Cakes and Tea

Love & Chocolate
 
Chocolate. Love. Chocolate. Love. Chocolate. Love. Chocolate. Love. Chocolate. 
Christmas really does slide right into St. Valentine’s Day for me. The big holiday season that starts with Thanksgiving turns to early birthday season then January which turns into late birthday season which goes until Valentine’s Day, whew! I try to have a month or so in which I work on my yearly V-Day art projects, create some new work, frame some old work, and play with some new chocolate desserts.
Chocolate lends itself to celebrations of love. Chocolate melts at body temperature which makes it extremely pleasant to eat, and dark chocolate releases chemicals in the brain that makes you feel happy, even mimicking the feeling of falling in love. A box of high-quality dark chocolates is one traditional gift that is science-approved as well as delicious. 
As a baker, I’m drawn to miniature chocolate desserts, heart-shaped cookies, and creamy mousses. I’m not usually a candy maker; I leave that to Suzi and our good friends at See’s Candies. But after Christmas, I was left with a huge jar of maraschino cherries and lots of white chocolate. That lead me to make white chocolate fudge. Since I am not a big fan of maraschino cherries, I made two batches, one with dried cherries and toasted pecans for home and one batch with toasted almonds and chopped maraschino cherries to send to Rose, in Hawaii. The dried cherry batch was yummy and cut perfectly to package in little gift boxes. However, the batch with the maraschino cherries oozed cherry goo when it was cut. I surmised that by the time it arrived in Hawaii, it would have become a sticky mess. It did taste delicious, though, and it seemed a shame to waste it.
I mused on it for a few days, the sticky fudge well-wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator. Though I had drained the maraschino cherries overnight in a sieve and patted them with paper towels, I probably did not dry them enough. If doing it again, I would cut the cherries in half and lay them out on paper towels, cut side down and pat dry with more paper towels.
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My next thought was that baking the fudge into a batter could also solve the stickiness problem. It was so pretty to look at, it seemed a shame to hide it inside a cupcake or other solid batter. I hit on the idea of making it the center layer of a multi-layered dessert: dark chocolate cookie-like bottom, a thick center layer of the fudge, and a brownie top. 

Since I wasn’t thinking ahead to Valentine’s Day heart shapes yet, I figured making them in the 2” removable bottom cheesecake pans would be just the right size and easier to get out of the pan, if the fudge layer stuck to the sides.
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I rolled out the chocolate crust and cut it with a 2” round cutter and fit it into the bottom of the wells. Next, I cut out the fudge with the same cutter and put one round on top of each crust, pressing down gently to make sure there were no air pockets. Finally, I made a half batch of brownie batter and spooned about 2 tablespoons over the fudge, smoothing the tops. Though I sprayed the pan with baking spray, they were difficult to remove. Making them in a pan and cutting afterward would be a much better way to go. A little bit of pink glaze finished them off nicely. 
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In later versions, I baked the crust-fudge-brownie desserts in an 8” by 8” square pan, cutting them after they were well chilled. This made a nice, clean cut. My friend Polly saw the first batch with the pink glaze and christened them Fudge Buttons, so I added two dots to the above version. The hearts won the tic-tac-toe game above, but they all taste good.
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I have written all the recipes you need to make these decadent desserts as well as a suggested timetable plan to make them in manageable steps. Separately, the three recipes are good to have on hand when you want to make a simple batch of white chocolate fudge, a small batch of brownies, or have a reliable chocolate crust recipe. Either way, I hope you can get some chocolate into your St. Valentine’s Day this year and every year. As my grade school teachers taught us, make sure to give a valentine to everyone, so no one feels left out. Still pretty good advice, but if you’re not up to that, a little chocolate for everyone is a great substitute. 

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Happy Valentine’s Day All!

2023 St. Valentine’s Day display featuring my favorite cherry photograph, by Paul Burkholder. Other valentine collages and painting by me. Peggy Sue gifted me with the cool arrow dish. The found metal cog arch is a gift from Mr. Vazquez, who knows how much I love weird metal stuff. And I don’t want to brag, but check out my new thermostat!
 

Makes 8” by 8” pan
Special equipment: microwave-safe mixing bowl, silicone spatula, 8” by 8” pan, lined with parchment or foil, cutting board, sharp chef’s knife or small circle and/or heart-shaped cutters

• 3 cups white chocolate chips or 18 ounces chopped white chocolate or white candy melts
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened, condensed milk
• 2 tablespoons butter
• ¼ teaspoon almond extract, if desired
• 1 to 2 cups chopped, toasted nuts
• 1 cup dried cherries, roughly chopped if large 
• or 1 cup maraschino cherries, halved, drained, and patted very dry 
  
  

1. In microwave-safe bowl, combine white chocolate, condensed milk, and butter. Microwave for 1 minute and stir. Continue to microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring each time, until mixture is melted and smooth. 
2. Stir in optional almond extract. Fold in nuts and cherries. 
3. Turn into prepared pan, smoothing top. Chill until cool, about 3 hours.
4. Turn out of pan and remove parchment paper. With chef’s knife, cut into 1” squares or use cookie cutters to cut into heart shapes and/or circles. 
5. Store at room temperature, tightly wrapped, for up to a week or chilled for up to a month.

