Butterfly Cupcakes

• золотий цукор↗300g g
• яйця↗4
• масло↗300g g

  розтоплене та охолоджене

• самопіднімаюче борошно↗300g g
• золотий цукор↗300g g
• сушені квіти лаванди↗1 tbsp tbsp
• масло↗400g g

  м'яке

• цукрова пудра↗550g g
• харчові барвники↗3

  гелі (ми використали фіолетовий, жовтий та рожевий)

• білий шоколад↗400g g
• харчові барвники↗3

  гелі (ми використали фіолетовий, жовтий та рожевий)

• шоколадне печиво2

  подрібнене (ми використали Oreo, але видалили білу начинку)

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C with convection/gas 4 and line two 12‑cup muffin tins with paper liners. Place all cake batter ingredients in a large bowl and whisk with an electric beater for 3‑4 minutes until the mixture is pale and light. Evenly divide the batter into the 24 cups and bake for 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool on a rack.

2. 2

   While the cupcakes bake, make the syrup. Combine sugar, lavender and 300 ml water in a medium saucepan over low heat. Gradually bring to a boil, simmer for 2 minutes, then remove from heat and let steep. Once cooled, strain through a sieve into a small container.

3. 3

   For the buttercream, place butter, powdered sugar and 100 ml syrup in a large bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon, then switch to an electric whisk and beat until smooth and fluffy. Divide the mixture into three bowls. Add a few drops of food‑gel colour to each bowl to create three distinct buttercream colours – mix, then pipe half of each colour into disposable pastry bags.

4. 4

   Use a cocktail stick to poke several small holes in the top of each cupcake, then drizzle each with 1 tsp syrup. On each cupcake place a mound of 1 tsp buttercream (about eight pieces of each colour) and spread with the back of a spoon to fully cover the top. Then, using the appropriate pastry bag, pipe a straight line 2‑3 cm long across the centre of each cupcake.

5. 5

   For the wings, melt white chocolate in a heat‑proof bowl over a pot of simmering water. Divide into three smaller bowls and add the same gel colours as before. Cut parchment squares 8 cm in size and, with a pencil, draw butterfly wings on each pair so the design is visible from the opposite side, or outline if preferred. Flip the paper and, using the line as a guide, apply the melted chocolate. Sprinkle cookie crumbs around the edges for patterning, then let set. Once the chocolate has hardened, carefully insert the wings into the cupcakes at a 45° angle.