Simple fairy cake recipe that is ready in under 20 minutes!

Sharing is caring!

Fairy cakes are one of the first things I learned to bake and now they are my quick and easy recipe to bake with the kids. There is very little work to make these and after about 15 minutes in the oven, your sweet treat is ready to go. I think lots of people try to overcomplicate fairy cake recipes, but there really is no need. This easy fairy cake recipe will give you delicious cakes with minimal effort, making you delicious plain fairy cake to enjoy. Read on more for a tip on how to make chocolate fairy cakes and coconut fairy cakes.

One thing I love about them though is not only are they easy, but you can also adapt the recipe to change the flavours. So if you fancy coconut fairy cakes or even chocolate fairy cakes, just a simple tweak to the recipe and you have them!

Whether you are making these for one of your children’s birthday parties or if you are looking to just bake with your own children, this great recipe is perfect for all occasions.

This recipe is grams however if you are reading a recipe that is ounces and you want to convert to cups, check out this great post which has a handy conversion from cups to ounces to ml to tablespoons!

Then if you decide to get fancy with them and add icing, sprinkles or even turn them into butterfly cakes, that is down to you. I prefer mine with a lovely cup of tea and 5 minutes of peace! So if you are wondering how to make fairy cakes, read on.

How to make fairy cakes

Ingredients –

• 125g Self-raising flour
• 125g Butter
• 125g Caster Sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions –

• Preheat the oven to gas mark 6 & line a 12-tin baking tray or muffin tin with paper cases, you can use cupcake cases if you have them but they won’t be filled to the top.
• Beat the sugar and butter until combined (I do this in an electric mixer but you could use an electric whisk and a large mixing bowl).
• Add in the flour, egg and vanilla extract, and mix well.
• Spoon the cake mix evenly between the cases.
• Bake in the oven for 12 – 15 minutes until golden brown.
• Leave to cool then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Equipment needed to make these traditional fairy cakes

There is nothing fancy needed to make these fairy cakes and many of us have the equipment needed:

• Large bowl
• Wooden spoon
• Muffin tray/cupcake tin
• Paper cases – you don’t need to look for fairy cake cases, normal cases will be fine

If you have a stand mixer or electric whisk, this will take some of the effort out for you if you use it on a low speed to mix the ingredients.

Easy chocolate fairy cakes or coconut fairy cakes

Simply substitute 25g of flour for cocoa powder or coconut to change the flavour of these cakes, it is that simple!

If you wanted to get a little fancier, you could also add in some chocolate chips or maybe even a little lemon juice. The recipe is so versatile, it is easy to make little tweaks to give them a different flavour.

How to decorate fairy cakes

For a special occasion, you could change these cakes into butterfly cakes.

Simply slice the top of each cake off, I find it easier to use a spoon as you can create a little hole in the top of the cake for the icing. Slice this top into 2, it will resemble wings. Then mix 150g icing sugar and 75g unsalted butter to create your icing. Pip this into the top of the cakes and then place the wings on top.

You could also go with plain icing, using just icing sugar and a little water. The other alternative is to go with a delicious buttercream filling, the combination of soft butter and icing sugar gives you the perfect creamy icing, and if you add a little cocoa powder, you get chocolate icing too.

What is the difference between a fairy cake and a cupcake?

The first big difference between a fairy cake and a cupcake is the size. You will notice the difference between them if you put them side by side, I would say a cupcake is usually double the size.

Another big difference is the toppings, with fairy cakes usually either plain or topped with a little icing. Whereas a cupcake is topped with lots of frosting and even some sprinkles occasionally!

How long will the fairy cakes last?

They should keep perfectly fine for 3-4 days if kept in a cake tin or airtight container. You can freeze fairy cakes and they should be fine for up to a month. However, they have never lasted long enough in this house to make it close to the freezer!

I don’t think this recipe has ever failed, as long as you mix all the ingredients well and ensure they are baked properly, you are good to go. There are no fancy ingredients needed and most of the items are in most people’s store cupboards.

So whether you are planning to make these traditional fairy cakes with the kids or a little treat for afternoon tea, remember that it is an easy one to bake to your flavour preference. If you are looking for more easy cupcake recipes, don’t forget to keep an eye on the sweet section of our site.