​This a very versatile recipe to have in your recipe box. It is very chocolatey and is easy to handle. It can be used as the crust for cream pies or cheesecakes or as a base for cookie bars. Any leftover dough can be rolled out and baked as chocolate wafer cookies. 

Makes 9” pie crust
Special equipment: mixing bowl and pastry blender or food processor and scraper, plastic wrap or waxed paper, rolling pin, pie pan, small knife, fork

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F, in step #3

• 1 cup flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa
• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ cup (1 stick) butter, cut into large pieces and chilled
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons cold water 

1. In mixer bowl or food processor, combine flour, cocoa, and sugar until mixed. Cut in butter until mixture is in pea-sized chunks. Add vanilla and cold water and mix until a rough dough is formed. 
2. On sheet of plastic wrap, pat dough into a circle. Wrap and chill for 20 minutes or up to 2 days.
3. Remove dough from fridge and unwrap. Roll into a roughly 12” circle between pieces of plastic wrap or waxed paper to a thickness of about 1/8” to ¼”. Fit crust into pan and trim edges. Prick bottom of crust with fork. Chill for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until crust feels set. Cool completely before filling.

Makes thin brownies in an 8” by 8” pan or standard thick brownies in a loaf pan or similar pan
Special equipment: microwave-safe mixing bowl, silicone spatula, mixing bowl, sieve or sifter, wooden spoon, baking pan, sprayed with baking spray, cooling rack

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

• ½ cup (1 stick) butter, cut into large chunks
• 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped or ¾ cup chocolate chips
• ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs

 

1. In microwave-safe mixing bowl, melt butter and chopped chocolate in microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring between heating. Stir until smooth.
2. Sieve flour, baking powder, and salt into mixing bowl. Set aside.
3. Using wooden spoon, stir brown sugar into chocolate mixture. Stir in vanilla and eggs. Stir just until smooth.
4. Scrape into prepared pan and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, in 8” by 8” pan or 20 to 25 minutes in loaf pan. Cool in pan on cooling rack. Cut into squares. Brownies keep, tightly wrapped, at room temperature for a day or two. Freeze for longer storage.
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Suggested Timeline: 

• Make fudge, anytime from 3 hours to one week ahead.
• Make pie crust dough from 1 hour to 2 days ahead.
• On serving day, make the brownie batter, up to 30 minutes ahead.
• Assemble as directed below.
• Best served day they are made.

 

Makes one 8" by 8” pan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Special equipment: cutting board, rolling pin, small knife, 8” by 8” square pan, lined with parchment paper or foil, silicone spatula, cooling rack, chef’s knife to cut into squares or small circle and/or heart-shaped cutters

• 1 recipe Simple White Chocolate Fudge, cooked, chilled, and uncut
• 1 recipe Chocolate Pie Crust dough, chilled
• 1 recipe Ghirardelli Brownie Half Recipe, made up to Step #3 (uncooked batter)
• 1 recipe Basic powdered Sugar Glaze

 

1. Turn out fudge onto a cutting board. Peel off parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Roll out pie dough to a thickness of about 1/8” to ¼” trim to fit into bottom of prepared 8” by 8” pan. (Keep scraps to bake into wafers, if desired.)
3. Fit fudge slab on top of pie dough, pressing lightly to nestle into the corners. 
4. Spread brownie batter over top of fudge with spatula. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until center is firm to the touch and completely set. These need to be baked longer than traditional chewy brownies in order to make clean cuts with knife or cutter.
5. Cool on rack until completely cooled then chill for 2 to 3 hours until very firm. Turn out unto cutting board. Peel off parchment paper. If cutting into squares, glaze thinly with basic powdered sugar glaze. Chill until glaze is firm then cut into squares with chef’s knife. (If using cookie cutters, cut out circles and/or hearts then glaze each one with basic powdered sugar glaze.)
6. Serve immediately or store in air-tight container. Best served the day they are baked but can be kept chilled for a day or two. I would not recommend freezing them.

​Variation: If cutting into shapes, there will be leftover cut pieces and crumbs. These can be put into a food processor and lightly pulsed a few times to make sticky crumbs. These can be formed into balls by hand to make truffles or cake balls. Use small lollipop sticks to make cake pops. Chill balls until firm. Roll truffles in chopped, toasted nuts or cocoa. Cake pops can be dipped in basic powdered sugar glaze, setting on a rack to dry. Chill truffles or cake balls until serving time.

