Mary Berry’s Fairy Cakes: Chocolate Cupcake Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why are my fairy cakes not fluffy? ›

Why are my fairy cakes not rising? This could be down to a lack of raising agent - or even old self-raising flour where the raising agent has become less effective.

What is the difference between a fairy cake and a cupcake? Cupcakes are bigger than fairy cakes and use a generous amount of frosting on top. In comparison, fairy cakes are often drizzled with icing rather than piled high with the buttercream or cream cheese frostings that American-style cupcakes are famous for.

The cakes will keep in a cake tin for up to 3-4 days. The cakes can be frozen for up to one month. Fairy cakes are not as deep as cupcakes or muffins so look for shallower cake trays and make sure you buy the right paper case to fill the tin.

To make the chocolate buttercream icing, melt the butter and pour it into a bowl. Sift in the cocoa powder and stir in the icing sugar a little at a time to make a glossy and spreadable chocolate buttercream. If the icing is too thick, gradually add the milk until it reaches your desired consistency.

Most cakes begin with creaming butter and sugar together. Butter is capable of holding air and the creaming process is when butter traps that air. While baking, that trapped air expands and produces a fluffy cake. No properly creamed butter = no air = no fluffiness.

Leavening agents, such as baking powder and baking soda, play a crucial role in making cakes rise and achieve a fluffy texture. These agents produce carbon dioxide gas when combined with liquid and heat, creating air pockets that lighten the batter.

A cupcake (AmE), fairy cake (BrE), or bun (IrE) is a small cake designed to serve one person, which may be baked in a small thin paper or aluminum cup. As with larger cakes, frosting and other cake decorations such as fruit and candy may be applied.

Usually, a large, white tiered cake, decorated mostly in white frosting, is called the bride's cake, and a second flavor choice is called the "groom's cake". This tradition was brought over from England by early American colonists, who considered the white-iced bride's cake too light for men's tastes.

You cooked the cake too long

Ingredients temperature. On a warm day and/or if your butter and eggs have been out of the fridge for some time, the cake mixture (batter) will be warmer than on a cooler day, so will cook quicker.

Fairy cakes are not, as their name might imply, themed cakes designed and decorated to the liking of fantasy and sci-fi fans. They are, simply stated, smaller versions of cupcakes. They're widely popular in the UK, and tend not to pile on the icing in the same way that American bakers do with cupcakes.

Does it matter if I use granulated sugar instead of caster? ›

Granulated sugar has a larger and coarser grain than caster sugar. Though they can generally be used interchangeably, granulated sugar does not incorporate into batters as quickly.

Cakes sink in the middle due to several reasons. One reason is that the cake batter might be too moist, causing it to collapse during baking. Another reason could be that the oven temperature is too low, leading to uneven baking. Opening the oven door too frequently while baking can also cause cakes to sink.

“I no longer prepare a Victoria sandwich with the traditional creaming and folding methods, as [an] all-in-one method gives excellent results every time,” she said. For those who struggle to get butter to optimum baking consistency, Mary recommends using baking spread instead.

To make the ganache icing, measure the cream into a saucepan and heat until simmering. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Stir until melted, then set aside in a cool place to thicken to a spreadable consistency. Brush the top and sides of the cake with the warmed apricot jam, then spread the ganache over.

The cake can be frozen (iced or un-iced) for up to 1 month. Store in a round freezer-proof container about 2.5cm (1in) bigger than the diameter of the cake. Sit the cake on the inside of the lid and place the container over the top. Seal, label and freeze.

All rise …

There's the question of raising agents, for a start. Some people use self-raising flour, some use plain flour plus baking powder and many, like Allegra McEvedy and Mich herself, use self-raising flour and baking powder to give the mixture a bit of a boost.

You are almost certainly either overbeating the eggs, or knocking the air out of the mix when you fold the flour in. Over mixing cake batter can result in a heavy, closed rubbery texture.

If you have too much flour in a recipe and not enough fat, like butter or oil, your cake is going to be dry and hard. For best results, I would encourage you to use a scale when baking, but if you don't have a scale, then just make sure you're using measuring cups correctly.

Could be almost anything- not mixing enough, overmixing, too high a temperature, too low a temperature... I do find mine turn out better in a muffin/bigger case turn out better than small fairy cake cases. What recipe are you using and what temperature are you baking at?