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Lemon & Elderflower Butterfly Cakes

Inspired by Penelope Featherington, these lemon fairy cakes are filled with a lemon & elderflower curd, topped with an elderflower ermine buttercream and made to look like little butterflies with a simple trick. They're perfect for afternoon tea, birthday parties and, of course, for snacking on while watching Bridgerton!
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine British
Keyword Butterfly cake, Elderflower, Ermine buttercream, Fairy cake, Lemon, Lemon curd
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 20 minutes
Chill Time 2 hours
Total Time 3 hours 20 minutes
Servings 12 fairy cakes

Ingredients

For the lemon & elderflower curd:

  • 1 egg
  • 75 g caster sugar
  • 1 lemon, zest and juice.
  • 55 g unsalted butter, diced.
  • 1 tbsp elderflower cordial

For the lemon fairy cakes:

  • 125 g plain flour
  • 125 g caster sugar
  • 1/2 tbsp baking powder
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 lemon, zest and juice.
  • 50 g Stork (see Note 1).
  • 1 egg
  • 90 ml milk

For the elderflower ermine buttercream:

  • 10 g plain flour
  • 30 g caster sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • 90 ml milk
  • 75 g unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 tsp elderflower cordial (or to taste).

To serve:

  • Icing sugar, for dusting.

Instructions

Make the lemon & elderflower curd:

  • Place the egg, sugar, lemon zest and juice into a small saucepan. Whisk together until fully combined, then add the butter.
  • Place the saucepan over medium-low heat and stir constantly with a spatula as the butter melts. Once melted, keep stirring over the heat until the curd becomes thick and smooth.
  • Pass the curd through a heatproof, fine mesh sieve into a small bowl, to remove any bits of egg. Add the elderflower cordial to the strained curd and stir through to incorporate.
  • Cover the surface of the curd directly with clingfilm, then place into the fridge to chill and thicken up even more (about an hour, but, if you prefer, you can make the curd in advance and store it like this in the fridge for 4-5 days).

Make the pudding base for the elderflower ermine buttercream:

  • Place the flour, caster sugar, salt and milk into a small saucepan. Whisk over medium heat until the sugar has melted and the mixture has thickened into a smooth pudding.
  • Pour the pudding into a shallow dish and cover the surface directly with clingfilm. Set aside to cool to room temperature while you make the lemon cakes.

Make the lemon fairy cakes:

  • Preheat the oven to 180°C (conventional oven). Line a 12-hole fairy cake tray with fairy cake cases and set aside (see Note 2).
  • Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon zest into the bowl of a freestanding mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix briefly on low speed to combine.
  • Add the Stork and mix again, until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
  • In a jug, whisk together the egg, milk and lemon juice. With the mixer running, add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture in a slow, steady stream.
  • Once all of the milk mixture has been added, turn the speed up to high and beat for 30-60 seconds, until a smooth batter has formed.
  • Divide the mixture between the prepared fairy cake cases, then bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until the cakes are golden brown and spring back when their surfaces are pressed gently.
  • As soon as the cakes come out of the oven, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely (this will prevent the cases from becoming greasy) before assembling.

Finish preparing the elderflower ermine buttercream:

  • Place the softened butter into a large bowl and beat, using a handheld electric mixer, until soft, smooth and significantly paler in colour.
  • Add a spoonful of the cooled pudding base to the whipped butter and whisk well to incorporate.
  • Continue adding the pudding to the butter, a spoonful at a time, whisking between each addition, until all of the pudding has been added.
  • Add the elderflower cordial and whisk again to finish off the buttercream.

Assemble the butterfly cakes:

  • Use a small, sharp knife to carve out a shallow, cone shape from the top of each fairy cake. Cut each of these cone shapes in half to make two 'wings'.
  • Place a generous amount of lemon & elderflower curd in the cut-out hollow of each cake, then top with a dollop of elderflower buttercream. Use the back of a spoon to spread the buttercream out, so that it completely conceals the hollow beneath.
  • For each cake, press the two 'wings' into the buttercream at an angle, so that their straight sides line up in the centre, like a butterfly.
  • Dust the cakes with a small amount of sifted icing sugar and serve. The cakes are best served the day they are made, but will keep in an airtight container in the fridge, for 2-3 days, if needed.

Notes

  1. As always, I like to use Stork in my cakes because I think it makes for a lighter, fluffier cake. If you cannot find Stork, or would prefer not to use it, use an equal amount of softened unsalted butter.
  2. Fairy cake trays/cases are not the same as cupcake trays/cases. They are much flatter, so take a lot less batter and bake more quickly. You can find fairy cake cases at most supermarkets.