Strawberry Jam Fairycakes

I made these fairycakes a little while ago when some friends requested cake to feed their helpers when moving house. The only specification was that it should be gluten and nut free, and also fruity. So I did some thinking, and came up with the idea for these. And from the comments I got they seemed to work.

Makes about 20 small fairycakes

For the cake
130g butter
150g granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 pear
1 apple
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon glycerine
200g flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
100g strawberry jam

For the icing
125g butter
150g cream cheese
500g icing sugar
2 tablespoons strawberry jam

Chocolate pieces for decoration


Preheat the oven to 180^oC.

Whisk the butter and sugar until it's white and fluffy. Add the eggs and mix well. Grate the pear and apple and add to the mixture, and also add the vanilla extract and glycerine. Sift in the flour and baking powder and carefully mix until you've got an even mixture. Finally add the strawberry jam. Stir until you have a marbled effect.
Place muffin cases in a cupcake baking tray and scoop the mixture into the cases. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes until done. Remove from oven and leave to cool on a cooling rack.

For the icing; mix the butter, cream cheese and icing sugar until you have an even mixture. Split the mixture in 2, and add strawberry jam to one half. Use piping bags to add to the top of the fairycakes. Add chocolate buttons for decoration.

Lemon & Chocolate Fairycakes

As easy and effortless as these are I really don’t know why I don’t bake more often. Although I suspect the answer has something to do with the bathroom scales... Anyway, today was a really hectic day at work, so I decided we all could do with a little reward and cheering up, and so when I got home this evening I whipped these up in no time at all.

Makes 12 fairycakes

For the fairycakes

130g butter

130g granulated sugar

the zest of ½ large lemon

20g milk chocolate

2 medium eggs

150g plain flour

¼ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon lemon juice

For the icing

75g cream cheese

30g butter

180g icing sugar

the zest of ½ large lemon

½ teaspoon lemon juice

¼ teaspoon yellow food colouring

sweets for decoration

Pre-heat your oven to 180^oC

Cream the sugar and butter in an electric mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy. Alternatively, do it by hand. This takes a little while, but it is worth getting the mixture as light and as fluffy as you can, as this improves the texture of the cakes.

Zest a lemon, and add half of this to the cake mixture. As always when zesting lemons; make sure you don’t get any of the white pith in with the zest, as this is very bitter.

Also grate the milk chocolate on a fine grater, so that you have a fine powdery result.

Add the eggs, one at a time, and stir well until you have an even mixture.

Mix the flour and baking powder and sift these into the mixture. Carefully stir until you have a smooth cake dough. It’s worth being careful here, as you don’t want to overwork your mixture. This releases the gluten in the flour, and makes the cakes more rubbery.

Finally add the lemon juice and mix it in.

Fill 12 cupcake cases and bake in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean after being inserted into the middle of a cake.

To make the icing; mix the butter, cream cheese and icing sugar in a large bowl. When the mixture is smooth; add the lemon zest, lemon juice and food colouring. Mix well, and spoon into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle. Squirt the icing onto the fairy cakes, and decorate with sweets. 

Saffron and Courgette Cupcakes

I’ve had a small container of saffron hanging about in my kitchen for quite a while, and I’ve never really known what to do with it. So I was excited to find this recipe which sounded lovely. It is taken from Phil Vickery’s book ‘Gluten-Free Baking’. I’ve stuck to the recipe almost all the way, which is quite unusual for me, but it looked so tasty I thought I’d give it a go. And I’m glad I did, as it is very nice indeed.

Makes 12 cupcakes

1 pinch saffron threads

2 tablespoons boiling water

2 medium sized eggs

180g caster sugar

200g flour (I used Doves Farm Gluten Free White Bread Mix)

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon xanthan gum

1 teaspoon honey

250g courgette

icing sugar and water to decorate

Pre-heat the oven to 180^OC.

Place the saffron threads in a small cup and add the boiling water. Cover and leave it to cool.

Whisk the eggs and sugar in a food mixer until they are thick and creamy. This will take about 5 minutes. Add the saffron water when the mixture is has thickened. Then add the honey and mix well.

Sieve the flour, baking powder and xanthan gum together in a separate bowl. Slowly add the flour mix to the egg mix, taking care not to over-whisk, as the dough will get rubbery.  Grate the courgette and add to the mix, fold well until you have a smooth and quite soft mix.

Spoon the mixture into paper muffin cases that are placed in a muffin tray, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the cupcakes have risen and are golden. When you insert a skewer this should come out clean.

Leave the cupcakes to cool on a wire rack before glazing them with the icing.

To make the icing; sieve the icing sugar into a small bowl, and add a few drops water until you have a smooth but not too runny paste. Use a butter knife to place a dollop of icing on each cupcake. 

Chocolate Halloween Cupcakes

The recipe for these cupcakes comes from Phil Vickery’s cookbook ‘Gluten-Free Baking’. He makes one large cake with this dough, but I fancied making cupcakes for a Halloween party, and decided it would probably work. And it did. The cupcakes were deliciously moist and rich, and I could quite happily have eaten them all.

Makes 12 cupcakes

225g flour (I used Doves Farm gluten free white bread flour)

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

50g cocoa powder

100g butter

250g dark muscovado sugar

3 medium sized eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon heather honey

200ml full fat milk

Pre-heat the oven to 180^OC.

Sieve the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and cocoa powder together.

Use a food processor to cream the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy. This may take some time, so don’t give up just because it doesn’t do anything straight away. Gradually beat in one egg at a time, and then add the vanilla and honey.

Reduce the speed on the food processor, and then gradually add the flour mix and milk alternately.

Spoon the mixture into cupcake cases that are placed in muffin trays. Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes until they are raised and a skewer comes out clean. 

