Chocolate Fairy Cakes

Dive into our easy chocolate fairy cakes recipe, a rich and fudgy delight that's a chocoholic's dream!

And for those who believe there's no such thing as too much chocolate, top it off with our smooth chocolate buttercream icing, your direct ticket to chocolate heaven.

And if that's still not enough, top the chocolate frosting with your favourite chocolates - Chocolate buttons, Flake, Smarties or Maltesers - for an extra layer of indulgence!

We guide you through each step, from creaming butter and sugar, folding in dry ingredients, to achieving the perfect bake for a fudgy delight. These are a really easy baking with kids recipe to try or for an even easier chocolate treat try our cornflake cakes.

Jump to:

• Easy Chocolate Fairy Cakes Recipe
• Ingredients
• Equipment
• Instructions
• Decorating
• 📖 Step by Step Recipe
• Storage
• More Chocolate Recipes
• 💬 Reviews

Easy Chocolate Fairy Cakes Recipe

See our video below for how we made our fairy cakes.

Continue reading for a more info about the ingredients and equipment needed, or if you prefer to get straight to the action.

Click here to leap directly to our printable recipe for chocolate fairy cakes.

Ingredients

Our recipe for chocolate cupcakes uses basic ingredients like caster sugar, butter, self-raising flour, cocoa powder, and eggs.

Butter

For the best results, it's recommended to use unsalted butter at room temperature when making chocolate fairy cakes. This allows the butter to blend more easily with the sugar, creating a smooth and creamy mixture that forms the perfect base for your batter.

If you're looking for an alternative, Stork is a fantastic option known for producing light and fluffy cakes. Since it's softer, even straight from the fridge, it creams well with sugar, making it a convenient choice for spontaneous baking sessions.

However, due to its softer consistency, it doesn't hold up well when whipped into buttercream. so stick with good old-fashioned butter for the chocolate frosting!

Sugar

In this recipe, we opt for caster sugar. Its fine granules dissolve quickly and evenly, ensuring a smooth batter that bakes up into a chocolate fairy cake with a perfectly tender crumb.

Granulated white sugar can also be used as a substitute. It will just take a bit longer to cream with the butter due to its larger crystals.

Soft brown sugar will give a touch of molasses taste and makes the cakes more moist. Whilst using light muscovado sugar can add a subtle caramel flavour.

Flour

Self-raising flour is the secret ingredient to creating a lovely light sponge for our fairy cakes.

This type of flour has a raising agent already mixed in, which reacts during baking. Creating tiny gas bubbles that lift the batter, resulting in a cake that is beautifully risen and delightfully fluffy.

Don't worry if you don't have any self raising flour on hand. You can substitute it with plain flour (all-purpose flour). Add one teaspoon of baking powder for every 75g of plain flour.

Cocoa Powder

Cocoa powder not only infuses your chocolate fairy cakes with an intense chocolatey taste but also gives them a deep, inviting colour.

The type of cocoa powder used can significantly affect the taste of your cakes. Whether you prefer a sweet, mild chocolate taste or a more robust, dark chocolate flavour, there's a cocoa powder out there to suit your preference.

You could also add extra flavour by adding ½ - 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Eggs

Eggs act as a binding agent, helping to hold all the other ingredients together and add structure to the cake.

As for measurements, while I have provided specific quantities, there's a traditional baker's trick that can ensure the perfect cake mix consistency.

Start by weighing two large eggs (still in their shells). Then, measure the same weight for your butter, sugar, and flour (subtract 30 grams for the cocoa powder to add to the flour measurement!).

This 'weigh-to-egg' method, ensures that your wet and dry ingredients are in balance. The result is a well-structured, moist, and deliciously light fairy cake.

If you want to read more on the chocolate icing recipe ingredients we will be posting it soon!

Equipment

Having the right equipment on hand is key to effortlessly creating delicious chocolate fairy cakes; here's what you'll need.

An electric mixer will make the process of combining our cake recipes much easier and quicker. Which can be a bit of a workout by hand!

If using a handheld mixer or making the mixture by hand you will need a large bowl.

