Jubilee Cake
Jubilee Cooking
A Food & Drink feature (May 2012)
We love a party and what better reason to get together with friends than the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee this June. Looking back to the SilverJubilee in 1977, it seemed that street party fever took hold of the UK – everyone getting together with their neighbours for sandwiches, crisps, scones and jam, cakes, jelly and ice cream and lots of orange squash.
Afternoon tea is a great tradition and a good reason to get out your best china. Apparently started by the Duchess of Bedford in the early 1800s to fill the hungry gap between lunch and dinner, it’s generally an array of dainty sandwiches followed by a selection of cakes washed down by a pot of tea – how about a refreshing Darjeeling or a smoky Lapsang Souchong? Adding a savoury or 2 such as Welsh Rarebit or Devilled Mushrooms, turns Afternoon Tea into High Tea.
A mini-break in London gives you a huge variety of places to take afternoon tea – Harrods, Fortnum’s, the Ritz or the Savoy. This year the Tea Guild awarded “Best Afternoon Tea in London” to the Athenaeum Hotel for its delicious sandwiches and cakes, top quality teas, fabulous service and knowledgeable staff. Introduce a pianist in the corner, a few palms and fine china, and you’ve got a truly memorable experience.
However you don’t have to go to London to take afternoon tea – you can stay right here in Dartmouth. The Singing Kettle Tea Shoppe serves a very popular traditional afternoon tea in Smith Street; the Venus Café at Blackpool Sands serves a selection of scones and cakes in a stunning spot by the sea; whilst a trip aboard the Picnic Boat means you can enjoy your tea as you journey up and down the river – really a great way to see the Dart.
You could also get a group of friends together to put on an afternoon spread. Trestle tables covered with clean white sheets work well if you haven’t got a big dining table. If you divvie up the cooking between the group then no-one is over-burdened with the baking. Good quality disposable plates, cutlery, napkins and glasses means no washing-up, but a rummage through your attics may well come up with a selection of bone china crockery, cutlery and glasses. Don’t worry if they don’t match – mis-matching vintage is currently all the rage.
And what to eat? Think dainty not door-stops. Finger sandwiches of egg mayonnaise (free-range of course), fresh poached salmon and cucumber and Coronation chicken all go down well (we stir a spoonful of the South Devon Chilli Farm’s chilli jam into our Coronation Chicken for a hot and fruity kick). Follow that with fresh scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam, crunchy shortbread fingers maybe with stem ginger or white chocolate in the mix, some mini meringues maybe with some coffee flavoured cream.
A selection of teas to drink of course but what about some fruity Pimms or some Luscombes cool ginger beer or maybe a glass or 2 of Ashridge champagne-style cider. I think a cutting cake or 2 should take centre stage especially if you have a cake stand – a rich, moist fruitcake and a traditional Victoria sponge packed full of jam, cream and fresh fruit. I know traditionally it’s only filled with jam but this is a chance to really push the boat out.
When you have your afternoon tea, make it an occasion and enjoy it with friends, get the bunting out and pray for good weather.
Here is our fail-safe recipe for:
Victoria Sponge
For the cake -
250g butter
250g caster sugar
4 medium free-range eggs
250g self-raising flour
2-3 tbsp milk
Filling –
4 tbsp strawberry jam
300ml double cream
100g fresh ripe strawberries, hulled and sliced
Icing sugar for dusting
Fresh mint sprigs to garnish
1. Heat the oven to 190C/Gas 5. Line 2 x 21cm or 3 x 18cm sandwich tins with baking parchment.
2. Put the butter, sugar, eggs and flour in a food processor and whizz until perfectly smooth. Add enough of the milk to get a dropping consistency.
3. Divide the mixture equally between the cake tins and smooth the tops with a knife.
4. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
5. Turn the cakes onto a wire rack to cool.
6. Whip the cream until thick. Spread the jam on 1 large cake or 2 of the smaller ones. Spread the cream over the jam. Arrange the sliced strawberries and put on top of the cream.
7. Pile the cakes on top of each other with the plain one last. Dust with icing sugar. Transfer to a serving plate and cut into wedges to serve.
First Published May/June 2012 By The Dart