Sair Heidies
Traditional Scottish Sair Heidies - little fairy cakes wrapped to look like bandages and topped with broken sugar cubes to represent aspirin for a “sair heid” (sore head). A quirky old-school bake that’s simple, fun, and full of Scottish character.
PRINT RECIPE
Servings: 6 cakes
INGREDIENTS
- 75 g Soft Margarine (or Butter) (at room temperature)
- 75 g Caster Sugar
- 2 Free-range Eggs (at room temperature; see Egg Size note below)
- ½ tsp Vanilla Extract (optional)
- 2 tbsp Milk
- 150 g Self-raising Flour (see Self-raising Flour note below)
- Sugar Cubes (for decoration)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat your oven to 190°C (170°C fan-assisted oven, Gas Mark 5 or 375°F). Line a 6-hole muffin tin with white tulip muffin cases and set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together the margarine/butter and sugar until light and creamy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Stir in the milk until well combined.
- Sift in the flour and gently fold to create a smooth batter. Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared muffin cases. Top each cake with a few crushed sugar cubes.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the cakes have risen and are golden in colour.
- Leave to cool in the tin until cool enough to touch, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
All my recipes are developed using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and millilitres). Cup measurements are available as a conversion but these, unfortunately, won't always be as accurate. For best results, I always recommend baking with a digital scale.
RECIPE NOTES:
Egg Size: When it comes to eggs, I always buy mixed-weight free-range eggs. Generally speaking, egg size doesn't make a huge difference in most baking, unless you are using sizes that lean towards the extremes. If you're unsure which eggs to use, I recommend medium eggs in the UK, which are roughly equivalent to large eggs in the US. That's what this recipe has been tested with.
Self-raising Flour: Don't have self-raising flour? For this recipe, simply whisk together 150g (1¼ cups) plain flour and 2 teaspoons baking powder instead. If you bake regularly, you can also make a larger batch to keep in your baking cupboard. For full instructions, cup conversions and answers to common questions, see my Self-raising Flour Ingredient Guide.
Substitutions:
- Margarine: I use a soft baking margarine for sponge cakes as I find them to be more predictable and give a lovely light sponge. But butter can be used instead, if you prefer – just make sure it is very soft before you start.
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