft dropping consistency
where a heaped spoonful of mixture falls off the spoon after tipping it for few seconds.
Using two dessert spoons (one to scoop and the other to push the mix into the tin)
fill the paper cases half full with the batter
filling them equally.
Bake the fairy cakes for 15 minutes in the middle of the oven
until golden-brown and the cakes spring back when pressed lightly. (Bake cupcakes for 18-20 minutes.)
When cool enough to handle
lift the cakes onto a cooling rack and leave to cool completely. The cakes can be frozen for up to a month
or will keep fresh in an airtight tin for a few days.
To make the buttercream
put the butter into a large bowl and beat with electric hand beaters until smooth and creamy. Sift in the icing sugar
then work it into the butter
starting slowly at first
then beating more vigorously once all the sugar is combined. Add the milk and the vanilla
then beat until creamy and smooth. If the mixture is too stiff
add a little more milk. You can colour the buttercream at this stage.
To make butterfly cakes
cut the top off each cake using a small serrated knife – angling the knife in slightly so that you make a concave cut. Cut the tops in half
to make two ‘wings’. Spread or pipe a heaped teaspoon of buttercream into the dip you have made in the top of each cake
and spoon on a little lemon curd or jam. Place the wings into the buttercream