Courgette and Wensleydale Cheese with Cranberries Cupcakes

I was inspired to make these after reading Kate Shirazi’s ‘cupcake magic’. It was a cold, rainy and windy day, so my plans to go outside were quickly put away. I was at a bit of a loss for what to do, since I hadn’t really planned for staying at home in gloomy weather. After pottering about for a while, feeling bored, I randomly picked up Kate Shirazi’s cookbook, and decided some cupcakes might make me feel better. So I turned up the music, and headed for the kitchen.

Makes 12 large or 18 smaller cupcakes

200g flour (I used Dove’s Farm Plain White flour blend)

1 teaspoon xantham gum

3 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

¼ teaspoon herbal salt (or ordinary sea salt)

150g courgette

150g wensleydale cheese with cranberries (or any other semi-firm cheese with fruit)

60ml whole milk

2 large eggs

110g butter

Pre-heat your oven to 200^OC.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, xantham gum, baking powder, sugar and salt.

In another bowl, grate your courgette, and add the cheese. The cheese should first be chopped into small cubes. Add the milk and eggs, and stir. Melt the butter and add to the mixture. Give the whole mixture a little whisk, and pour it into the dry ingredients. With a spoon, carefully fold the mixture together into a firm batter. You don’t want to stir the flour too much, as gluten free flour tends to go a bit rubbery if worked too hard.

Place cupcake cases into a 12-hole muffin tin and use two spoons to spoon the batter into the cases. Depending on how large cupcakes you would like, you’ll get 12 or maybe even 18 cupcakes from this mix. Place the tin in the middle of the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the cupcakes are firm to the touch and golden brown. 

Lemon & Lime Fairycakes

Fairy cakes are really good for those occasions when a cake may be too formal, or when finger food is more convenient. These ones are sweet but fruity, and very quick to make - perfect if a friend is coming over to yours without much warning.

Makes 12 fairycakes

100g butter
50ml agave nectar
2 medium size eggs
250g flour (I used Doves Farm plain whte flour blend)

½ teaspoon xantham gum
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
150ml whole milk
zest of 1 large lime
50ml lemon curd


a knob of butter
granulated sugar


Pre-heat your oven to 190°C.


The butter should be room tempered and soft. Add it to a bowl and mix it with the agave nectar and eggs. Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and sift them into the butter mixture. Mix well, and add the milk. When you have combined the milk with the rest of teh ingredients and have a smooth dough, add teh zest of your lime, stir, and finally add the lemon curd. Carefully fold the lemon curd into the dough, but don't mix it in comletely, leave it so the there are streaks of it and it makes a marbled effect. This makes the cakes more moist.


Spoon the dough into muffin cases (it's helpful if these are placed in a muffin baking tray, but this is not essential). Bake in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes until they are golden brown and a skewer comes out clean.


Leave the cakes in the tin for 5 minutes, and place them on a cooling rack. While the cakes are still warm, use a pastry brush to paint them with butter, and sprinkle some granulated sugar over them. 

Banana & Cinnamon Fairy Cakes

I recently wanted to make some fairy cakes to bring to a picnic, and while I was looking in cookbooks to find inspiration I came across this recipe. It was in “the hummingbird bakery cookbook” by Tarek Malouf & The Hummingbird Bakers. As always happens when I intend to follow a recipe I change it slightly as I go along, this time to make it gluten free.

Makes 18 fairy cakes

For the cake:

350g plain flour (I used Doves farm plain gluten free white bread flour)

¼ teaspoon salt

1 ½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

160g caster sugar

250ml natural yogurt

125ml whole milk

1 medium size egg

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

70g butter

400g peeled banana

For the icing:

4 tablespoons icing sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons water

3 drops banana flavouring

sugar pearls for decorating

Pre-heat your oven to 170^oC.

Sift and mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Combine the yogurt, milk and vanilla extract, add the egg and mix well, and add this mixture to the dry ingredients. Melt the butter and gradually add to the dough while stirring. Finally mash the bananas and add these to the dough. Stir well until you have an even mixture, and then spoon into paper muffin cases until they are two thirds full.

Bake in the pre-heated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Leave the fairy cakes to cool on a wire rack.

To make the icing, sift the icing sugar and cinnamon into a small bowl. Add the banana flavouring, and carefully add the water a little at a time until you get the right consistency, you may not need all of it. The icing should be runny like a thick sauce, but thick enough that it will stay on the fairy cakes without falling off at the sides.

Use a teaspoon to pour the icing over the fairy cakes, one at a time. Finally sprinkle some sugar pearls over the cakes for decoration. 

Blueberry & Banana Fairy cakes with a buttery frosting

Makes 12 fairy cakes

100g butter

100g sugar

1 egg

150g brown rice flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

100ml whole milk

1 ½ bananas

50g blueberries

25ml maple syrup

50g butter

150g icing sugar

40ml single cream

3 drops banana flavouring

a dash pink food colouring

sugar paste

a few coloured sugar pearls

Preheat the oven to 170^oC.

Whisk the butter and sugar until smooth and airy. Add the egg and whisk some more until the egg is completely mixed in with the butter and sugar. Mix the baking powder and cardamom in with the flour, and add this to the mixture. Stir well, and add the milk. Mash the bananas and add. Finally add the blueberries and maple syrup and mix well. You’ll now have a fairly runny dough, which you can scoop into muffin forms.

Bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer come out clean when doing the skewer test. Leave the cakes to rest on a cooling rack until cold.

To make the frosting, whisk the butter and icing sugar until smooth. Then add the cream, flavouring and colour and stir well. The more you whisk the mixture the fluffier and lighter the frosting will be.

Use a piping bag to apply the frosting to the fairy cakes.

Make the sugar paste into flowers or other shapes, and decorate with these and the sugar pearls.