If you are a student, looking for something to bake with the kids or just want to conjure up fairy cakes in an hour, this is the ideal recipe for you! It takes next to no time to make, requires hardly any equipment and is foolproof!
These lemon fairy cakes are ideal for serving at a childrens´ party, tea party or as an afternoon treat. These little cakes always remind me of the tea parties I used to have with my cousins when I was younger.
Easy, quick, foolproof and no equipment required…
This recipe is extremely easy to follow, as it is a so-called all-in-one recipe. This means that you can just add all the ingredients into a bowl, mix, and voilà, you have your finished batter.
When looking for a quick recipe to whip up a batch of deliciousness, this is the way to go!
It also means there is hardly any washing-up to do! A plastic bowl and wooden spoon is all you need!
Baking with kids…
These mini lemon fairy cakes are also perfect for baking with children! They will absolutely love decorating these cute little fairy cakes with icing and colourful sprinkles. Feel free to add some food colouring to the icing, a little pale pink or yellow icing would look really nice!
I made these fairy cakes with the kids I was looking after when I was working as an Au Pair in Italy. We also made these Easy Iced Biscuits together, another great kid-friendly baking recipe!
Why not also get the kids involved in making these delicious Vanilla Cupcakes with Buttercream or Easter Chocolate Cupcakes?
Flavour these little fairy cakes any way you like!
The lemon flavour in this fairy cake recipe is completely optional, for plain cakes simply omit the lemon zest and make the icing by only adding water. You could also add some vanilla extract to the fairy cake mix to make vanilla cupcakes.
For an orange-flavoured version of these fairy cakes, simply use the zest of an orange for the cake mix and a little orange juice for the icing.
How To Decorate Your Fairy Cakes?
The easiest way to decorate the fairy cakes is to make a simple water icing (a mixture of icing sugar and lemon juice) as described in the recipe below.
For something more luxurious, why not try decorating these little cakes with some homemade buttercream? Check out my post on How to Make the Perfect Buttercream for the recipe.
These miniature lemon cakes are best enjoyed on the day they are made but can also be kept in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
Lemon Fairy Cakes
Recipe
Ingredients (makes 12 normal or 24 mini cakes):
FOR THE FAIRY CAKES:
- 100g butter, softened
- 100g caster sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 100g plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- Zest of one lemon
FOR THE ICING:
- 250g icing sugar
- Lemon juice
- Water
- Sprinkles, smarties, etc., to decorate
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C. Prepare a cupcake or mini cupcake tray by lining it with paper cases.
- Measure all of the ingredients for the cupcakes into a mixing bowl. Beat with a wooden spoon or electric hand-held whisk for 2-3 minutes until well combined.
- Next, spoon the mixture into the prepared paper cases until they are about 2/3 full.
- Bake in the pre-heated oven for 15-20 minutes (or 12-15 minutes if making the miniature ones) until the fairy cakes are well risen and golden brown.
- Once baked, leave to cool for a few minutes, before transferring the cakes from the cupcake tray to a wire rack. Then, leave to cool completely.
- To make the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl. Add a little bit of lemon juice to the icing sugar and mix. Continue adding the lemon juice a little at a time, mixing well between each addition. You are aiming to create a thick, glossy icing that can be spooned over the fairy cakes without running off the sides. See recipe tips below for further advice on making the icing.
- Spread a little of the icing over the cupcakes and decorate with colourful sprinkles, smarties or chocolate nibs.
Recipe Tips:
– You can also make these fairy cakes if you don’t have a cupcake/mini cupcake tray. Simply place the paper cases on a normal baking tray, but use two cases, a “double case”, per cupcake to give it more stability and help in hold it´s shape in the oven.
– For an orange-flavoured version of the fairy cakes, replace the lemon in this recipe with orange zest and juice.
– For the icing, if you like, you can use a little lemon juice to start with and then use water for a less intense lemon flavour. If you have added too much water and the icing has become to runny, simply stir in a little more icing sugar to thicken.
You can also use food colouring to create different variations of the icing. Simply divide the icing into however many bowls you like and add a different colour to each.
