Confetti Butterfly Cupcakes

There’s something about spring that makes us want to celebrate (hello, sunshine!), and one of our favorite ways will forever be with cake. Layer cakes are spectacular, but they’re not always the most practical—enter, cupcakes! Specifically these ultra-adorable confetti butterfly cupcakes (also known as fairy cakes in the UK). They’re perfect for birthdays, baby showers, and tons of other spring and summer occasions. The best part? They’re also wildly easy to make—bake your cupcakes, let them cool, make a few strategic knife cuts, and there you have it: super cute butterfly cupcakes that’ll fly off your dessert table in no time.
We went with homemade Funfetti cupcakes and store-bought vanilla frosting for these, but feel free to switch things up. Use a box mix for your cupcakes and make your buttercream frosting, use store-bought for both, or make everything from scratch. You could also change up your flavors—we bet carrot cake cupcakes or red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting would be lovely too.
Made these? Let us know how it went in the comments below.
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 3/4 cup
(175 g.) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup
(175 g.) unsalted butter, softened
- 3
large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 tsp.
vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups
(175 g.) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp.
baking powder
- 1/4 tsp.
kosher salt
- 5 Tbsp.
sprinkles, plus more for serving (optional)
Frosting & Assembly
- 1 cup
store-bought vanilla buttercream frosting
Squeezy strawberry jam (optional)
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
Directions
- Step 1Preheat oven to 320° and line 2 standard 12-cup muffin tins with liners. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Step 2In the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or in a large bowl using an electric mixer), beat butter and granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and mix until combined.
- Step 3Add dry ingredients and beat on low speed until just incorporated. Stir in the sprinkles until evenly mixed. Divide the mixture evenly among the cupcake liners. Bake for about 20 minutes until risen, lightly golden and springy to the touch. Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Step 4Use a small serrated knife to cut the round tops off each cupcake to make 12 cake circles. Cut each circle in half.
- Step 5Spoon a teaspoon of the frosting into the center of each cupcake. Press 2 cake circle halves on top of each cake to make butterfly wings, leaving a small gap between them.
- Step 6Squeeze a line of jam straight from the bottle between the wings to make the butterfly’s body, and dust over a little powdered sugar (if using).

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