​In a mixing bowl, stir 3 tablespoons water into powdered sugar. Stir in more water, if needed. Color with drops of pink or red food color until desired shade of pink is reached. I like to make a fairly stiff glaze, then melt slightly in the microwave. The goal is to have the glaze set up and dry to the touch, when served. 
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​Tips and Step-by-Step Photos of Basic American-Style Scones
Scones are a much beloved and anticipated feature of British afternoon tea. The rise of the British Empire spread afternoon tea traditions the world over. A scone in New Zealand may be similar to a scone in Scotland or India. In America, we have done our American thing with making scones larger and having more additions and flavors and glazes. British scones are of a modest size, dark golden on the top, and usually round. Inclusions, if any, are currants or raisins. The ratio of flour to fat is lower and eggs may or may not be added. The common British practice of generously topping scones with clotted cream and preserves or lemon curd may explain why plainer scones are preferred.
To confuse us even more, recipes naturally grow and adapt to local tastes and conditions. We may think we are making grandma’s recipe but the ingredients she may have used are no longer available or have been replaced with more modern ingredients. In Britain, two devastating world wars inflicted food shortages that affected what was possible and popular. Scones, as are other tea time treats such as soda bread, shortbread, and crumpets, are made from pantry staples that most cooks would have on hand. 
Sometimes, I hear people speak of scones in a dismissive way as dry or hard, and indeed texture is a key factor in a proper scone. As I was taught, the ideal texture of American scones was almost like shale in its layered structure, not cakey or overly dense. Scones are not muffins. If the scones found in coffee shops around the country suffer from a seeming dryness, it’s probably because they are stale. Scones should be freshly baked as close to the time of serving as possible. Many seasoned hostesses, such as Rose, put the scones in the oven as the first guests are arriving, ensuring warm scones as soon as guests are seated.
Having baked for large afternoon tea catering jobs, I learned to make the scone dough, shape and cut into wedges or rounds, then freeze the scones before they are baked. They are transported still frozen then placed on baking sheets to be baked without defrosting. Depending on the size of the scone (I tend to make tea scones fairly small) the baking time increases by only a few minutes. This method enables hostesses to have freshly baked scones ready anytime. Contrary to what you might think, this actually improves the texture of the finished product. 
I’ve photographed each step of the scone-making process, from gathering ingredients right through to baking. When teaching baking, I find that if students bake several batches very soon after learning, the retained information becomes part of their baking repertoire. I highly recommend making a date with yourself once or twice a week to practice your scone skills until you feel very comfortable with the process. Scones freeze very well, baked or unbaked, so you never have to worry about having too many scones around. 
Equipment: mixing bowl, sieve or sifter, pastry blender or table knife, fork, pastry marble or clean work surface, bench scraper or chef’s knife, pastry brush, baking sheet lined with parchment paper, cooling rack
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​Step 1: Gather your ingredients. For these photos, we are using cold butter, cut into chunks, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk. Pastry blender and fork are at the ready. If you are working in a hot kitchen, don’t hesitate to pop the dish of butter into the fridge to keep chilled. Full disclosure: I only do this kind of ingredient setup when I am teaching or taking photos. Normally, I would get all my dry ingredients out and measure directly into the sieve. I put away each dry ingredient as I use it so I will know I already added it.   

Step 2: Sift dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. 
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​Step 3: Add chilled butter to dry ingredients and cut in with pastry blender.     
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Cut the butter into the flour until the biggest chunks are about the size of small peas and the smallest chunks look like cornmeal. The variation in butter size is what gives the scones the layers.
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Step 4: Switching to fork, stir the buttermilk into the flour and butter mixture. Toss together gently, almost like folding egg whites. Your dough should be a 
shaggy mass, like this:
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Step 5: Turn dough onto a clean surface. (I’m using a pastry marble which helps to keep dough cold but a wooden board or smooth counter is fine.) Pat into a rough circle. Add a bit more flour if dough is sticking. 
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​Step 6: Pat the dough about an inch thick and about 6 or 7 inches across. Using a large sharp knife (such as a chef’s knife) or preferably a bench scraper, cut into four quarters, then slice each quarter into three small wedges, making twelve mini scones.
 

 
Step 7: Brush tops with cream or egg wash. Sprinkle with sugar, if desired.
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Step 8: Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven on parchment-lined baking sheet until scones are golden brown. Cool briefly on cooling rack and serve warm or at room temperature.
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​I hope these detailed photos help answer any scone questions you may have had. We at My Tea Planner offer several free scone recipes with which you can practice and expand your deepening scone skills. You can also search our website for recipes for scone toppings such as quick clotted cream, lemon curd, and various jams, chutneys, and preserves. 

