Chocolate Orange Butterfly Cakes

 After a very stressful and hectic few weeks, BB and I had our first day alone together, with no fixed agenda today. After a bit of a lazy start BB decided that we should bake some chocolate cakes and make carrot soup.

We needed a few ingredients so I was ready to hop in the car, but no, he said "We need to walk". So we rugged up and set off. Four hours later, after a visit to the craft shop to get some googly eyes, a cafe for some lunch, and the toy shop to get some inspiration for his Santa list, we arrived home, tuned into Absolute 80's Radio, and were ready to bake. 

As per usual, we made it up. And as happens occasionally, we have a recipe worth sharing. BB wanted the chocolate and the butter icing, I suggested we add the orange to balance the sweetness. They're pretty tasty, though Paul and Mary might not be impressed with our lack of uniformity. If you bear in mind that much of it was done by a three year old, then they are close to perfect.

Chocolate Orange Butterfly Cake

Ingredients

Cake

100g butter

100g caster sugar

1 tsp baking powder

75g self raising flour

25g cocoa powder

2 large eggs 

Zest of one orange

Butter icing

50g soft butter

125g icing sugar

Plus some orange jam / marmalade 

Method

Put all the cake ingredients into a bowl and mix well with an electric hand mixer

Then spoon into a mini muffin tray (as evenly as your three year old hands allow) and bake for 15-20 mins

Tip: We use a silicon baking tray. It makes it easier for BB to spoon the mixture in - paper cases get stuck to the spoon. 

And... Don't forget to lick the spoons!

When the cakes are cooked remove from the oven and leave to cool a little before taking them out of the baking tray and placing on a wire rack to finish cooling.

Meanwhile combine the soft butter and icing sugar to make the butter icing. 

When the cakes are completely cool, slice off the tops. Spread a layer of marmalade on the top of the base, followed by a layer of butter icing. Then cut the top in half and place back on the cake to form butterfly wings. 

Some great cakes that we will share with the family this weekend, and a lovely day of reconnection, baking and dancing in the kitchen.