Sweet zucchini and saffron butterfly cakes

When I was a child, my mom would make butterfly cakes, and I still love them! The addition of grated zucchini and saffron gives a lovely soft edge to this great cake recipe idea. Good old-fashioned buttercream (now more commonly known as vanilla frosting) is a lovely way to finish them.


Ingredients

• 1 good pinch saffron threads or powder
• 2 tablespoons boiling water
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• Generous ¾ cup (6½ oz) superfine sugar
• 1-½ cups (7 oz) Gluten-Free Flour Mix A
• 2 teaspoons baking powder (check to be sure it is a gluten-free variety)
• ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1 teaspoon glycerin
• 2 medium zucchini, grated and thoroughly squeezed to extract the moisture
• 1 cup (8 oz) unsalted butter, softened
• ⅔ cup (2-½ oz) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• Sifted confectioners’ sugar, to dust

Directions
1  Preheat the oven to 350˚F (180˚C). Place 12 paper muffin liners in a muffin pan.

2  Place the saffron threads or powder in a mug, add the boiling water, and leave to infuse and cool.

3  Next, place the eggs and sugar into a stand mixer, and beat on high speed for 5 minutes, or until thick and creamy.

4  Place the flour, baking powder, and xanthan gum together in another bowl, and mix well.

5  Once the egg and sugar are very thick, add the saffron water, glycerin, flour mix, and zucchini. Fold together well, then spoon into the muffin liners.

6  Bake for 15–20 minutes, until slightly brown and well risen. Remove, and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

7  To make the buttercream, beat the butter and confectioners’ sugar together in a medium bowl. Once the cakes are cold, cut out a small, fairly deep circle of cake from the top of each muffin with a sharp knife, then cut each circle in half. Spoon a little frosting into the hole in the cake, then invert the two half circles of cake, and stick onto the frosting to simulate butterfly wings.

8  Dust with confectioners’ sugar, and serve.

Note: For a splash more color try adding a little infused saffron (1 small pinch of saffron threads or powder infused in 2 teaspoons boiling water) to the buttercream.

To store: Store, unfrosted, in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

To freeze: Once cooled, freeze the unfrosted cakes in a plastic bag or airtight container.

Makes 12 cakes.

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Excerpted from Gluten-Free Baking by Phil Vickery Copyright © 2011 by Phil Vickery. Photography by Tara Fisher. Excerpted by permission of Firefly Books. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

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