​I do love the chilly part of the year, with the bundling up in cozy sweaters, hats, and tartan plaids. Warm beverages of every description seem much more delicious and downright necessary to a festive and happy existence. Like the rest of the year, we drink and serve coffee and tea daily but now feel the urge to simmer some apple cider on the stove with a few sticks of cinnamon, making the house smell magical or make an evening hot toddy or hot buttered rum. The easiest toddy is simply a little honey or brown sugar stirred into a mug of boiling water to which you add a squirt of lemon or orange and the brown liquor of your choice. I like spiced rum but whiskey or bourbon work perfectly. Feel free to stir with a cinnamon stick or throw in a piece of candied ginger. All us ginger lovers need to check out Rose’s December blog in which she celebrates the warming spice in all its many uses. Here’s a recipe for a batch of rum butter so you can make hot buttered rums whenever the mood strikes: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/hot-buttered-rum-recipe-1943195.ampThe batter lasts all season in the fridge.
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At the Lincoln, California, historical museum, where my friend Merlina and I ducked in before our tea reservations, I spotted this adorable Scottie calendar page from 1938. Luckily, he was in the little gift shop of the museum and I was able to take him home. I’ve always had a weakness for Scottie dogs and their white counterparts, West Highland Terriers or Westies, as they’re known. I was gifted with a dear old Scottie toy dog who had seen better days years ago. He’s resided in my china cabinet, behind glass doors, keeping him safe from dust and little fingers. But with the new Scottie in mind, I decided to make them the stars of my holiday display. (See photos of our wonderful afternoon tea at the Tea Nook in Lincoln, at the end of the blog.)
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What could be cuter than a whole string of Westies and Scotties made from long-lasting flour and salt craft dough? A staple of children’s craft projects, salt dough is a cheap and easy modeling medium that anyone can do. Salt dough Christmas tree ornaments are a time-honored Mom gift that with a little extra work, could be made into ornaments not only a mother could love. I found a recipe online that uses ground cinnamon for part of the dry ingredients which makes them smell spicy good, too. However, the recipe calls for ¾ CUP of cinnamon which I did not have in stock. Instead, I mixed up a lot of my “elderly" baking spices including allspice, nutmeg, mace, and some cinnamon. It made a lovely, very holiday aroma. If you are making several batches of the spiced dough, Costco would be a great place to purchase large amounts of ground spice.
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Salt dough Scotties in the oven, at low temperature. The recipe recommends turning them over during baking. You can see the salt rising to the top, as the recipe predicts. Remember to cut the holes cleanly, if you plan to hang them on the tree.
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Here are my Westies and Scotties,  sprinkled with the appropriately colored glitters. The Westies have their eyes already glued on. You can buy googly eyes, but I used map pins, with the pin part clipped off with wire cutters. Next, I made the Scotties white map pin eyes. When the eyes were securely glued on, I put narrow plaid ribbon “collars" on them. I am not normally a hot glue gal, but hot glue would have speeded up that process immensely. 
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I attached the Westies and Scotties to a felted garland and hung it with a strand of red ball fringe and a hand-made felt swag from an art buddy of mine. I love how they look hanging together.

Though it was very fun making Scotties that can be enjoyed from year to year, I felt we needed some sugar cookie dogs that could be eaten with a nice cup of tea or gifted in a sweet cookie tin. My December 2018 blog features Suzi’s sugar cookie recipe which is tasty and reliable. It is my go-to cookie recipe whenever I want a cut-out cookie. You can always bring up our past blogs by searching our website or click here for Suzi’s recipe: http://www.myteaplanner.com/cakes-and-tea---kathleens-blog/archives/12-2018 There are several good holiday cookie recipes there and many, many more on the website. 
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The Tea Nook, Lincoln,  California
My dear friend, Merlina, moved to Lincoln, near Sacramento and found a sweet little tea shop in the historic downtown. We spent a delightful afternoon in early November, savoring the traditional three tiered serving tray filled with scones, freshly made sandwiches, and petite, seasonal pastries. Velvety pumpkin soup in a little tea cup started off our tea meal, alongside a very fresh and light tomato quiche. The food was excellent and served by our hostess who was perfectly attentive and kept our teapots filled. It was such a lovely afternoon, thank you so much, Merlina! It is worth a special journey to have tea in this little jewel. Do make reservations in advance, as it fills up quickly.

• Find The Tea Nook on Facebook and Yelp

​As October finally began to cool down, we went ahead with fall plans for our autumn tea party, baked some more pumpkin desserts, indulged in a very special tea excursion, and prepared for National Bundt Day (November 15th.)

Let’s get to it!

Annual Fall Tea Party: Kristin hosted the fall tea party this year in the sunny living room of her French Gulch Victorian. I look forward to getting out the fall decorations, china, and linens each year as much as making the fall tea menu and enjoying the fall flavors we have come to know and love. The My Tea Planner autumn seasonal tea menu is one of my very favorites but I usually can’t resist adding a new recipe or making a twist on an old favorite each year. You’ll find the classic fall tea menu here: Autumn afternoon tea menu, I think it is a wonderful place to begin building your own tea menu. One item always on the menu is Kristin’s fresh pumpkin soup. This year, she substituted chopped butternut squash for the fresh pumpkin which saves lots of prep time and tastes just as heavenly. The easy recipe is here: Butternut sqush or pumpkin soup recipe

While you are scrolling through our website, remember many fundamental tea recipes are available for free download and can be customized to the season, if desired. Anyone interested in hosting their own tea gathering will enjoy having the basics in one place: Free basic tea party recipes from My Tea Planner I used our basic scone recipe to make these currant scones, cut into the maple leaf shapes of different sizes. During fall, you can find leaf-shaped cutters in stores. I use the small leaf cutters to decorate pie crusts or make small cookies to accent desserts and the bigger ones for sugar cookies or seasonal biscuits or scones. Suzi made the delicious apple hand pies, the crust from a favorite blogger’s recipe, here: Zoe's pie crust recipe I also like Zoe’s cake recipes; she is a great resource for interesting cakes. Finally, I highly recommend Libby’s website for pumpkin recipes including their moist pumpkin bread (to which I add fresh cranberries) and my favorite pumpkin roll recipe: Libby's Pumpkin Roll Recipe
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​Butternut Squash Soup, Filo Triangles with Caramelized Onions and Beef
Chicken Salad Sandwiches with Dried Cherries, Almonds, and Chives
Leaf-Shaped Currant Scones with Autumn-Spiced Butter
Shortbread Fingers, Apple Hand Pies, Pumpkin Roll
Harvest Chocolate Candies,  PG Tips Black Tea, and Champagne
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​National Bundt Day, November 15th: As long-time readers know, I’m a sucker for a good bundt cake. Usually moist and unfussy to decorate, bundt cakes can feed a lot of people and most recipes keep well and freeze perfectly. Truly a cake style that fits a multitude of situations.

