Zucchini Butterfly Cakes

Let them eat cake! These delicious butterfly cakes are bursting with good-for-you ingredients – all of them invisible to the eye.  

With the never ending parade of delicious things on our social feeds, we often feel the pull to whip up something sweet and delicious.

In that vein of childlike wonder, we’ve taken a trip down memory lane by recreating a childhood favourite here: butterfly cakes.  Using grated zucchini is a great way to sneak veg into your bakes, and a really simple way to keep the sponge really moist. And the best part? Your kids will never be able to identify the secret ingredient…mwahahaha!

With a kick of ground cinnamon and ginger, these delicately spiced cupcakes are the perfect recipe to bake on those wet weekend afternoons – and pleasing to kids and adults alike. Topped with an irresistible pineapple cream cheese icing, these pretty little butterfly cakes are guaranteed to fly straight off plates!

Butterfly Cake Toppings

We decided to keep our butterfly cakes simple and let the flavours speak for themselves, but they would look and taste great with the following toppings:

• fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries
• a dusting of icing/cocoa powder
• sprinkles, chocolate buttons, chocolate chips
• a dollop of fresh jam

How to assemble your butterfly cakes:

1. Scoop the tops of the butterfly cakes out with a teaspoon or knife, keeping the tops to one side.
2. Fill the hollows with your cream cheese icing
3. Cut the cake tops in half and place them on top of the icing (like butterfly wings).

Zucchini Butterfly Cakes

Ingredients

225g plain flour
½tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1½ tsp baking powder
175g light muscovado sugar
125g butter
2 eggs of medium size
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 tbsp low-fat natural yoghurt
125g zucchini, grated and extra liquid drained

For the Icing

200g cream cheese
100g icing sugar
75g crushed pineapple in juice, drained

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with colourful paper cases.
2. In a large bowl, beat together all the cupcake ingredients, except the grated courgette, for 2 min until the mixture is light and fluffy. Fold through the zucchini.
3. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases or mini loaf tins, then bake for 25– 30 min until golden and firm to the touch. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
4. To make the icing, beat the cream cheese, icing sugar and pineapple together until light and fluffy.
5. Scoop out a shallow circle from the middle of the cupcake – chop the circle in half – these are your butterfly wings!
6. Fill the hole with your icing and a dollop of pineapple. Stick the wings cut side down, pointing out and up.
7. Top with sprinkles or decorations of your choice!