Fairy Cakes

*images of faries from Google Search

As always since it is the weekend, I have been busy baking and creating. This week I dug through my treasured recipes and pulled out one that I used to make as a young married. I would bake it several times a week for my daughters, husband and friends. I loved it because it was easy and you could make variations to it...and as you well know that is a favorite thing for me to do....play with my food.

It does not have much in it, but what is in it are certainly my treasured recipes!

Fairy Cake comes from a recipe I found in a book years ago of recipes for tea from the 1800's. As I said it is a very simple cake. It is very adaptable and forgiving as well. Take this time, I switched the  dried fruits around that I used, it calls for raisins or currants , my middle daughter does not like either. I this time used dried strawberries, dried blueberries and dried cranberries. The cake calls for plain sugar, and flour , but you know me, I used brown sugar for richness and white whole wheat for health. I also used Best Life Margarine for lower fat content. Now of course this changed the moist factor of the cake, but I rather enjoyed it this way, but most certainly you can make it the original way first, or make two and have a taste test. I added spices and a touch of vanilla to counter the dry spices, and then baked it in a smaller glass pan than called for and had to bake it longer...but again I did say it was an forgiving and adaptable recipe. It is rather like the Nutmeg cookies I make where I can play with flavors, but the cookie adapts. I think this one would even take chocolate chips instead of fruit. 

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Fairy Cake 

Makes 20 small cake squares

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.

9x9 square pan, (I use glass, and I used a 9x6, but have used an 8x8, just adapt baking time) 

grease or use cooking spray

Bake 25 minutes or until knife comes out basically clean

1 cup of flour 

( white, white-wheat or whole wheat all fine) 

Dash of salt  

(but not needed...use if you use unsalted butter,if you feel it is needed)

1/2 cup of sugar 

( white or brown/Lt. or Dark is all fine )

1 Tsp of Baking Powder

1/2 cup of room temp, or slightly melted, unsalted butter 

( I used Best Life Margarine with salt, it was fine)

1/2 cup of milk

( I used 1%, but have used whole and Fat Free as well as 2%, noticed only slight taste difference)  

1 egg

(I have used egg beaters before and again fine)

Enough dried fruits of any variety to be considered medium to heavy ratio to batter, if like, soak in a bit of warm water, drained off before mixed in to add moisture to cake and help fruit distribute.

( I added in about 3/4 cup of dried fruits)

(** Extras....I added about a tablespoon of cinnamon, a teaspoon each of fresh grated nutmeg and ginger powder and then a dash of vanilla to counter the added dry ingredients. )

Just a few of the ingredients...was waiting for youngest daughter to come over, so wet/cold were in fridge.

In mixing bowl add all dry ingredients, add in milk, egg and soft butter ( original recipe called for creaming the butter by itself,then to beat the egg in with the milk and add in, but found that it really did not make a difference and only dirtied extra bowls ) blend lightly, now add the fruits and spices if you are adding any, and blend again, then spoon into greased pan and put in the pre-heated oven. Once that knife comes out, cool completely , then if you like, dust with powdered sugar. I like it plain...it is sweet enough...but fairies do love sugar so, you can even add while still warm to slightly melt the powder sugar to make a light glaze type topping.

Daughter caught me before the pour started...but could not take pic over LOL

everything mixed

time to spoon in

into the oven it goes

ready to bake

yummy goodness, ready to cool

daughter wanted a photo of me holding it so....

picked it back up while she snapped away

ready to eat...perhaps time for a tea party? enjoy!

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