I have my time-tested favorite bundt recipes, many of which you can find on our website by using the search function at the bottom of our homepage, but I am always on the lookout for a delicious sounding new recipe to try. In that spirit, I found a recipe for a bundt cake that combines our fall pumpkin with the flan layer from the wildly popular ChocoFlan cake. Using a boxed chocolate cake mix and a few other ingredients, this method magically comes out of the oven with a luscious layer of creamy flan on top of a rich chocolate cake layer. Most chocolate lovers cannot resist it. I do like it but I don’t necessarily need chocolate with my flan. I heartily encourage you to make it though, as it is a big hit with the vast majority of humans. Here is the Betty Crocker version: Easy Chocoflan recipe
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I was looking for that creamy flan with a more autumnal flavor when Southern Living magazine popped up with their "Pumpkin Spice Cake” recipe which just happeded to be a pumpkin cake with a layer of flan! It sounded so good that I tested the recipe and found that yes, indeed, it is fantastic. You get easy purchased caramel sauce dripping over a layer of flan with a gently spiced pumpkin cake underneath. The recipe is a true keeper. I sent sections of the cake to work with my brother and sister-in-law, Tiffany, and reviews came back with 100% raves. I used the cheapest caramel sauce at the market, Mrs. Richardson’s, and it was great. I’ve used Mexican cajeta sauce, fancy salted caramel sauces, Smucker’s ice cream topping, and all work perfectly fine. This cake really is divine and would make a huge splash on the Thanksgiving dessert buffet. I had some poached pears and apples in the fridge for another project so paired a slice of the flan cake with a few pear slices, more caramel sauce, and a wee little scoop of vanilla ice cream. I added flan to the title of the recipe, so you won’t forget to make this deicious cake: Pumpkin Flan Bundt Cake
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DIY Pumpkin Spice Blend: I ran out of pumpkin spice when I was baking at Dad’s house. Luckily, he stocks lots of fresh spices from Penzey’s so I was able to mix my own. I don’t love lots of clove in my mix so I left it out. If you do like a little clove, add one quarter teaspoon to the following mixture. Whatever you do, don’t add too much clove as that will overpower all the other spices.

• Makes 3 tablespoons
• 5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly gound, if possble
• 1 teaspoon gound mace
• Mix all spices together gently so as not to create a spicy cloud that makes you sneeze. Keep in a little jar to use whenever you need pumpkin spice blend.

​A Very Special Afternoon Tea on the Napa Wine Train:
​Where does one begin?
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Now my turn to gush about the afternoon tea service on the Napa Wine Train. They are correct, the train cars are very comfortable and beautifully appointed. Upolstered swivel seats are lined up on both sides of the car, in front of a wide ledge where a glass of sparkling wine and vintage tea cup await you. There are a few tables for parties of two or four scattered through the car. Soon after the train starts moving, tea is served from a wheeled cart by one hostess while a second hostess begins commentary on the passing scenery and points of interest, including some of the best vineyards in the world. A very animated group of six French tourists provided a cosmopolitan backdrop, helping transport us far from everyday life. 

Once outside of the city of Napa, the scenery becomes lush with oak trees and wineries of every description.Victorian farmhouses nestle between stone wineries, outdoor dining areas attached to storied restaurants, and quaint boutiques. The hostess points out the world-famous French Laundry restaurant as we pass through Yountville. We see the Oakville Grocery store that I remember from the 1970s, now with a big patio so people can enjoy the gourmet foods and wines they have aquired. The train passes through Rutherford, stopping to let off a group who will spend an hour tasting at Grgich Hills winery, on the west side of the train. At Saint Helena, we idle at Charles Krug winery before the locomotive is detatched from the now back of the train then led on a parallel track, past the train cars, to be reattached at the end of the train, which is now the front. We were confused, too, but we did start the slow journey back to Napa.

During all this viewing of beautiful scenery, courses of afternoon tea have been served at a gentle pace, removed, and replaced with another artfully plated course. A small bowl of tomato bisque is replaced with a leafy green salad, hiding chunks of golden and scarlet beets. A very generous three tiered tray of sandwiches follows, each one very fresh, creatively assembled, and visually pleasing. Lobster in a creamy sauce poked out of the tiniest vol-au-vent I’d ever seen. Tiffany has spoiled us by ordering each our own caviar service. If you like caviar, this is the most lavish treat imaginable. I do like caviar and it was indeed fabulous and decadent and totally satisfying. Who knew potato chips were the perfect foil for caviar?
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Everyone in our car was having a wonderful afternoon. A handsome bartender brought bottles of bubbly in silver ice buckets and balloon wine glasses of local wine. We had more hot tea each time the hostess went by. The French group became more animated and it was such a lovely way to spend the day. The sweets tray arrived with perfect madeleines, lemon tarts, tiny fruited scones with blueberry preserves, macrons, exquisite tiny chocolates, with blush table grapes and Comté cheese. A little jewel box of a dessert course, an afternoon to be remembered. More information here: Napa Valley Wine Train

​Top, the dough for the pumpkin babka, all set for its second rise.
Bottom, steps of a previous babka, showing the rolling, cutting, and twisting technique.
 

​The oven is off, the kitchen is closed, just for the summer. There is one wedding cake due in late August but otherwise, I’m out of the kitchen. “Cakes and Tea” is going on break as well. Fall is the baking New Year and I’m planning a very pumpkiny October blog. Have a lovely summer and I’ll be back when the mornings are cool once more. 

In celebration of Queen Elizabeth’s historic Platinum Jubilee, I ordered myself a new-to-me tea cookbook. Drawn in by Fortnum & Mason’s signature blue cover, I liked the creamy graphics right away. Published in 2014, in association with the British Historic Royal Palaces, Tea Fit For a Queen with introduction by Lucy Worsley is an engaging little confection. You may be familiar with the impish blonde historian from her programs shown in the United States on public television. She is joint chief curator at Historic Royal Palaces and was awarded the Order of the British Empire. You can find out more about her and her work here:  Lucy Worsley

Historic Royal Palaces is a non-profit in charge of six royal palaces, including Tower of London, Banqueting House, Kensington Palace, Hillsborough Castle, Kew Palace, and the Tudor royal residence where Rose visited on her last trip to England, Hampton Court Palace. These lines from the British Historic Royal Palaces organization, “We are a team of people who love and look after six of the most wonderful palaces in the world. We create space for spirits to stir and be stirred,” puts the feeling perfectly. It is lovely to browse their website, planning armchair or future travel to visit these evocative and romantic places. Historic Royal Palaces website Make sure to read Rose’s blog for more on this beautiful and extremely historic castle.

Though Lucy is the “face” of Tea Fit for a Queen,” writer Imogen Fortes and recipe developer and food stylist Emma Marsden are the creators of the stylish book. Though none of the recipes are particularly ground-breaking, they are presented in a charming manner with end papers done in repeated pattern of the Historic Royal Palaces crown design. The cookbook includes all the traditional recipes one expects for afternoon tea and is beautifully photographed with the bespoke bone china “Royal Palace” from Historic Royal Palaces’ own shop.

Recipes for Coronation Finger Rolls, Fruit Teacakes, All-Butter Almond Shortbread, and Sultans & Spice Biscuits all look delicious and make me want to give them a try on a future tea party menu. The Welsh Rarebit with Wholegrain Mustard & English Ale looks especially yummy and would be a perfect lunch when accompanied by a green salad. The cookbook also delves a little bit into some history of the palaces under their care.

My dedicated tea cookbook shelf came about because my tea cookbooks outgrew the finite space for cookbooks in the kitchen. As is the case with Tea Fit for a Queen, most tea cookbooks are slight variations of usual afternoon tea recipes which is not a complaint! British-style afternoon teas adhere to a fairly traditional menu of scones and tea breads, savories and sandwiches, followed by various sweets, petite desserts, and cakes, of varying degrees of lavishness. It is fun to see what a new tea cookbook will come up with in presentation and recipes, while fitting into the tea menu norms. The book styling can be quite beautiful and charming, adding to the pleasure of reading about and imagining tea parties you might have. Many tea cookbooks are quite small in size, a jewel in the hand. Many are works of art, featuring the illustrator’s artistry with watercolor paintings decorating the recipes or photographs of beautifully designed tea tablescapes and food styling. I keep the ones which put me in a tea party mood, transport me to an elegant hotel tea lounge, or inspire me to bake up a new variation on an old favorite.

Above are some snapshots of my tea bookshelf. Some old favorites are Time for Tea by Michele Rivers and Afternoon Tea Serenade by Sharon O’Connor. Time for Tea is a book I often pull out to reread. The author has based her 1995 book on interviews with thirteen British women about their relationship to tea drinking and how it fits into their lives. The look of the cookbook is charming with ladies photographed with their tea things at hand, from simple farm house to estate drawing room to country tea room. The latter supplied my favorite quote from their little outdoor sign, “Polite Dogs Welcome,” which I think is what we’d all prefer. Cats, of course, will do whatever they please.

Afternoon Tea Serenade is quite different. I received a press copy from the old kitchen store where we sold Sharon O’Connor’s Menus and Music line of CDs that each came with a cookbook, such as dinner music or jazzy brunch. The idea is to play the CD when you are hosting an event or serving a festive meal. I almost immediately lost the CD and never did bake any of the recipes but the descriptions of the hotels from which she collected them was fantastic. She had visited the best hotels here and abroad, seeming to have a grand old time doing so, and good for her, making the book a fine read.
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It has been fun revisiting some old favorites and looking into a pretty new cookbook to add to the collection. As you can see, there is a little more room on the shelf for the next volume.

What could be more June than berries, weddings, and roses? In this month’s Cakes and Tea, we’ll revel in all the pretties and look at some birthday cakes, too.
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The wedding cake, above, is the one I made at the very end of April for a garden wedding, near Gilroy, California. It was three tiers, 2 layers each, filled with the lemon mousse from my May blog, filled and topped with lemon curd, frosted with vanilla buttercream, and finished off with about 6 baskets of Driscoll’s berries.

Here is the same cake, resting in the refrigerator before being transported to the reception, topped with lemon curd, and decorated with the berries, on site. It is so handy to have a fridge with removable shelves to chill a big cake before its car ride. I used some plastic dowels to keep the bottom two tiers from sliding. It is a little extra insurance that the cake will arrive in good condition.

Going through some old photos, I came across a picture of a birthday cake I made for a baby’s first birthday. The “baby” is turning 30, and our friend Peter Rabbit is turning 120; some things are just timeless.

Here is a rosy birthday cake which had to conform to some dietary restrictions. The birthday girl is following a low carb diet and provided me with Pillsbury sugar free white cake mix and a can of frosting. The cake mix makes one 9” cake layer, but I baked the batter in two 6” cake pans so we could have a classic layered birthday cake. The cake was not bad tasting, but the frosting seemed extremely sweet which is the case in many sugar free items, oddly enough. I decided to alleviate the sweetness by filling the cake with sliced strawberries, tinting the frosting pink with food coloring, in case the strawberries oozed any juices. (And because I do love a pink birthday cake.) A few halved strawberries and one gorgeous garden rose made a quick and appropriate garnish. Here in California, roses bloom almost all year, but peak season starts in May and goes all summer. Our organic garden roses are a beautiful option to decorate desserts.

Another pretty flower blooming in the garden from spring into early summer are cheerful nasturtiums. We haven’t planted any in years, but they are naturalized now, so they show up every spring, wherever they like. Their peppery taste makes them a colorful addition to salads and tea sandwiches, but their somewhat strong smell is a bit too fierce for delicate desserts. 
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In the photos below, I styled this tester cake with a few nasturtium blossoms then removed them after taking the pictures. The smell did not linger on the cake, but I would probably not repeat the experiment. The cake slice photo reveals fillings of lemon curd, lemon mousse and a tester version of a mango mousse cake filling. I had been musing on a 4-layered cake tentatively named “Sunrise,” a pale yellow butter cake, filled with raspberry mousse, mango mousse, and lemon mousse, hopefully resembling a sunrise. The mango mousse was yummy, and I will be using it in future cakes.

 
As readers of this space have most likely figured out, I am very fond of vintage things in general and vintage kitchen gear in particular. Recently, I fell hard for this Swan’s Down promotional tube cake pan at a vintage boutique in Redding. Too rusty for proper baking use, it now graces my kitchen as a bit of décor. It makes me smile every time I see it.
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Isn’t it a beauty? I can imagine some 1940’s homemaker baking lots of chiffon and angel food cakes in this pan.

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​No cake round-up would be complete without mentioning this year’s version of the divine Golden Eggs made by Suzi, this Easter. Here served on a bed of toasted coconut, they posed for their close-up before being gobbled down by the brunch guests. So crazy good!
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Toasted coconut garnishes the sides of this year’s birthday cake for Suzi, made by Peggy Reber. Frosted with luscious cream cheese frosting and decorated with pecans, Peg came up with the elegant finishing touch to our traditional Ivy Lane carrot layer cake. Bravo, Peggy! You’ll find the recipe in my June, 2019 blog, here: Ivy Lane Carrot Cake recipe
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From the Recipe Box: Here is an old recipe from the box that you might try this summer. Fresh or canned peaches or apricots would be great in this kuchen recipe. Use a springform pan to release the cake from the pan with ease.

​Serves 6 to 8
Special equipment: 9” springform cake pan, sprayed with baking spray, outside bottom wrapped with aluminum foil to catch drips, mixing bowl, wooden spoon, silicon spatula, sieve or colander
Preheat 375˚F
*a German-style coffee cake, especially with fruit baked on top, great for breakfast, brunch, or with coffee or tea any time

Notes: The kuchen pictured above is 1 ½ times the original recipe because I could only locate a 10” springform pan. I used a bag of thawed frozen peach slices for the top but would have used more, if I’d had more. I didn’t have any cream to beat with the egg yolk for the last step, so I used milk and beat in about a tablespoon of melted butter. The ¼ cup of cinnamon sugar did not make it too sweet, as I had first thought.

Variation: use fresh or canned apricot halves in place of the peaches. Fresh plum slices would also be yummy.

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1. In mixer bowl, stir together gelatin and boiling water. Be sure to stir until it is completely dissolved, about 2 minutes. Gradually stir in melted chocolate, stir until smooth. Stir in lemon zest and juice. Chill in the refrigerator for about 45 minutes, or until slightly thickened, about the consistency of egg whites. Stir occasionally the last 15 minutes of chilling.
2. In second mixer bowl, beat chilled cream for 1 minute. Stir in powdered sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form.
3. Using spatula, fold lemon mixture into whipped cream until just incorporated. Chill a few hours or until needed. Tightly covered, can be made up to 3 days ahead.
   
   ​Variation: Besides filling cakes, this mousse can be served with fruit and or lady fingers and or liqueur in individual pretty glasses or as part of a citrus trifle.

