Lemon Blueberry Filled Fairy Cakes
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Hello, dear ones! Have you ever had a fairy cake before? If you love cupcakes, then you most certainly have! These little delightful desserts look as if they were magically decorated by the fair folk. With little edible flowers and berries, they are truly a magical ode to summer.
These particular cakes are made with a delicious lemon cake and filled inside with a soft blueberry whipped cream. On top is another dollop of sweet lemon deliciousness! Lemon cream cheese frosting and fresh blueberries are the perfect finish. At the heart of cottagecore lies a profound appreciation for simplicity and the beauty of natural ingredients. These enchanting fairy cakes embody that sentiment perfectly, where the zesty tang of lemons and the luscious sweetness of blueberries unite to dance upon your taste buds. I am reminded of the charm of a wildflower-strewn meadow. The lemony aroma permeates the air, and the berries boast their vibrant hues, echoing the colors of a summer sunrise.
what are fairy cakes?
Apparently, there is a distinct difference between a fairy cake and a cupcake! Did you know?
Fairy cakes are much simpler than these cupcakes, which are technically wrongly labeled. Oops! A fairy cake, which is a British sweet, is topped simply with a spread of icing and sprinkles. Whereas a cupcake has a rosette of frosting, like buttercream or cream cheese, and decorations.
Traditional fairy cakes resemble something more of a Victoria sponge cake, where the cake is bare and sandwiched with jam and whipped cream. The tops were cut and arranged on the sides of the cake, resembling the wings of a fairy.
The reason they are called fairy cakes? It actually has nothing to do with how they are decorated. It is because they are often smaller than the average cupcake! It reminds me of the the “Fairy egg” that young hens, or pullets, lay. Sometimes a chicken will lay an egg that is incredibly tiny when she is first beginning to lay, about the size of a teaspoon. It is called a fairy egg because of its small size!
So while my cupcakes here may not technically be real fairy cakes, I still love the name simply for the delightful decorations!
the method:
This cupcake takes some extra steps to have all of the lovely fillings and toppings. In my instructions, I have you make the cake first. However, if you are pinched for time, you can make any portion of this dessert ahead of time. For instance, the frosting and whipped cream filling will hold up in the refrigerator for a couple of days before being used.
The cake is a simple yellow cake flavored with lemon. It’s so yummy! It bakes up perfectly and has the slightest dome, making it an ideal cupcake for filling and decorating. If you would like jumbo cupcakes, you may want to increase the oven temperature slightly to achieve that dome.
The filling is made by boiling down fresh blueberries into a simple syrup and folding the syrup into a batch of whipped cream. It’s perfectly dreamy and so simple!
Finish off the cakes with a lemon cream cheese frosting. This is just as it sounds: cream cheese, butter, lemon juice and zest, and a healthy dose of powdered sugar. Yum!
final thoughts:
I just love these cakes! The pairing of lemon and blueberry is always a hit. I love using natural elements like edible flowers as decorations vs sprinkles. While sprinkles are absolutely precious, there is something so charming about a little sprig of lavender or a pansy! You could take these cupcakes a step further and make sugared flowers. How precious would that be?
I hope that you enjoy baking up this recipe!
xoxo Kayla
Lemon Blueberry Filled Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (58 g) salted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups (195 g) cake flour
- 1 1/2 tsp (7 g) baking powder
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) buttermilk
- 2 tsp (10 l) lemon juice
- 2 tsp lemon zest, or zest of 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) water
- 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar, divided
- 1/4 cup (37 g) fresh blueberries
- 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
- 8 oz (226 g) cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup (116 g) salted butter, softened
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 1/2 cups (530 g) powdered sugar
- Fresh blueberries, for topping
- Edible flowers, for decorating
