Afternoon Tea at Kensington Palace

While away an afternoon in Hyde Park with afternoon tea at the Orangery at Kensington Palace.

This weekend I've been indulging in my favourtie pastime...afternoon tea! It was something a bit different this time though...instead of visiting one of the big hotels in London we went to the more informal Orangery at Kensington Palace.

We ordered the 'English Orangery Afternoon Tea' which includes a round of sandwiches, two scones (one sultana and one orange scented) and an assortment of pastries and tartlets. This is a very traditional tea and whilst everything is light and tasty it doesn't have the wow factor of some other afternoon teas. However, sometimes the cakes you are served at some venues can be over-engineered to look good and they forget the most important bit...the taste! The cakes at the Orangery do what they say on the tin...they're tasty and traditional as this is a quintessentially English location! It's also half the price of some other fancy London teas at £19.95. Claridges and the like can now charge upwards of £50 for afternoon tea as the concept grows in popularity.

The good thing about afternoon tea at the Orangery is that you don't have to book...and you can also wear your jeans...no need to dress up here. Some of the big names in afternoon tea are booked up months in advance but if you decide you'd like to indulge on a whim then this is the place for you. However, if you are planning a visit make sure you arrive early. Service starts at 2.30pm and there was already a queue when we arrived at 2.45pm. We were seated within 15 minutes but as we enjoyed our tea we watched the queue get longer and longer...so my advice the earlier the better!

The mark of any good tea is the scones and the Orangery scones were certainly tasty! But what about the great scone debate...jam or cream first on your scones? Which way round do you prefer?

Apparently in Cornwall it's jam first and then cream...and in Devon it's cream first and then jam. Personally, I'm a fan of the Cornish way and it seems 57% of Guardian readers agree. Generally, I also can't see the point in a scone without sultanas!

So if I've convinced you to give the afternoon tea a go, why not combine your tea and scones with a visit to Kensington Palace. Kensington Palace has recently undergone a £12 million facelift and was recently reopened to visitors. Whilst there you can visit the King's State Apartments, the Queen's State Apartments, the sunken gardens and special exhibitions about the lives of Queen Victoria and Princess Diana. Kensington Palace is open 10am to 6pm and entrance is £14.50 but children go free! Well worth a visit. To get there you can catch the Central line tube to Queensway and then it's only a short 5 minute walk if you turn right out of the station and into Hyde Park.

And if that little lot isn't enough to lure you...there's also Hyde Park to enjoy! It's over 350 acres of parkland in the heart of London and this is the perfect time of year to visit as you can take a stroll and watch Autumn in all it's technicolour glory. Apparently the Autumn leaves are supposed to be particularly spectacular this year due to lots of early rain, late sunshine and something to do with sugar levels...that's about as scientific as my explanation gets. The leaves are just starting to turn, so combined with a visit to Kensington Palace and afternoon tea...I have to conclude a lovely day out!

Lemon & Blueberry Surprise Pudding

Today's offering is not a cake but a pudding...I thought I'd branch out a little! :-) This is a lovely light pudding that would be perfect after a big meal, the lemon also gives it a bit of zing so it's quite refreshing too.

The surprise element of this dish is the lemon curd layer underneath the unassuming sponge exterior. It's one of those puddings where you mix up all the ingredients together and then when you bake it, it seperates out into two layers - one of sponge and one of lemon curd. You may have tried a lemon surprise pudding before but the blueberries here add an extra tasty element.

The reason this pudding is so light is the method. Egg yolks, lemon zest and juice, butter, sugar and a little flour are mixed together and then egg whites are whipped up and folded into the lemony mixture. Whipping the egg whites puts lots of air into the pudding which means it's not too heavy.

This pudding is really summery but would also be great at this time of year after a roast or when you want something warm on a cold day. This is certainly one that could be made on a regular basis as it's so quick and easy too!

Ingredients

100g butter (plus extra for greasing)
175g golden caster sugar
Zest and juice of 2 lemons
4 eggs
50g plain flour
125g blueberries
500ml milk

Pre-heat the oven to 180c/160c fan/gas 4 and prepare a 2 litre ovenproof dish by lighting greasing it with butter. Put the softened butter and golden caster sugar in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until it's really pale and fluffy, this could take a good 5 minutes. Next add the lemon juice and zest to this mixture, along with 4 egg yolks. The yolks should be added one at a time until well mixed. There is a good chance that it will look curdled at this stage!