A cupcake tray or muffin tray, is essential for baking fairy cakes. It helps to shape the cakes and evenly distribute the heat during baking.

Paper cases are used to line the muffin tin. They not only make it easier to remove the cakes from the tray after baking but also provide an attractive presentation for your fairy cakes.

A wire rack (cooling rack) can be used for cooling your cakes once they're out of the oven.

Finally, you'll need a piping bag or metal spoon for applying the frosting to your cooled chocolate fairy cakes. A piping bag gives you more control for decorative frosting, while a spoon is perfect for a rustic, homemade look that anyone can achieve as seen on this post.

Instructions

Follow these step-by-step instructions to easily and confidently bake your own easy chocolate fairy cakes.

Jump to the full recipe card with printable ingredients list, measurements and pictures.

Preparation

Start by preheating your oven to 170℃ fan/ 190℃ / 375℉ /gas mark 5.

To prepare your cupcake tray, lightly grease each hole to help keep the liners in place, then place a liner in each hole.

Creaming

Take 130 g of sugar and 130 g of butter and cream them together in a large bowl until the mixture becomes pale and fluffy. For optimal results, use a hand or stand mixer for this step.

Beating

Next, gradually beat in two large eggs into the creamed mixture, adding one at a time into the mixing bowl. If using vanilla extract add that now too.

Folding

Sift 30 g of cocoa powder and 100 g of self-raising flour into the bowl.

Fold these dry ingredients into the batter using a mixing spoon, ensuring they're fully incorporated.

Filling the Cupcake Cases

Proceed to fill each liner halfway with the cake batter.

A tablespoon can be handy for portioning the mix evenly. Once all paper cases have 1 tablespoon each add any leftover fairy cake batter evenly between them.

Cooking Time

Place the tray in the preheated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes at 170℃ fan/ 190℃ / 375℉ /gas mark 5.

You can check if the cakes are done by inserting a toothpick into the centre; if it comes out clean, they're ready.

Cooling

Once baked, let the cakes cool. Using a wire rack can speed up this process, allowing for even air circulation.

Decorating the cakes is an optional step but the kids will love you more if you do!

Decorating

Our chocolate buttercream icing is made with a handful of simple ingredients: unsalted butter, confectioners' icing sugar, cocoa powder, and some milk for consistency.

The instructions for our chocolate buttercream icing can be found in the recipe card or check out our chocolate buttercream frosting post for a more detailed explanation.

Make sure the fairy cakes cool completely before you add chocolate frosting.

You don't need to be neat when decorating, we simply use the back of a spoon to spread a layer of chocolate buttercream over the chocolate fairy cake.

You can also add your favourite chocolates for extra indulgence. We used smarties but chocolate buttons, Maltesers, or use mini eggs to make Easter fairy cakes make a good option.

Simply stick your chosen chocolate into the chocolate frosting.

These chocolate cakes are not only delicious, but they're also perfect for school cake sales. What's more, they're so easy to make that the kids can even join the baking fun!

Don't forget to check out our other kid-friendly recipes like fruit flapjacks and our chocolate chip fairy cakes too.

They're just as simple, tasty, and sure to be a hit at any bake sale or family gathering. Happy baking! We will give more cake recipes at the end of this post.

📖 Step by Step Recipe

Storage

Storing chocolate fairy cakes properly is important to maintain their freshness and flavour. Once the cakes have cooled completely, they should be placed in an airtight container or cake tin. This will help to protect them from air exposure and keep them soft and moist.

If you plan to eat the fairy cakes within a few hours, they can remain at room temperature. However, if you aren't eating them immediately, store them in the fridge and bring them to room temperature before serving. Fairy cakes will last four days in the fridge.

More advice on storing chocolate cupcakes.

Freezing

The chocolate fairy cakes can be frozen for up to 3 months without the icing for longer-term storage. Just make sure to wrap them well to prevent freezer burn, and thaw them at room temperature when you're ready to enjoy them.

More Chocolate Recipes

If you're a chocolate lover, we have a wealth of scrumptious chocolate recipes for you to explore.