A Proper Afternoon Tea

Not always English, but always ab-fab!

Here you can find all your needs to host a proper Afternoon Tea from recipes, decoration inspiration, invitations, and more!

Invitations & Menu Ideas

Decorations

Floral Tea Cups

Porcelain Tea Set

Pastry Serving Tray Platter

Tea Party Decorations

Recipes

Sugar-glazed Lemon Cake

Light, lemony cake with a caramel-lemony glaze
Print Recipe
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Course Afternoon Tea, Dessert
Cuisine British
Servings 12

Equipment

  • 1 standing mixer

Ingredients
  

  • 1 c. unsalted butter
  • 1 c. granulated sugar
  • 2 lemons, grated rind
  • 1 T. lemon juice
  • 1 c. sour cream
  • 2 t. vanilla extract
  • 6 egg whites
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 2 c. all-purpose flour
  • 1 t. baking powder
  • 1 c. blanched almonds, finely chopped, or almond flour
  • ¼ c. lemon juice
  • ¼ c. water
  • ½ c. brown sugar

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350° F.
  • Grease a 10-inch loaf pan, line the pan with parchment paper, and grease and flour the parchment paper..
  • In the bowl of a standing mixer, cream the butter with ½ c. granulated sugar.
  • Beat in the lemon rind, 1 T. lemon juice, sour cream, and vanilla.
  • In another bowl, beat the egg whites with salt until stiff.
  • Gradually beat the remaining ½ c. granulated sugar into the egg whites
  • In a third bowl, mix together the flour and baking powder.
  • Stir the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, along with a third of the egg white mixture.
  • Gently add the rest of the egg whites and stir until thoroughly folded in.
  • Gently mix in the finely chopped almonds (or almond flour).
  • Carefully pour the batter into the prepared pan.
  • Bake for 1 hr. and 10 mins. or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Make a syrup by combining ¼ c. lemon juice, water, and brown sugar in a sauce pan.
  • Cook saucepan ingredients over low heat, until the sugar is completely dissolved.
  • Immediately upon removing the cake form the oven, prick the top with a long-tined fork or thin skewer.
  • Pour the lemon juice-brown sugar syrup all over the top of the cake to cover it completely.
  • Cool in the pan to let the tangy syrup soak in.

Notes

Meyer lemons work especially well with this recipe.  Depending on what I have in my pantry, I will substitute almond meal for the finely chopped almonds, or I’ll grind my own blanched almonds very quickly in a food processor.  (Process the almonds carefully because too much grinding will result in almond paste.)  Finally, I make the syrup first and chill it inthe refrigerator while preparing and baking the cake; I pour cold syrup over the hot cake so that the syrup will be absorbed more.  
Keyword almonds, lemon, Sour cream

Egg Salad Finger Sandwiches

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Course Afternoon Tea, Lunch
Cuisine American, British
Servings 12

Equipment

  • 1 potato ricer

Ingredients
  

  • 6 slices thinly sliced white bread Pepperidge Farm, if available
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3 T. sour cream
  • 1 t. curry
  • 2 t. fresh chives, finely chopped
  • 2 t. fresh dill, finely chopped
  • ¼ t. ground cumin to taste
  • ¼ t. salt to taste
  • ¾ t. ground black pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Place eggs in sauce pot, cover with water, cover pot, and bring to boil on stove over medium-high heat.
  • When water boils, turn off heat and allow eggs to sit in hot water for 10 mins.
  • Run cold water over eggs and peel carefully.
  • Press eggs through fine disc of potato ricer, or alternatively, press eggs through medium-fine strainer; collect “riced eggs” in medium-sized bowl.
  • Add sour cream, curry, chives, dill, cumin, and salt and pepper to eggs in bowl and mix gently.  Taste and adjust seasonings.
  • Spread egg salad on 3 slices of bread, spreading salad evenly to edges of bread. (The filling should only be spread as thick as a slice of bread.)
  • Top with remaining 3 slices of bread. 
  • With sharp bread knife, cut crusts off sandwiches, then slice sandwiches into 4 triangles (or 3 rectangles). 
  • Arrange on serving plate, cover lightly with slightly damp wet paper towel, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until serving.

Notes

Egg salad filling can also be used to stuff hollowed out cocktail-sized tomatoes; allow hollowed-out tomatoes to drain upside down 20 minutes before filling.
Egg salad sandwiches can also be prepared open-faced: hard-boil 1-2 additional eggs as above.  Peel eggs and slice with an egg slicer into thin circles.  Spread egg salad on bread slices, cut through egg salad and bread with a 2” biscuit cutter, top with an egg slice, and sprinkle with finely chopped flat-leaf parsley.

Cucumber Tea Sandwiches

Delicate, refreshing cucumber sandwiches – essential for afternoon tea
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Course Afternoon Tea, Lunch
Cuisine British
Servings 12

Ingredients
  

  • 6 slices good-quality white bread Pepperidge Farm, if available
  • 1 5.2 oz Garlic and Herbes Boursin spreadeable cheese
  • 1 c. watercress, chopped
  • ½ cucumber, very thinly sliced into circles
  • 1 lemon, grated peel only

Instructions
 

  • Spread each bread slice on one side with Boursin cheese
  • Trim crusts off each bread slice.
  • Cut each bread slice into 3 rectangles.
  • Top each rectangle with chopped watercress, then sliced cucumbers (slightly overlapping cucmber slices).
  • Sprinkle grated lemon peel over cucumbers.
  • Place bread slices on serving dish, cover with slightly dampened paper towel, and seal with plastic wrap.
  • Place in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Notes

Another more bite-sized option is to cut each bread slice (already spread with Boursin cheese) into 2″ circles with a biscuit-cutter; then sprinkle with chopped watercress, and 1 round slice of cucumber.  Depending on bread size, this size makes 12-16 finger sandwiches, enough for 4-8 people, depending on appetities!
An alternative to Boursin cheese is whipped cream cheese.  And if watercress is unavailable, fresh mint does well.  The grated lemon peel is always refreshing, regardless of spread or herb.
 

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Sheila Lukins and Julee Rosso
Carrot cake with tropical fruit and nut accents, coupled with lemony cream cheese frosting
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 30 minutes
3 hours
Total Time 4 hours 30 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 12

Equipment

  • 1 standing mixer

Ingredients
  

For the cake

  • 3 c. all-purpose flour
  • 3 c. granulated sugar
  • 1 t. salt
  • 1 T. baking soda
  • 1 T. cinnamon
  • 1½ c. corn oil
  • 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 T. vanilla extract
  • 1½ c. macadamia nuts, chopped
  • 1½ c. shredded coconut
  • 1⅓ c. pureed cooked carrots
  • ¾ c. drained, crushed pineapple

For the frosting

  • 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
  • 6 T. unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3 c. confectioner's sugar
  • 1 t. vanilla extract
  • ½ lemon, juiced

Instructions
 

To make the cake

  • Preheat oven to 350° F.
  • Grease two 9" round cake pans lined with wax or parchment paper.
  • Sift dry ingredients into the bolw of a standing mixer.
  • Add oil, eggs, and vanilla; beat well.
  • Fold in nuts, coconut, carrots, and pineapple
  • Pour batter into the prepared pans.
  • Set on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 30-35 mins. or until edges have pulled away from the sides of the pan, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Cool on a cake rack 10 mins. then remove from cake pans and finish cooling another 3 hrs.

To make the cream cheese frosting

  • Cream together cream cheese and butter in a mixing bowl.
  • Slowly sift in confectioner's sugar and continue beating until fully incorporated; mixture should be free of lumps.
  • Stir in vanilla and lemon juice.
  • Fill cake and frost sides with cream cheese frosting.
  • Refrigerate cake until serving.

Notes

In a pinch, I’ve substituted vegetable oil for the corn oil; and when I’ve been really short for time (and can’t get to the grocer), I’ve used light olive oil.  No one has ever noticed the difference.  So now, when I’m feeling virtuous (therefore anti-corn), I use vegetable oil or light olive oil as my default oil in this recipe.
Keyword Carrots, Coconut, cream cheese, macadamia nuts, pineapple