Butterfly Cupcakes

  4.0 – 4 reviews  • American
Total: 55 min
Prep: 30 min
Cook: 25 min
Yield: 12 servings
Total: 55 min
Prep: 30 min
Cook: 25 min
Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients

  1. 1 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
  2. 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  3. 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  4. 1/4 teaspoon salt
  5. 8 tablespoons (1 stick) cool unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  6. 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
  7. 1 egg yolk
  8. 1 egg
  9. 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  10. 1/2 cup sour cream
  11. Rainbow sprinkles
  12. White Frosting, recipe follows
  13. 36 (2-inch length) red licorice whips
  14. 12 (1 1/2-inch length) black licorice whips, cut into thin tapered strips
  15. 1 tube black icing (the supermarket kind with a small writing tip)
  16. 2 tablespoons flour
  17. 1 cup milk
  18. 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
  19. 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
  20. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Line a muffin tin with cupcake papers. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Sift the already sifted cake flour with the baking soda, baking powder and salt. Cream the butter in a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment until soft, then add the sugar and mix. Add the yolk, the egg and the vanilla and whip at medium-high speed until light and fluffy. With the mixer running at low speed, add a third of the flour mixture and mix. Then add half of the sour cream and mix. Add another third of the flour and mix. Add the remaining sour cream and mix, then the remaining flour. Give it one last mix to make sure everything is blended in. Pour the batter into the muffin cups, filling them 3/4 full. Bake until firm to the touch in the center, 20 to 25 minutes. Set the pan on a wire rack and let cool.
  2. To make the butterflies, spread a thick layer of rainbow sprinkles on a plate. Cut off the top rounded “cap” (like the cap of a mushroom or a muffin) of each cupcake. Spread the flat top of each “beheaded” cupcake with frosting. Cut a “V” shape wedges out of the center of each cap, creating 2 semicircles that will serve as the butterfly wings. Spread the flat cut side of the 2 semicircles with frosting, then dip in rainbow sprinkles to coat. Place the 2 wings on top of each cupcake, sprinkles side up, so that the curved sides meet in the middle.
  3. Lay 3 strands of red licorice down the center of each one to make the body. Use two pieces of black licorice to make the antennae. Pipe 2 black dots for the eyes, placing one white sprinkle in the center of each eye.
  4. Over medium heat, cook the flour and milk until thickened. Let cool. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in the flour mixture.

Reviews

Diana Johnson
I didn’t try the cupcakes, but made the frosting included in this recipe. The taste of the frosting was way too buttery and not quite sweet enough for my taste. Adding more sugar didn’t help and I ended up buying frosting at the store.
Linda Stokes
Enjoyed very much. Will make over and over again.
Sean Romero
yo
David Moreno
 

 

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