I have loved butterfly buns since I was a little girl. They are so simple and uncomplicated, but really pretty and a nod to a happy childhood. I have lovely memories of mum making these for me. My contribution was putting on the spoonful of jam and, of course, attaching the wings.
These days, I can still scoff several in one sitting. Everyone has their own way to approach these little buns. I like to attack a wing at a time with a blob of cream and jam and then the bun itself. That way I have some hope of ending up without icing sugar and cream in my hair.
Makes 12
150g (6oz) Denise’s Delicious flour blend (see below)Pinch of salt1 teaspoon guar gum1 teaspoon GF baking powder100g (4oz) butter/margarine, at room temperature90g (3½oz) caster sugar2 medium eggsTo decorate
240ml (8floz) whipping creamRaspberry jamIcing sugar to dust1. Heat the oven to gas mark five/190°C/375°F. Line a 12-hole queen cake tin with paper cases.
2. In a medium bowl, sieve together the flour, salt, gum and baking powder.
3. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter/margarine and sugar together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
4. Lightly beat the eggs in another bowl and then add into the butter/margarine mixture gradually while beating on the lowest speed.
5. Mix in the dry ingredients, again on the lowest setting. Mix until the flour is combined but do not overbeat.
6. Divide the mixture evenly between the paper cases and bake in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and a skewer comes out dry.
7. Cool on a wire rack.
To decorate
1. Whip the cream until it stays on the whisk. If it is too loose, it will run off the cakes, but if it is too tight it doesn’t look well, although it won’t affect the taste.
2. When the cakes are cold, cut a slice off the top of each and cut these slices in half. Using a teaspoon, put a generous blob of whipped cream on top of the cake. Then place a small amount of jam in the centre of the cream.
3. Place the two halves of each round upright, cut-side down, in the cream to resemble wings.
4. Dust lightly with icing sugar.
Denise’s Delicious flour blend
Makes approximately 850g (2lb) flour blend
250g (10oz) rice flour25g (1oz) tapioca flour275g (11oz) potato flour275g (11oz) corn flour13g (½oz) teff flour1 teaspoon gluten-free (GF) baking powder1 teaspoon guar gum1. Sieve all the ingredients into a bowl and mix well.
Recipes by Denise O’ Callaghan from her book Recipes from my Gluten-Free Kitchen (Mercier Press). Denise is the founder of Denise’s Delicious Gluten-Free Bakery, whose product range is available across Ireland from the major supermarkets, artisan food stores and the online store at www.delicious.ie. Denise recently appeared in our own Neven Maguire’s RTÉ series Healthy Home Chef, demonstrating gluten-free baking. See RTÉ Player for more.
I have loved butterfly buns since I was a little girl. They are so simple and uncomplicated, but really pretty and a nod to a happy childhood. I have lovely memories of mum making these for me. My contribution was putting on the spoonful of jam and, of course, attaching the wings.
These days, I can still scoff several in one sitting. Everyone has their own way to approach these little buns. I like to attack a wing at a time with a blob of cream and jam and then the bun itself. That way I have some hope of ending up without icing sugar and cream in my hair.
Makes 12
150g (6oz) Denise’s Delicious flour blend (see below)Pinch of salt1 teaspoon guar gum1 teaspoon GF baking powder100g (4oz) butter/margarine, at room temperature90g (3½oz) caster sugar2 medium eggsTo decorate
240ml (8floz) whipping creamRaspberry jamIcing sugar to dust1. Heat the oven to gas mark five/190°C/375°F. Line a 12-hole queen cake tin with paper cases.
2. In a medium bowl, sieve together the flour, salt, gum and baking powder.
3. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter/margarine and sugar together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
4. Lightly beat the eggs in another bowl and then add into the butter/margarine mixture gradually while beating on the lowest speed.
5. Mix in the dry ingredients, again on the lowest setting. Mix until the flour is combined but do not overbeat.
6. Divide the mixture evenly between the paper cases and bake in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and a skewer comes out dry.
7. Cool on a wire rack.
To decorate
1. Whip the cream until it stays on the whisk. If it is too loose, it will run off the cakes, but if it is too tight it doesn’t look well, although it won’t affect the taste.
2. When the cakes are cold, cut a slice off the top of each and cut these slices in half. Using a teaspoon, put a generous blob of whipped cream on top of the cake. Then place a small amount of jam in the centre of the cream.
3. Place the two halves of each round upright, cut-side down, in the cream to resemble wings.
4. Dust lightly with icing sugar.
Denise’s Delicious flour blend
Makes approximately 850g (2lb) flour blend
250g (10oz) rice flour25g (1oz) tapioca flour275g (11oz) potato flour275g (11oz) corn flour13g (½oz) teff flour1 teaspoon gluten-free (GF) baking powder1 teaspoon guar gum1. Sieve all the ingredients into a bowl and mix well.
Recipes by Denise O’ Callaghan from her book Recipes from my Gluten-Free Kitchen (Mercier Press). Denise is the founder of Denise’s Delicious Gluten-Free Bakery, whose product range is available across Ireland from the major supermarkets, artisan food stores and the online store at www.delicious.ie. Denise recently appeared in our own Neven Maguire’s RTÉ series Healthy Home Chef, demonstrating gluten-free baking. See RTÉ Player for more.
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