Next sift over the flour and stir before adding the blueberries and milk, again give it a good mix. In a seperate bowl whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks, don't overbeat them. Using a large metal spoon gradually fold these whisked egg whites into the lemony mix. Be gentle and ensure you fold until they are just combined. Finally, pour the pudding mixture into the prepared dish and place it on a baking sheet. It should take about 40-45 minutes to cook and will be risen and golden when done.

This pudding serves 6 and can be eaten immediately but it also tastes good the next day!

* Adapted from Ainsley Harriott's Meals in Minutes

Sew Yummy Guest Post - Sew Inspired Cupcakes

I'm really excited to be taking part in the 'Sew Yummy' guest series over at Craftstorming. The host Laura has come up with the brilliant idea of sewing projects inspired by baking and baking projects inspired by sewing as these are two of her favourite things!

Why not hop on over to Craftstorming to check out my haberdashery cupcakes as well as all the other great guest posts.



Calendar Cakes September Round Up - Cupcakes

If you like cupcakes...you'll love our Calendar Cakes round up this month. We've got a bumper crop of baked loveliness to celebrate National Cupcake Week. So sit back, relax and enjoy...

Our first entrant was Sophie from Totally Caked Out with these Chocolate Thunder Cupcakes...so named due to the fact that they were whipped up during a thunder and lightning storm!

As ever Caroline from Caroline Makes was quick off the mark this month with our first caketails. Caroline made these Pina Colada which she took as an offering to a barbeque during the summer. The recipe was adapted from one by Xanthe Milton (aka Cookie Girl).

These Fruit and Nut Cupcakes came from Ryan at Baked with Kindness who won a food hamper in a blog giveaway and then used the contents to make these original bakes. They have a peanut praline on top and both chocolate chunks and dried fruit inside.

Ros from The More Than Occasional Baker entered these Painkiller Cupcakes...I thought they might be so named as they provide a hangover cure...turns out it's because you can drown your sorrows with them! A Painkiller cocktail is made from dark rum, orange juice, pineapple juice, coconut cream, shaved iced topped with nutmeg.

Next a gorgeous flavour combination from Susie at Fold in the Flour ...Sticky Toffee Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Buttercream. I really want to try one of these, they look delicious! Susie made her own caramel after being inspired by the Great British Bake Off and the recipe for these cupcakes comes from Fiona Cairns.

Here's our first entry from Mummy's Little Peeps...pretty sugar rose topped cupcakes. The sugar roses are from Cake Craft World...you can find them online. A really girlie cupcake that looks really appealing.

Another origianl recipe up next. Cherry Coke Cupcakes from Lost in Austen. I've heard of baking with Cola but I've never thought of using Cherry Coke to give a different flavour. There's even a hidden surprise inside...Bonne Maman Cherry Jam! The decoration is fab too.

Helene from I Cook With Butter made these great Red Velvet Cupcakes for her boyfriend after falling in love with red velvet following a visit to the Hummingbird Bakery. Red velvet is always a favourite, so I'm sure these cupcakes were very well received. They're topped with a cream cheese frosting.

Our next entry provides a little bit of indulgence, these Butterscotch Chocolate Cupcakes are from Caroline at Cake, Crumbs and Cooking and they're made from Green and Black's Butterscotch Chocolate which has little butterschotchy pieces dotted through it. They were made for a colleague who was leaving...all I can say is lucky work colleagues!

Next up another caketail entry...Pina Colada Cupcakes from Janice at Farmersgirl Kitchen. These cupcakes came about as Janice was testing an Oxo Good Grips Pineapple Slicer, you can check out the video on her blog. If you can wait long enough they also improve after a day or two in an airtight container.

For my own entry I thought I'd try something a little bit different and something that's been on my 'to bake' list for a while...Croquembouche Cupcakes. They're a combination of vanilla cupcakes with a caramel sauce centre, topped with little profiteroles filled with cream and finished off with caramel.

These strawberry cupcakes are a delicious entry from Johanna at the Green Gourmet Giraffe. There are little pockets of strawberries baked into the cakes and they were perfect for decorating with kids.

It's onwards and upwards with an entry from Easy Peasy Cooking, these ice-cream cupcakes are a novel idea as they're baked in an ice-cream cone. They're great fun and would be great at a kid's birthday party...or for big kids at a summer barbeque!

