Butterfly cakes with strawberry and rose jam

Butterfly cakes were my absolute favourite birthday party treat when I was a little girl. I hadn't had these dainty little teacakes for years and with an afternoon tea party coming up soon, for which I had to bring a plate - I thought it was high time to fossick out mum's recipe from the 1970s. The question was - what to fill the cakes with? Recently I has seen butterfly cakes filled with lemon curd, some with chocolate cream. The choices were endless. The best thing to do was consult mum. Her advice - you can only make butterfly cakes with strawberry jam.

This week there has been an abundance of very, very cheaply priced strawberries at the market. So I thought - why not make the jam for the butterfly cakes. Coming home from the market, I also noticed that the tiny little rose geranium seedlings I has planted back in May - were growing out of control in our garden. To add a little twist on tradition, I couldn't help but add some of these beautifully fragrant leaves to my strawberry jam.





Strawberry & rose jam

1kg strawberries, hulled, large ones halved

4 rose geranium leaves (or 1/4 cup rose water)

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1kg jam sugar



1. Place the strawberries, geranium leaves (or rose water) and lemon juice in a preserving pan. Leave for a few hours, or overnight, for the lemon to release all the pectin.



2. Remove the geranium leaves. Place the pan on a gentle heat and add the sugar. Stir until the sugar has fully dissolved. Increase the heat and bring the pan to a rolling boil.



3. Boil for 10-15 minutes, or until setting point is reached. Remove the pan from the heat. Place in warm, sterilised jars and seal immediately.

Butterfly cakes



125g butter, softened

2/3 cup caster sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/2 cups self-raising flour

1 tsp vanilla paste

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup thickened cream

1/4 cup strawberry & rose jam



1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line patty or muffin pans (x12) with paper cases.



2. Cream butter, vanilla and sugar until light in colour and creamy.



3. Gradually add egg, beating well between each addition.



4. Add flour and milk, a little bit at a time and lightly combine.



5. Divide evenly between patty cases.



6. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Leave to cool.



7. Using a fine pointed knife, cut a circle from the top of each cake, then cut the circle in half to make the butterfly wings.



8. Beat cream in a small bowl until thick.



9. Put a teaspoon of stawberry & rose jam into the top of each cake. Using a piping bag, swirl cream on top. Place two of the 'wings' onto each cake.