Courgette Butterfly Cakes

Let them eat cake! These delicious butterfly cakes are bursting with good-for-you ingredients that the kids will never know about! 

With the return of The Great British Bake Off, it’s hard not to find yourself daydreaming about your next baking endeavour. Biscuits, victoria sponges, bagels…our baking wish-list is never-ending.

To celebrate National Baking Week, we’ve taken a trip down memory lane by recreating a childhood favourite: butterfly cakes.  Using grated courgette is a great way to sneak veg into your bakes, and a really simple way to keep the sponge really moist. And the best part? Your kids will never be able to identify the secret ingredient…win, win!

With a kick of ground cinnamon and ginger, these delicately spiced cupcakes are the perfect Autumnal recipe to bake on those wet weekend afternoons. And topped with an irresistible pineapple cream cheese frosting,  these pretty little butterfly cakes are guaranteed to fly straight off the plates!

Butterfly Cake Toppings

We decided to keep our butterfly cakes simple and let the flavours speak for themselves, but they would look and taste great with the following toppings:

• fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries
• a dusting of icing/ cocoa powder
• sprinkles, chocolate buttons, chocolate chips
• a dollop of fresh jam

How to assemble your butterfly cakes:

1. Scoop the tops of the butterfly cakes out with a teaspoon or knife, keeping the tops to one side.
2. Fill the hollows with your cream cheese frosting
3. Cut the cake tops in half and place them on top of the icing (like butterfly wings).

Zutaten

• • 225g plain flour
  • ½tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1½ tsp baking powder
  • 175g light muscovado sugar
  • 125g butter
  • 2 medium eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 4 tbsp low-fat natural yoghurt
  • 125g courgette, grated

  For frosting:

  • 200g cream cheese
  • 100g icing sugar
  • 75g crushed pineapple in juice, drained

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/fan 160ºC/gas 4. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with colourful paper cases,
2. In a large bowl, beat together all the cupcake ingredients, except the grated courgette, for 2 min until the mixture is light and fluffy. Fold through the courgette.
3. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases or mini loaf tins, then bake for 25– 30 min until golden and firm to the touch. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
4. To make the frosting, beat the cream cheese, icing sugar and pineapple together until light and fluffy.
5. Scoop out a shallow circle from the middle of the cupcake – chop the circle in half – these are your butterfly wings!
6. Fill the hole with your frosting and a dollop of pineapple. Stick the wings flat side down, pointing out and up.
7. Top with sprinkles or decorations of your choice!