I love the next entry...medical cupcakes from Cat Haslam...perfect if you're feeling under the weather. I'm sure patients and doctors would both appreciate these...lovely sugarcraft skills too!

Next up...not one, not two, not three but four entries from Angela at the Charmed Cupcake. We have Nutella Cupcakes, Black and Gold Cupcakes, Sun-dried tomato Cupcakes and my particular favourite ...Magarita Cupcakes. All are beautifully presented and you can check out Angela's blog for many more fabulous cakes.

Another stunner from Sarah Mcilveen ...Chilli Chocolate Cupcakes with a glittered marzipan chilli...brilliant! Again a novel idea with the chilli inspiration coming from Cox Cookies and Cakes. The glittered marzipan chilli on top looks perfect!

It's onto our second entry from Mummy's Little Peeps...Vanilla Rose Cupcakes...these are pretty as a picture and wouldn't look out of place in an English country garden.

Next up a double dose of caketails with Pina Colada and Strawberry Daqiuiris from Lucy at Vanilla Frost. These were made for a 40th birthday cocktail party and were served alongside boozy jellies. The recipe for the Strawberry Daiquiri cupcakes came from the Hummingbird Bakery 'Cake Days' book and involved soaking the strawberries in a rum and sugar syrup...yum!

A twist on the cupcake theme with a 'Cupcake Cupcake'. Coffee cupcakes with a walnut cookie shaped like a cupcake! These are from Rachel at Blissfully Scrumptious and they were inspired by the Sweet Bitesize Bakes book from Maison Cupcake.

Anyone for Pimms...it may be Pimms O'Clock! Olivia from Liv a Little Bakery made these lovely Pimms Cupcakes which just make you think of summer...they're light, fresh and fruity and perfect served with what else but a jug of Pimms!

An unusual bake next...Hibiscus cupcakes from Jen at Blue Kitchen Bakes. The flavour comes from Hibiscus tea. The icing also has Hibiscus in it...these are definitely very interesting and I wouldn't mind giving them a go!

Lemon Meringue Pie is one of my favourite desserts...so what better than a Lemon Meringue Cupcake. These are from Maggie at Kitchen Delights and they're vanilla cupcakes with lemon curd on top and then finished off with a swirl of meringue...incidentally Maggie managed to set light to a couple of the cakes whilst she was browning the meringue with a blow torch...sounds like something I might do! ;-)

It's more tangy curd cupcakes next but this time Orange and Passionfruit Cupcakes from Angela over at Garden, Tea, Cakes and Me. Angela found the passionfruit and orange curd at Mikes Homemade and the cupcakes themselves have both orange juice and orange zest baked inside.

Ruth from Mixing Bowl Magic has been baking up a storm with a new job in a Cupcakery and you can check out some of her creations over at her blog. Ruth made Chocolate Orange Cupcakes and Amaretto Cupcakes for her last day in the office.

Fudgy Cupcakes with Fudge Icing from Helen at Fuss Free Flavours. These little beauties are topped with proper frosting made with Trex (vegetable shortening) and icing sugar, Helen even makes her own fudge sauce which was combined into the frosting. These look like fudgy perfection!

These Flower Garden Cupcakes are the third entry from Mummy's Little Peeps...they're so cute and if you want to recreate the grass effect you can whip up some green buttercream and use a 233 piping nozzle. To complete the garden theme, little flowers and butterflies were added to the top of each cupcake.

The penultimate bake is from Chocolate Log Blog with Chocolate Mint Rum caketails. You can find the great 'We Should Cocoa' monthly challenge over at Choclette's blog...unsurprisingly it is a chocolate challenge and this month the theme was cocktails to celebrate We Should Cocoa's second birthday....hence these cocktail inspired cupcakes. Create the authentic straw effect with Elizabeth Shaw Mint Batons.

Finally the award for cutest cupcakes this month goes to Caroline of Caroline Makes. These are her second entry this month...Puppy Dog Cupcakes. The shape is made by using marshmallows which are then covered in icing and the ears are chocolate wafers...you'd definitely want to take one of these puppies home! :-)

So there we have it, a spectacular cupcake round up! Thank you to everyone who took part, we really appreciate you taking the time to share your creations with us.

 

If you'd like to join in with this month's Halloween Cake Spooktacular then check it out over at Dolly Bakes who is hosting October's Calendar Cakes Challenge.