Prep 20min (+ cooling time)Bake 25-30minMakes 12

Based on a cake I have made for years as a wedding cake for friends, this recipe is incredibly simple but still has a wonderful celebratory feel. It also makes truly divine individual cakes like these sweet butterfly cakes.

Ingredients

Melted butter, to grease (optional)
200g (7oz) good-quality white chocolate, chopped
150g (5¼oz) unsalted butter, cubed
185ml (¾ cup/6½fl oz) water
220g (1 cup/7¾) caster sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature, lightly whisked
1½ teaspoons natural vanilla extract or essence
225g (1½ cup/8oz) plain flour
50g (½ cup/1¾oz) almond meal
1½ teaspoons baking powder
125ml (½ cup/4fl oz) thick (double) cream
165g (½ cup/5¾oz) raspberry or blackberry jam
Icing sugar, to dust

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C/315°F fan-forced). Grease a 12-hole 80ml (⅓ cup/2½fl oz) capacity muffin tray with melted butter or line with paper cases.
2. Put the chocolate, butter and water in a medium saucepan and stir over medium heat just until the chocolate and butter have melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat and set aside until cooled to room temperature.
3. Add the sugar, eggs and vanilla to the chocolate mixture and use a balloon whisk to stir until well combined.
4. In a medium bowl, use a clean whisk or fork to whisk together the flour, almond meal and baking powder, combining the ingredients evenly and breaking up any lumps of almond meal. Add to the chocolate mixture and stir with the whisk until just combined.
5. Divide the mixture evenly among the muffin holes and lightly tap the tin on the bench top to remove any large air bubbles. Bake in the preheated oven for 25–30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre of a cake comes out clean. Leave the cakes to stand in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
6. When cool, cut a shallow cone-shaped piece out of the top of a cake, leaving about a 1cm/½in border. Cut the piece of cake in half. Spoon a little cream and then some jam into the hole to fill. Arrange the two pieces of cake in the jam to form wings. Repeat with the remaining cakes, cream and jam. Dust with icing sugar to serve.