Easy chocolate fairy cakes for kids

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Quick and simple chocolate bakes to whisk up with little helpers

Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Serves 8+
Difficulty Level Easy

Preparation

Print this recipe

Total Time 25 mins
Preparation Time 10 mins
Cooking Time 15 mins

Ingredients
Method

100g butter, softened
100g caster sugar
75g self-raising flour
25g cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs

For chocolate buttercream icing (optional)

125g icing sugar
25g cocoa powder
75g butter or spread, at room temperature
1 tbsp milk

Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan/Gas Mark 4.
Get the kids to help weigh the ingredients, then add them to a large mixing bowl. Whisk all the ingredients together until creamy. Spoon into bun cases in a cupcake or muffin tray - this recipe should make 12 fairy cakes or 9 slightly larger cupcakes.
Cook for about 10-15 minutes - to check they are cooked just press gently and they should spring back.
Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before leaving to cool completely in their cases on a wire rack.
Once cooled, the cakes can be decorated with all different types of icing including glace icing or delicious buttercream icing.

For chocolate buttercream (optional)

Sift the icing sugar and cocoa powder into a large bowl. Add the butter and whisk for several minutes until they come together and you have a fluffy buttercream (this is easier with an electric mixer - grown ups only. If the kids want to whisk the icing, use a balloon whisk instead).
Whisk in the milk a little at a time to loosen the icing to your desired consistency.
Spread the icing onto the cooled cakes with a palette knife or spatula. Decorate with Smarties, sprinkles or other small sweeties.

You will need

Muffin tin - we like this non-stick one – see more details here at Amazon.

Mixing bowl - this classic Pyrex bowl is a must-have for any kitchen – see more details here at Wilko.

Tips

These are so quick and easy to make; perfect as a fun activity with the kids, and the fairy cakes are ideal for bake sales, gifts, lunchboxes and picnics, or just a tasty teatime treat!

For cute butterly cakes:

1. Wait for the cakes to cool, then slice the top off each one and set the tops aside.
2. Cover the cakes with icing.
3. Cut each fairy cake top in half to create two butterfly wings, then pop them into the icing.

More decoration ideas

Let's face it, decorating the cakes is nearly as fun for kids as eating them! You can really let your little one's imaginations run away with them here. One fun idea is to put out a few bowls of different-coloured icing, plus sweets, chopped-up chocolate bars, berries, sprinkles and nuts (but never whole nuts for kids under five, as they could be a choking hazard). Then just let the kids go to town and create their own unique mini masterpieces!

If you want a professional swirly finish with the icing, use a piping bag with a star-shaped nozzle. Or simply spoon the icing into a freezer bag, snip off the corner, and pipe it out that way! Work in a smooth spiral from the outside inwards for a classic cupcake frosting look.

Variations

Don't fancy chocolate? You can easily switch the recipe up to make all kinds of different fairy cakes! Why not try:

For vanilla fairy cakes: replace the cocoa powder with 25g flour and add a few drops of vanilla extract (in both the cake and the icing)
For strawberry fairy cakes: replace the cocoa powder with 25g flour and add a few drops of strawberry flavouring and a few drops of pink food colour – finish with pink icing and a real strawberry
For lemon fairy cakes: swap the cocoa powder for 25g flour and add the zest of 1 whole lemon to the cakes. You can make a lemon buttercream with lemon zest and 1-2 tsp lemon juice as well.

Make these fairy cakes vegan by swapping the butter for the same amount of vegan spread, and the eggs for 2 tbsp ground flax seeds mixed with 6 tbsp water.

Reviews

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 1 rating Rate this recipe

Lucy S(20)

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5

This is such a lovely simple recipe, but the cakes are still really moist and tasty. Def a family favourite - perfect way to while away a rainy Sunday afternoon.

on 19/6/20