This isn’t my usual type of post, but the idea when I first called this blog Inspired! was to put some arty-crafty things on too. Things you could do. So I’m breaking with my tradition of writing about matters of the heart and soul to write about cakes! One of the things I most enjoyed doing recently was making these fairy cakes for my friend Alison’s birthday.
It was fun! And they looked good! They weren’t 100% perfect but once they were wrapped in cellophane and tied with a ribbon, they looked every bit as good as the ones you buy in posh shops. And somehow …. well, isn’t it lovely to give something hand-made? Something you’ve taken time and trouble over rather than bubble bath or some other generic present that you picked up in a rush from Tesco because you didn’t know what else to get?
Here’s what I did:
Ingredients:
- 225g/8oz butter, softened
- 225g/8oz caster sugar
- 4 large free-range eggs whisked with a big dollop of milk
- 225g/8oz self-raising flour, sifted
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until pale and creamy, using a wooden spoon. The recipe says “Beat well to get lots of air into the mixture” but I didn’t bother. The cakes were still fine!
3. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl then beat into the mixture, a little at a time.
4. Fold in the flour using a large metal spoon. Be careful not to over-mix it.
5. Spoon generous amounts into fairy cake cases and bake for around 15 minutes until golden brown.
6. Decorate with sugar-paste icing. You can watch a video on how to do this here:
