These soft, buttery-free fairy cakes (call it vanilla cupcakes/queen cakes) are perfect for a quick bake. All you need is a bowl, a whisk, and a muffin tin! Follow my step-step video tutorial to bake these easy fairy cup cakes with me.
Frost with buttercream, chocolate ganache, or a dusting of icing sugar for a classic bakery-style finish.
I’ve always loved the Indian bakery style dinner rolls and dainty vanilla cupcakes from local bakeries in India and missed them so much. Over the last 20 years, I’ve perfected my own soft, buttery-free fairy cakes here in the UK. This recipe is foolproof, kid-friendly, and ready in just 30 minutes.
Now my kids make them on their own, and I can tell you’re ready to bake cupcakes that taste just like the bakery. Perfect as a traditional British treat for children’s parties—you can even let them decorate their own butterfly cakes as a fun activity!
Jump to:
- 👩🏻🍳Sandhya's Top Tips
- Watch a Quick Video to Make Fairy Cup Cakes
- 💛Why You Should Try This Recipe
- 📋Ingredients to Make Fairy Cakes with Oil
- ⏲️How to Make Fairy Cupcakes – Step by Step
- How Do I Make Fairy Cakes in the Air Fryer?
- 🧂How to Store Leftover Fairy Cupcakes
- 👪How Many Fairy Cakes Will This Recipe Make?
- ❓Recipe FAQs
- More Easy Butter-Free Bake Recipes
- Vanilla Fairy Cakes Recipe
👩🏻🍳Sandhya's Top Tips
- Use room temperature eggs and milk – Helps the batter mix more evenly and gives softer cupcakes.
- Don’t overmix the batter – Fold gently to keep cupcakes light and fluffy.
- Fill the muffin tray ¾ full – Gives the perfect dome without spilling over.
- Preheat the oven – A hot oven ensures the cupcakes rise well and cook evenly.
- Play around with flavors – Add a few chocolate chips adds a fun twist.
- Decorate with frosting or icing sugar once the cup cakes are completely cooled– Vanilla buttercream, chocolate ganache, or a simple dusting of icing sugar adds charm to these old-fashioned fairy cakes.
Watch a Quick Video to Make Fairy Cup Cakes
💛Why You Should Try This Recipe
- Use this as a base and top with buttercream, whipped cream, or icing sugar.
- Nothing beats homemade cupcakes straight from the oven.
- A fun recipe to introduce children to baking.
- No Fancy tools like stand mixer or hand blender needed.All you need is a bowl, whisk, and muffin tin
- Ready in just 30 minutes from start to finish.
- Double or triple the recipe for birthdays or children's parties.
📋Ingredients to Make Fairy Cakes with Oil
All measurements are in cups for easy, kid-friendly baking. Full printable recipe card at the bottom.
- Plain Flour (All-Purpose Flour): Works best for soft old-fashioned fairy cakes. You can also try half plain flour, half whole wheat for a slightly nuttier flavor.
- Sugar: granulated or caster sugar works.
- Sunflower Oil: Neutral oils like canola or vegetable oil work too. Avoid strong-flavored oils.
- Milk: Always use room temperature or warm milk to make the batter smoother and the cupcakes soft. Plant-based milk (almond, oat, soy) works as a substitution.
- Eggs: I use 2 large ones. For eggless variation, try a flax egg or chia egg (1 tablespoon ground flax/chia + 3 tablespoon water per egg).
- Vanilla Extract or Vanilla Essence: For that classic vanilla flavour
- Baking Powder: Ensures a light, fluffy cupcake. Make sure it’s fresh.
⏲️How to Make Fairy Cupcakes – Step by Step
- Gather your ingredients and preheat the oven to 200°C. Line a muffin tray with paper liners.
- Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- Add the wet ingredients one at a time, whisking gently after each addition until smooth.
- Fill the muffin liners about ¾ full with the fairy cakes mixture.
- Bake for around 20 minutes, checking with a skewer – it should come out clean.
- Cool the fairy cakes on a wire rack. Serve warm or, if decorating, wait until completely cooled before adding icing or frosting.
How Do I Make Fairy Cakes in the Air Fryer?
The recipe is exactly the same! Start by making the batter using this fairy cakes recipe. While you’re preparing the batter, preheat your air fryer to 160°C (320°F) for 3 minutes or so.
Line small silicone cupcake cups or paper cases that fit in your air fryer basket, and fill them about ¾ full with the batter. Air fry the fairy cakes for 10–12 minutes, checking with a skewer – it should come out clean when they’re done.
