These Orange Fairy cakes baked in a mini muffin pan are similar to Michelle's Whole Orange Cake. I believe fairy cakes should be small & sweet - just the right size for one bite or perhaps two. The delicious little morsels can be made dairy free. 

This recipe was designed specifically to be made with Bakers' Magic gluten free flour. The finished baked product will not be the same if you use another gluten free flour and you will need to adjust the recipe, particularly if the flour you're using contains rice flour.

This recipes makes ~36 fairy cakes.   

Ingredients

Cake

Zest of 1 orange

150 - 165 g Orange flesh

140 g Bakers' Magic Gluten free flour

20 g Potato starch

~1/4 tsp Salt

1 tsp Baking powder

150 g Caster sugar

140 g Butter

2 Eggs

 

Orange - If the orange is a big one I will use 150 g of flesh for the cake batter & use the remaining orange for the icing. The fairy cakes will sink a little if 165 g of flesh is used. 

Butter - can be substituted with an oil (I used 140 g), you may however need to add a little more salt. 

Maize starch = Cornflour from maize/corn and potato starch is sometimes labelled as potato flour. For more information go to Maize starch vs Cornflour.

    

Simple Orange Icing

250 g Icing sugar

112 g Softened/partially melted butter or butter alternative

20 g Orange juice

Optional - Zest of 1/2 an orange

 

Orange Buttercream Icing

300 g Icing sugar

150 g Softened/partially melted butter

50 g Orange juice

Zest of 1 orange 

 

Method

Turn the oven on to 170 C.

Line 3 mini muffin pans with mini patty pans. I recently picked up two of my mini muffin tins for ~$4.50 in the supermarket. If you don't have mini muffin trays you could use a slice tray (27 cm x 16 cm), this size will fit ~28 patty pans. If they are baked in a tray they need to be quite close together & the resulting fairy cakes might not be round.  

Thermomix

Add chopped butter or oil, zest, sugar, eggs & orange flesh (no pith) to the TM bowl. 

If using butter blend at 37 C for 1 min 30 secs on speed 4. If using oil blend for the same time at room temperature.

Scrape down the sides & blend for 20 secs on speed 7. 

Add in the remaining dry ingredients & mix for 30 secs speed 5.

Food Processor

Mix together the Bakers' Magic Gluten free flour, potato starch, salt & baking powder.

Cut up the orange (don't add the pith) & put it in the bowl of the food processor. Process until you have a fine mush.

Melt the butter & pour it in while the processor is still on.

Add in the remaining ingredients & process until the batter is uniform.

Both

Pour cake batter into a piping bag fitted with a size 11 plain nozzle. Using a piping bag makes it easy to 3/4 fill the patty pans. The cake batter is quite runny at the start, to stop it dripping between patty pans lift the tip up. 

Bake in the oven for 10 - 12 mins. The time will depend on your oven, the amount of orange flesh used & how full the patty pans are. 

Bring out of the oven & allow to cool before icing. 

Making the icing

Orange Buttercream Icing

Cream together the softened butter & 1/3 of the sifted icing sugar. When the mixture is light & fluffy stop the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add in another 1/3 of the icing sugar. Continue creaming the butter & icing sugar.

When the mixture is light & fluffy add the orange zest & ~ 1/3 of the orange juice. Continue creaming the mixture.

When the orange juice has been fully incorporated, stop the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add in the last of the icing sugar. Continue creaming the mixture. Add in another 1/3 of the orange juice. Continue creaming the mixture. Gradually add the remaining orange juice in between mixing. 

Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a size 11 plain nozzle. I used a star nozzle however the zest gets caught & makes the icing come out funny. Pipe the icing on to the fairy cakes. 

Simple Orange Icing

Soften the butter - it doesn't matter if it is slightly melted. Add in the orange juice & sifted icing sugar. 

Combine with a spoon until the icing is uniform. 

This icing can be transferred to a piping bag to pipe dollops on the fairy cakes. Alternatively use a teaspoon to place dollops on the top. 

Simply enjoy!