Vanilla Cupcakes (Fairy Cakes)
These simple vanilla cupcakes are the little cakes I grew up knowing as buns or fairy cakes in Ireland. My mother made them every Wednesday, which was quite an event in our house because she really didn’t enjoy cooking or baking but she loved these little buns! Everyone looked forward to these little treats on a Wednesday including the neighbours! Her favourite way to have them was with butter and jam but they are very adaptable and both my sisters and I use them today as our standard vanilla cupcake recipe to which we add all the toppings depending on the event.
They’re simple, buttery little vanilla cakes made from basic ingredients, and you can decorate them as much or as little as you like. Leave them plain, add chocolate and sprinkles, cover them with simple icing, or dress them up with buttercream. For me, though, they’ll always be the little buns my mother made on Wednesdays.
Fairy Cakes or Vanilla Cupcakes?
Fairy cakes are essentially small, simple cupcakes. The fairy cakes I grew up with were usually smaller and much less elaborately decorated than the large buttercream-topped cupcakes we see today. These are such a perfect little treat for back-to-school lunch boxes lunchboxes and quick cups of tea due to their treat size.
Go here for more back to school food ideas for delicious homemade lunchbox lunches
The beauty of this recipe is that you can do either.
Leave them plain, slice them and add butter and jam, cover them with melted chocolate and sprinkles, or make a simple icing with icing sugar and water.
If you want something a little more special, you can pipe vanilla or chocolate buttercream on top and turn them into pretty little cupcakes for a birthday or celebration.
Can You Freeze Fairy Cakes?
Yes. Allow the cakes to cool completely and freeze them undecorated in a freezer-safe container for up to three months.
Defrost them completely before decorating.
A Simple Beginner Bake
These are exactly the sort of cakes I think are worth learning to make from scratch. The ingredients are simple, they’re inexpensive to make and you can decorate them differently every time.
For me, though, they’ll always be the little buns my mother made on Wednesdays.
[Recipe card here]
Cupcake-beginners recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 180C 160C Fan/Gas mark 4
- Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition.
- Add the flour, salt and vanilla and mix with a hand mixer until smooth and pale in colour.
- Line a cup cake tin and scoop an even amount into each cupcake case.
- Bake for 15 minutes and until golden in colour.
- Allow to cool on a cooling rack.
- Serve with butter and jam, plain or decorate them with chocolate and sprinkles.
Notes