Let the cupcakes cool completely on a wire rack before adding frosting or dusting with icing sugar.
🧂How to Store Leftover Fairy Cupcakes
There are rarely leftovers with this small batch fairy cupcakes bake. But when I double the batch, we do.
- At room temperature: I simply place the cooled cupcakes in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
- In the fridge: Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. I warm them for 10–15 seconds in the microwave and enjoy right away.
- In the freezer: Wrap each cupcake individually in cling film and place them in a freezer-safe bag for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature and enjoy as fresh.
👪How Many Fairy Cakes Will This Recipe Make?
This recipe makes 6 large cupcakes or about 8 smaller ones.
❓Recipe FAQs
Fairy cakes are small, light, and fluffy cupcakes that are a classic British treat. Traditionally baked in paper cases, they are perfect for tea time, parties, or a simple sweet snack. They are similar to American cupcakes but usually smaller and less heavily frosted.
Once you’ve baked your fairy cakes using this recipe, you can turn them into adorable butterfly cakes:
1.Use a small, sharp knife to cut a small piece from the top of each cake. 2. Keep the knife fairly flat and don’t cut all the way to the edge.
3.Fill the cut-out cavity with buttercream.
4.Slice the removed top in half to create two “wings.” Place these halves on the buttercream with the cut side down and angle them slightly upward.
4.Dust with icing sugar and serve.
More Easy Butter-Free Bake Recipes
Ingredients
- ¾ Cup Plain Flour
- ½ Cup Sugar
- 4 tablespoon Sunflower Oil
- 4 teaspoon Milk
- 2 Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 teaspoon Baking Powder
Instructions
- Combine flour , sugar and baking powder in a mixing bowl.
- Add oil , milk , vanilla extract and eggs one after the other giving a good mix inbetween. Make sure all the ingredients get combined well. .
- Preheat the oven to 200 C . Line the muffin tray with muffin paper.Alternatively just grease the muffin tray. Fill the moulds upto ¾th cup.
- Bake for 20 minutes roughly and check with a wooden skewer.
- Allow them to cool on a wire rack.
- Ice and decorate the basic fairy cake as desired.
Video
Notes
How Do I Make Vanilla Butterfly Fairy Cakes?
Once you’ve baked your fairy cakes using this recipe, you can turn them into adorable butterfly cakes:- Use a small, sharp knife to cut a small piece from the top of each cake. Keep the knife fairly flat and don’t cut all the way to the edge.
- Fill the cut-out cavity with buttercream.
- Slice the removed top in half to create two “wings.” Place these halves on the buttercream with the cut side down and angle them slightly upward.
- Dust with icing sugar and serve.
Clare says
Made these with Gluten Free Flour and they came out fine, substituted vanilla for coffee and added some walnuts. Very versatile recipe.
Sandhya Hariharan says
Hi Clare, thats fantastic to know! Thank you for sharing your substitutions to make a gluten free fairy cake.
Peggy says
Can you use GF flour and vegan egg (Just Egg) for this recipe?
Sandhya's Kitchen says
I have not tried GF flour, so cannot comment on it. But if you are using GF Plain White flour with a suitable egg substitute - it may work. Please do let me know when you make it.
Sattur says
Thank you for this great recipe. This Fairy cake recipe was easy to make and delicious. I will definitely be making this again!
mahi patel says
Your post is very cool, and this post about fairy cakes is easy, and it helps us very much. Thank you for sharing this amazing knowledge.
Ruth says
These rose well, tasted fine and it was a very easy recipe but I wasn’t a fan of the texture. It just felt dry and muffin like compared with the ones I make with butter. Great recipe for kids as it’s so simple but if you are trying to impress with your party cakes, I’d steer clear of this.
Sandhya's Kitchen says
Thank you for your feedback and glad you loved the recipe!! This is a simple fairy cake recipe perfect for baking with kids. As the recipe states, it's made with Oil. The frosting is a personal choice... We love to enjoy it as tea cake.
As you have mentioned, fairy cake with butter will have a different texture compared to the one without butter. J:)
Sreelakshmy says
Awesome recipe Sandy. Tried the eggless one with the yoghurt substitute you suggested. Tastes so yumm, within seconds they vanished. Thanks for posting.
Sandhya Hariharan says
You are most welcome! This Fairy Cakes is simply one of the easiest recipes to bake with kids.Substituting with yogurt, makes it a wonderful eggless recipe.