White chocolate butterfly cakes

Based on a cake I have made for years as a wedding cake for friends, this recipe is incredibly simple but still has a wonderful celebratory feel. It also makes truly divine individual cakes like these sweet butterfly cakes.

Credit: Alan Benson

• makes

  12

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 200 g good-quality white chocolate, chopped
• 150 g unsalted butter, cubed
• 185 ml (¾ cup) water
• 220 g (1 cup) caster (superfine) sugar
• 2 eggs, at room temperature, lightly whisked
• 1 ½ tsp natural vanilla extract  or essence 
• 225 g (1 ½ cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
• 50 g (½ cup) almond meal
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• 125 ml (½ cup) thick (double) cream
• 165 g (½ cup) raspberry or blackberry jam
• melted butter, to grease (optional)
• icing sugar, to dust

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) or 160°C (315°F)  fan-forced. Grease a 12-hole 80 ml (21/2 fl oz/1/3 cup) capacity muffin tray with melted butter or line with paper cases.  
   
2. Put the chocolate, butter and water in a medium saucepan and stir over medium heat until the chocolate and butter have melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat and set aside until cooled to room temperature.  
   
3. Add the sugar, eggs and vanilla to the chocolate mixture and use a balloon whisk to stir until well combined.  
   
4. In a medium bowl, use a clean whisk or fork to whisk together the flour, almond meal and baking powder, combining the ingredients evenly and breaking up any lumps of almond meal. Add to the chocolate mixture and stir with the whisk until just combined.  
   
5. Divide the mixture evenly among the muffin holes and lightly tap the tin on the bench top to remove any large air bubbles. Bake in the preheated oven for  25–30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre of a cake comes out clean. Leave the cakes to stand in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. 
   
6. When cool, cut a shallow cone-shaped piece out of the top of a cake, leaving about a 1 cm (1/2 inch) border. Cut the piece of cake in half. Spoon a little cream and then some jam into the hole to fill. Arrange the two pieces of cake in the jam to form wings. Repeat with the remaining cakes, cream and jam. Dust with icing sugar to serve. 

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.