I grew up with a set of tiny, green hard backed children’s books; I imagine most of you, dear readers, did too. Our friends Peter Rabbit and Jemima Puddle-Duck and the rest of the sweetly drawn creatures took us on adventures in gardens and quaint towns in a comforting Britain of the last century. Beatrix Potter wrote 23 of these just-right-size-for-children books, beginning in 1902 with The Tale of Peter Rabbit and ending in 1930 with The Tale of Pig Robinson.
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The exquisite illustrations immediately drew readers in and her non-sanitized stories entertained both parents reading aloud to children and children just beginning to figure out new words for themselves. Children have always appreciated some gore and mildly perilous situations: note that in The Tale of Peter Rabbit, Peter’s father has previously been “put in a pie by Mrs. McGregor” and Mr. McGregor is a perfect, mildly scary villain. The realism and charm has kept the books in print for over one hundred years and inspired numerous writers, illustrators, products, pilgrimages, movies, and spin-offs.

​Best known in America as a children’s author, in Britain, Beatrix Potter is a cultural icon, representing the ideal British countrywoman. Even as a young child growing up mainly in London, she longed to spend more time in the country, as the family did on annual Scottish vacations. She began drawing and painting from the natural world at an early age, one reason her animal characters are so accurately and beautifully drawn. As soon as her stories were published and became profitable, she moved permanently to the Lake District and began living her country life, ultimately preserving great swaths of traditional wooded farmland through a bequest to the National Trust. This 4000 acre gift helped preserve 20% of England’s Lake District that she loved so much.

I came across The Beatrix Potter Country Cooking Book, published in 1991, way back in 1997, after Louise and I had tried unsuccessfully to visit Beatrix Potter’s Hill Top Farm, near Windermere, in the Lake District. (We learned that most tourist destinations in rural Britain, at that time, closed for the winter, ahem.) The charming cookbook is illustrated with Potter’s drawings and paintings as well as photographs of Lake District folks and time-honored country dishes.

From the introduction:

“This cookery book was inspired by the works of Beatrix Potter and her love of traditional British cooking. Author Sara Paston-Williams, who specializes in researching recipes of earlier periods and creating delicious dishes from natural country ingredients, is a great admirer of Beatrix Potter.”
“Beatrix Potter’s little books famously celebrate the pleasures of country life. This cookery book reflects her enthusiasm for one most important feature of country living – the enjoyment of appetizing and wholesome food.”

Even when I have no intention of actually cooking anything from the book, it is a pleasure to read through its chapters, learning tidbits about Beatrix herself or what folks were baking in the 1900s or country food ways and lore. For American readers, a measurement guide and glossary help us figure out puzzling British terms and ingredients. The editors have not relied on everyone’s having read mounds of British novels in preparation for using their book, though I always recommend that course. (I believe Rose would agree.)

Chapters include the usual such as Starters, Fish, and Meat but intriguingly include Herbs and Flowers, Preserves, and Puddings. Of course, I delved right into Breads, Cakes, and Biscuits. Each and every recipe would be perfectly at home on any tea table. On page 133, we see a Potter drawing from The Pie and The Patty-Pan in which Duchess the dog is having pussy cat Ribby over for tea. On page 127, soft light spills onto Lake District baker Mollie Green’s tea room, replete with scones and cakes. We can imagine pussy and Mollie enjoying treats such as Buttered Oat Biscuits or Dear Little Muffins. Herby Soda Bread would be a cozy accompaniment to tea or a hearty soup but the compellingly named Hawkshead Seed Wigs might win my favor. Author Paston-Williams offers these clues in her introduction to the recipe:
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“Small cakes of spiced dough, known as wigs, used to be sold in Hawkshead, like many other Cumbrian villages and towns. They were usually eaten at Christmas, dipped into elderberry wine or mulled ale. The original wigs were made with yeast and were split and spread with rum butter while still warm. The more modern recipe is easier and very tasty. Beatrix was a regular visitor to the little market town of Hawkshead for shopping and business.” Who knew?

At the Victoria and Albert Museum, in London, a new show is celebrating all things Beatrix with a new exhibition, Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature. The show is up until January of 2023 so there may be time to get ourselves across the pond and take in her watercolor paintings, ephemera, and the original illustrated letters to children that turned into such classics.
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I first read about the exhibition online, in an article by New Yorker contributing writer Anna Russell, titled somewhat melodramatically “The Secret Life of Beatrix Potter.” The secret part being that she wrote her diaries from age 14 through 30 in very small handwriting, using a self-invented code that wasn’t decoded until 1958. Nothing very alarming seems to have been discovered, save that she was a woman of strong opinions and didn’t want people to read her innermost thoughts, much like many angsty teens of today and yesteryear. Apart from any manufactured drama, the show sounds wonderfully enticing.
 

Find the article here: The Secret Life of Beatrix Potter, newyorker.com article And here is the link to the Victoria and Albert Museum website, for more details and how to get tickets for the show: Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature exhibition V & A Museum There is also a book to support the exhibition, Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature by Annemarie Bilclough featuring cover illustration of Mr. Jeremy Fisher being pulled into the pond, fishing pole first.
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I’ll leave you here with my favorite quote from Beatrix herself:
“Thank goodness I was never sent to school; it would have rubbed off some of the originality.”
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